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| There have been concerns about safety at the former plant since the Russian occupation. (Photo by= Getty Images) |
[아시아뉴스통신=레악카나 기자] Russian troops occupying the former nuclear power plant at Chernobyl have left, the plant's staff say. According to Ukraine's state nuclear company Energoatom, staff at the plant said there are currently no "outsiders" at the site, BBC reported.
Earlier, it said some Russian forces had set off towards the Belarusian border, leaving a small group behind. The announcement appears to confirm reports by senior US defence officials on Wednesday of a withdrawal. Russian troops seized Chernobyl at the beginning of their invasion of Ukraine on 24 February. "This morning, the invaders announced their intentions to leave the Chernobyl nuclear power plant," Energoatom said in a statement on Thursday. It also confirmed reports that Russian troops had dug trenches in the most contaminated part of the Chernobyl exclusion zone, receiving "significant doses" of radiation. There are unconfirmed reports that some are being treated in Belarus.
Reuters news agency quoted workers at the plant as saying some of the soldiers had no idea, they were in a radiation zone. The Russian military, however, said that after capturing the plant radiation levels at the plant itself had stayed within a normal range. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a statement that it was unable to confirm the reports.
