Chernobyl is back in Russian hands after years, as the Russian military has taken over the restricted zone and nuclear facilities as part of the operation in Ukraine. As reported by Agence France-Presse on Telegram:

“The invading troops have entered the Chernobyl plant zone from Belarus“.

Foreign media, as well as a detailed article by nbcnews. com, stress that the region has been targeted by Russian operations because of its strategic position.

In particular, it is less than 16 kilometres from Ukraine‘s border with Belarus, an ally of Russia and a country from which it is launching strikes against Ukraine. Meanwhile, from Chernobyl there is a straight road about 129 km south to Kiev.

This route may be particularly attractive to the Russian military, because it would allow them to cross the Dnieper River into Belarus, avoiding a potentially dangerous crossing of the great river that bisects Ukraine behind enemy lines.

Reports of an advance on Kiev

Since Chernobyl came under Russian control, there have been unconfirmed reports of an army advance on Kiev. Initially, Moscow announced that it was sending paratroopers to protect the area, at a time when military analysts said that at this particular point in the war, Russian paratroopers are expected to play a crucial role.

According to some, the gradual advance from Chernobyl to Kiev is underway, and videos have been posted on social media, particularly on Twitter, but their reliability has not been confirmed.