Ukrainian authorities informed the International Atomic Energy Organization (IAEA) on Thursday that the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant is again under Ukrainian control following the withdrawal of Russian troops occupying it since 24 February.
Russian troops “have transferred control of the plant in writing to Ukrainian personnel and have displaced two convoys of troops to Belarus,” the IAEA said in a statement.
In addition, he added that a third Russian convoy left for Belarus from the Nordic city of Slavutych, where many of the personnel managing Chernobyl radioactive waste live.
There are still “some Russian forces” on the site of that plant where the biggest atomic accident in history occurred in 1986, although the Ukrainian authorities “presume” that they are preparing to leave as well, the note notes.
On the other hand, he adds that the IAEA, whose director general, Rafael Grossi, traveled to Russia today after visiting Ukraine, “has so far been unable to confirm” reports of Russian soldiers who have received high doses of radiation while in the Chernobyl exclusion zone.
The IAEA - the agency of the UN system responsible for ensuring the peaceful use of atomic energy - states that it continues to “seek more information to provide an independent assessment of the situation”.
Ukrainian regulator Energoatom reported on Telegram on Thursday that Russian troops had been exposed to radiation after erecting “fortifications” and excavating trenches “in the middle of the Red Forest, the most polluted in the entire Exclusion Zone” around Chernobyl.
“It's no surprise that occupants received significant doses of radiation and panicked at the first sign of illness. And it manifested itself very quickly. As a result, almost a riot broke out among the military,” Energoatom noted.
However, the Ukrainian source did not confirm that soldiers who had received high doses of radiation had been transferred to Belarus for treatment, a comment that circulated this Thursday on social media without independently verification.
A senior US official of the Pentagon, who asked for anonymity, had indicated Wednesday night that the Russian army had begun to withdraw from Gostomel Airport, in northwestern Kiev, and from Chernobyl, bound for Belarus.
Chernobyl, located north of Kiev, is not operational but still requires control, analysis and surveillance tasks.
After being occupied by the Russian army on 24 February, the former plant has been a cause of concern to the IAEA, as the personnel working there were detained for almost a month without the possibility of rest.
It was only on March 20 that the rotation of the staff began, which was completed the following day. Since then, “Ukraine has not reported any staff turnover,” the UN nuclear agency said in its statement today.
(With information from EFE)
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