The Ukrainian state nuclear company said on Thursday that all Russian forces in possession of the power plant had withdrawn from the area around the facility. “According to the staff of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, there are no more foreigners in the area,” Energoatom said in an online post. The state-owned company had earlier said most troops had left, leaving only a small number behind. Energoatom said the withdrawal from Chernobyl took place after soldiers received “significant doses” of radioactivity from digging trenches in the forest in the foreclosure zone around the closed plant, although there was no independent confirmation. The withdrawal comes amid growing evidence that the Kremlin is using the de-escalation talks in Ukraine as cover, reorganizing, replenishing its forces and launching an escalating offensive in the east of the country. Russian forces have also retreated from the nearby town of Slavutych, where Chernobyl workers live, the company said. In a separate post, Energoatom reported that the Russian side had formally agreed to hand over responsibility for the protection of Chernobyl to Ukraine. He shared the scan of a document signed by people who identified themselves as a senior Chernobyl officer, a Russian military official who had taken over custody of Chernobyl. Reuters could not immediately verify the authenticity of the document. Ukraine has repeatedly expressed security concerns about Chernobyl and called for the withdrawal of Russian troops, whose presence has prevented staff changes for some time. Earlier this week, workers at the site told Reuters that Russian troops had driven without radiation protection through the Red Forest, the most radioactively contaminated part of the Chernobyl zone, raising clouds of radioactive dust. The Russian Defense Ministry, when asked to comment on the accounts of Chernobyl personnel, did not respond. Energoatom said that as a result of their concerns about the radiation, “almost a riot began to break out among the soldiers”, suggesting that this was the reason for their unexpected departure. The polluted Red Forest near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (Jorge Franganillo / Creative Commons) The IAEA said it was unable to confirm reports of Russian forces receiving high doses of radioactivity. Reports in Belarus say Russian military convoys of minibuses sought medical help for “acute radiation poisoning” at a country clinic after leaving Chernobyl. At least seven minibuses carrying Russian soldiers arrived at the clinic this week, according to Belarus’ Telegram channel. Anton Motolko, a Belarusian photographer, shared a photo of a medical vehicle he said was transporting Russian troops to Belarus. 13:30 A medical bus of the Russian Armed Forces PAZ was located at the entrance of Mazyr, moving from the side of the R-131 highway. pic.twitter.com/TbIjFjXJUK – MotolkoHelp (@MotolkoHelp) March 31, 2022 Russia occupied the plant hours after Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine on February 24. Ukrainian plant personnel continued to oversee the safe storage of nuclear waste, reportedly working at gunpoint. Workers at the plant are also protecting the reactor, which exploded in 1986 in what is considered the worst nuclear disaster in history. Ukraine has repeatedly expressed security concerns about Chernobyl and the surrounding Red Forest, which has been hit by wildfires. Officials have warned that another explosion or forest fire will increase radioactivity levels. Kyiv has demanded that Russian troops, whose presence has prevented the plant’s personnel from changing for a while, withdraw from the plant. Earlier on Thursday, the head of Energoatom called on the United Nations nuclear watchdog to help ensure that Russian nuclear officials do not interfere in the operation of Chernobyl and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is also occupied by Putin. Moscow has denied that its forces endangered Ukraine’s nuclear facilities.
