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When the first armoured vehicles of Russia's invading army reached the heart of Chornobyl nuclear plant on the afternoon of 24 Feb, they encountered a Ukrainian unit charged with defending the notorious facility. In less than two hours, and without a fight, the 169 members of the Ukrainian National Guard laid down their weapons.
A Reuters investigation has found that Russia s success at taking over Chornobyl in February was no accident, but part of a long-standing Kremlin operation to infiltrate the Ukrainian state with secret agents.
More than 100 employees, who had arrived at the defunct nuclear plant for their night shift just hours earlier, were now trapped as Russian forces crossed into Ukraine and seized swathes of land on their way towards Kyiv.