Russian troops have withdrawn from Chernobyl, Ukraine agency says

Ukraine’s state-owned atomic energy firm, Energoatom, said in a statement on Telegram that all technological equipment at the plant and systems for monitoring radiation were “working normally” on Friday.

The Chernobyl plant, the scene of a major 1986 disaster, was among the first strategic facilities seized by Russian troops at the start of their invasion of Ukraine in February. Its capture sparked international alarm and raised fears of a nuclear accident in Europe.

Ukraine worries about disaster as Russia targets nuclear power plants

The International Atomic Energy Agency said Thursday that Ukrainian officials informed it that Russian troops had “in writing, transferred control” of the Chernobyl nuclear plant back to Ukrainian personnel.

The IAEA also said it has not been able to confirm reports that Russian troops had received “high doses of radiation” while stationed in the Chernobyl exclusion zone. The agency said it was “seeking further information in order to provide an independent assessment of the situation.”

Large quantities of radioactive material contaminated the land around the Chernobyl nuclear site after the disaster. Today, an “exclusion zone,” where radioactive contamination is highest, covers about 1,000 square miles around the site.

Russian troops were withdrawing toward the Ukrainian border with Belarus after announcing plans to leave the plant, Energoatom said in a statement Thursday. Russian forces also appeared to withdraw from the satellite city of Slavutych, Energoatom added, where many Chernobyl employees live. The claims could not be independently verified.

The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog promised “technical assistance” to ensure the safety and security of Ukraine’s nuclear facilities amid the war, as IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi arrived in Ukraine earlier this week.

Grossi met with ministers and visited the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant. He said it was “vital” for the IAEA to be on the ground to “help prevent the danger of a nuclear accident.” He arrived in Kaliningrad, Russia, for talks with senior officials there on Friday.

What’s at risk in Chernobyl

The Chernobyl zone, one of the most radioactively contaminated places in the world, has remained closed since 1986, although a small number of people still live in the area — mostly elderly Ukrainians who refused to evacuate or who returned after the evacuation of the area.

The building containing the exploded reactor from 1986 was covered in 2017 with an enormous shield meant to contain radiation still emanating from the plant. Robots inside the plant work to dismantle the destroyed reactor and gather up radioactive waste. It is expected to take until 2064 to finish safely dismantling the reactors.

Brittany Shammas contributed to this report.