Russia has been branded a terrorist state for seizing the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and controlling it for over a month during the brutal Ukraine war.
Russian troops seized Chernobyl on day one of the Ukraine war at the end of February, taking over the 19-mile perimeter of the plant for over a month and bunking on the grounds.
Now, the Security Service of Ukraine has collected "indisputable" evidence that the units of the Kremlin which forcibly seized the plant, from February 24 to March 31, committed an act of nuclear terrorism.
The plant is not fully operational and a number of the reactors are decommissioned, but the compound is a vast complex with three nuclear fuel storage facilities and a number of radioactive waste sites.
Before the invasion, nearly 6,000 workers were monitoring the effects of the plant's catastrophic meltdown more than three decades ago.
The Washington Post reports that 698 computers. 344 vehicles and 1,500 radiation dosimeters - all irreplaceable software - were seized by the Kremlin during their takeover. It estimated the cost of replacing what was lost at more than $135 million.
"By turning this facility into its temporary military base, the Russian Federation flagrantly violated the Geneva Convention, which expressly prohibits attacks on nuclear facilities in conditions of armed conflict", The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) wrote on Tuesday.
During the temporary occupation, the invaders also violated all nuclear safety norms by damaging the premises, mining the area and provoking a number of fires.
Images show the destruction Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces left in their wake including messages graffitied on walls, rubbish overflowing along the corridors, smashed-up windows and live electrical wiring uncovered.
SSU documented that 300 military personnel were stationed directly on the territory of radiation-hazardous facilities and more than 100 mines and 3 explosions were discovered.
