On The Ground

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• Wagner Group, a private Russian military contractor accused of human rights abuses, has deployed to eastern Ukraine, the UK defense ministry said. Wagner Group is expected to bring up to 1,000 mercenaries to take part in combat operations in Ukraine after the regular Russian military experienced heavy losses.
• Russian soldiers who seized the site of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster drove their armored vehicles without radiation protection through a highly toxic zone called the "Red Forest," kicking up clouds of radioactive dust.
• UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi visited Ukraine to start providing assistance including experts and equipment aimed at keeping nuclear facilities safe in the midst of war. Since Russia invaded Ukraine last month, IAEA has called on both countries to urgently agree to a framework to ensure nuclear facilities are safe and secure.
• UN aid agencies have managed to help up to 900,000 people in Ukraine so far, but they must be guaranteed safe passage by the warring parties to be able to do more, a spokesperson said.