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Comment by jka | Hacker News Reader

According to the tweet, the soldiers affected were allegedly digging trenches in the Red Forest, a highly radioactive region.

It seems strange to believe that they could've been unaware of radiation risk in the area when doing that; radioactivity warnings should be widely visible.

There were allegedly fires[1][2] in the forest recently, and there is the possibility that vehicles driving through the area kicked up radioactive dust[3].

Russian forces may be starting to withdraw[4] from the Chernobyl site.

[1] - https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/breaking-chernobyl-...

[2] - https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/forest-fire-engulfs-more-10000-hec...

[3] - https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/unprotected-russian-sol...

[4] - https://twitter.com/AFP/status/1509256718076817411

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Update: based on this Twitter thread, it seems like much of the concern raised here could have been due to mistranslations: https://twitter.com/jrmygrdn/status/1509516246852767747

That's not a reason to dismiss the situation entirely, but the claims of Acute Radiation Sickness may have been overstated.

In the US we hear about how bad the Chernobyl disaster was but I don't think we really have a clue. It's been over 30 years and there are still areas that are so poisonous. In my head I know the radiation will be dangerous for a long time but this highlights the reality of it.

Perhaps, although the outdoor ground-level radiation should not be at a sufficient level to cause acute radiation poisoning, as I understand it.

According to Wikipedia, 237 people suffered from acute radiation sickness as a result of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster[1], mostly workers from the facility and firefighters responding to the situation.

[1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_disaster#Human_impac...

Just lately there was a documentary by filmmaker James Jones released under the title: "Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes". More about it in this article from the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/feb/28/chernob...

Why would they pay attention to any signs, assuming they’re there?

More scary is that they would have to know they’re in Chernobyl, any nuclear facility there should raise trepidation in anyone over the age of 18. They either didn’t know the history (!) or didn’t know where they were (!)

People visit Chernobyl, there are tours (or were, before the war). Wouldn't want to live there but if you don't mess with the dirt too much it's not particularly dangerous. Digging a trench might not have been the smartest idea though…

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