New Delhi: Ukraine's nuclear energy regulatory agency says that higher than usual gamma radiation levels have been detected in the area near the decommissioned Chernobyl nuclear plant, after it was seized by the Russian military. The State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate said Friday that higher gamma radiation levels have been detected in the Chernobyl zone, but didn't provide details of the increase. It attributed the rise to a disturbance of the topsoil due to the movement of a large amount of heavy military equipment through the exclusion zone and the release of contaminated radioactive dust into the air.
Russian forces seized control of Chernobyl nuclear power plant after a 'fierce' battle with the condition of nuclear storage facilities 'unknown', Ukraine has said, sparking fears of a radiation leak that could cause fallout in Europe, Daily Mail reported.
An alleged video revealed Russian tanks and armoured vehicles standing in front of the destroyed reactor, which sits just 60 miles north of the capital Kiev, the report said. Meanwhile Turkey reported that one of its ships had been hit by a 'bomb' off the coast of Odessa, where fighting is also going on.
Turkey is a member of NATO, underlining fears that the war in Ukraine could quickly spread in other states and spark an all-out conflict in Europe. Elsewhere, Kiev ordered civilians into bomb shelters and declared a curfew amid fears that Russia is about to strike the Ukrainian capital as Kiev's troops lost control of a key airfield around 15 miles away.
Russian forces had attacked it with around two dozen attack helicopters earlier on Thursday, four of which are thought to have been shot down, Daily Mail reported.
"They are going to bomb Kiev now. Authorities told us to hide in shelters," a source in the city told MailOnline as authorities said a hospital had been hit, killing four people. The Ukrainian Army was on Thursday afternoon fighting in nearly every region of the country, battling the Russians for control of military bases, airports, cities and ports from Kharkiv to Kiev, and Donetsk to Odessa.
(With agency inputs)
