First Thing: Russians flee Chernobyl with radiation sickness, says Ukraine |

Hello and good morning.

The UN atomic watchdog is investigating Ukrainian claims that Russian soldiers occupying Chernobyl nuclear power station left after receiving high doses of radiation.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it could not confirm the claims by the Ukrainian state power company Energoatom and was seeking an independent assessment. It will send its first “assistance and support mission” to Chernobyl, in northern Ukraine, in the next few days.

Energoatom said the Russians dug trenches in the forest inside the exclusion zone at the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster in 1986, and that the troops “panicked at the first sign of illness” that “showed up very quickly” and began preparing to leave.

Meanwhile, Energoatom also said the Russian side had formally agreed to hand back to Ukraine the responsibility for protecting Chernobyl. It shared the scan of a document signed by people it identified as a senior staff member at Chernobyl and the Russian military official assigned to guarding Chernobyl.

• What is Chernobyl? The plant is the site of the world’s worst nuclear accident in 1986. Staff continue to oversee the safe storage of spent nuclear fuel and supervise the concrete-encased remains of the reactor that exploded.

• When did Russia take control of Chernobyl? Russian troops seized the nuclear plant soon after the 24 February invasion. There have been concerns over the past month about power cuts and fighting making staff shift rotations difficult.

• What claims is the UN agency likely to investigate? Ukraine’s deputy prime minister Iryna Vereshchuk claimed Russian troops dug trenches in the forest and were exposed to radiation. Some reports suggest soldiers are being sent to a special medical facility in Belarus after driving tanks through the “dead zone” around the nuclear plant, kicking up radioactive dust. (These claims are unverified.)

Mariupol officials say Russians are blocking aid reaching besieged Ukraine city

An aide to the mayor of Mariupol has said the besieged southern Ukrainian city remains closed for anyone trying to enter and is “very dangerous” for anyone trying to leave.

Petro Andryushchenko said Russian forces have been preventing even the smallest amount of humanitarian supplies reaching trapped residents.

A convoy of buses that set out for Mariupol did not reach the city, Ukrainian officials said last night. Russia had promised a limited ceasefire along the route from Mariupol to the Ukraine-held city of Zaporizhzhia.

Repeated efforts to set up humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of up to 170,000 people who remain in Mariupol, which has suffered four weeks of bombardment and dwindling supplies, have failed. Ukraine has accused Russian forces of shelling supposedly safe routes outside of several fighting hotspots, claims that Moscow denies.

Meanwhile, insiders in the UK intelligence agency are divided over GCHQ boss Jeremy Fleming’s strategy of leaking intelligence, my colleague Dan Sabbagh reports. Fleming revealed details such as Russian forces “accidentally shooting down their own aircraft”, sparking debate among spy insiders over the strategy.

Trump may face day in court thanks to lawsuit from reggae singer Eddy Grant

The reggae singer Eddy Grant may succeed where the attorney general of New York state and other powerful figures have struggled – by forcing Donald Trump to answer questions under oath in a legal proceeding.

Grant sued the former president and his campaign over the use of his song Electric Avenue in an ad in 2020.

In the ad, Grant’s song plays over an animation of Joe Biden traveling slowly in a handcar, after a Trump campaign train passes at high speed. Remarks from Biden are also heard. Trump has failed to have the suit dismissed and claims it was fair use under a satire exemption.

• Who is Eddy Grant? A 74-year-old Guyanese-British reggae musician. The song Electric Avenue was released in 1982.

• How much is Grant seeking in damages? $300,000 for copyright infringement.

• How many times has the video been viewed? More than 13.7m times, the lawsuit claims.

In other news …

• A Palestinian baby has died after her treatment was delayed by Israel’s blockade of Gaza. Fatima al-Masri, a 19-month-old with a hole in her heart, waited five months for Israel to issue a permit allowing her to travel for medical treatment.

• Amazon workers in New York are close to voting to form a union today. It represents a major win for labor activists who have failed in previous efforts…