Ukraine Russians Leaving Chornobyl As Fighting Rages Elsewhere

Ukraine’s state-owned electricity company, Energoatom, said the withdrawal from Tsornobil came after soldiers received “significant doses” of radiation from digging trenches in the forest in the exclusion zone around the closed plant.  But there was no independent confirmation of this.
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.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine was seeing “an accumulation of Russian forces for new strikes in Donbas and we are preparing for that.”
Meanwhile, a bus convoy headed to Mariupol in another attempt to evacuate people from the besieged port city after the Russian military agreed to a limited ceasefire in the area.  And a new round of talks was scheduled for Friday, five weeks after the war that left thousands dead and expelled 4 million Ukrainians from the country.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said it had been informed by Ukraine that Russian forces at the site of the worst nuclear disaster in the world had handed over control of the Ukrainians in writing.
Ukraine said three escorts of Russian forces had left for Belarus, while the rest of the troops were apparently planning to leave as well, the agency said.
Energoatom did not provide details about the condition of the soldiers who said they were exposed to radiation and did not say how many were affected.  There was no immediate comment from the Kremlin, and the IAEA said it was unable to confirm reports of Russian troops receiving high doses.  He said he was looking for more information.
Russian forces occupied the Chornobil site in the early stages of the February 24 invasion, raising fears that they would cause damage or disruption that could spread radioactivity.  The workforce at the construction site oversees the safe storage of spent fuel rods and the wreckage of the reactor that exploded in 1986.
Edwin Lyman, a nuclear expert with the US-based Association of Concerned Scientists, said it was “unlikely” a large number of troops would develop serious radioactivity, but it was impossible to know for sure without further details.
He said the contaminated material was probably buried or covered with new topsoil during the Chornobil clearing, and some soldiers may have been exposed to a “hot spot” of radiation while digging.  Others may have assumed they were in danger, he said.
Earlier this week, the Russians said they would significantly reduce military operations in areas around Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv to boost trust between the two sides and facilitate negotiations.
But on the outskirts of Kiev, Governor Oleksandr Palviuk told social media on Thursday that Russian forces had bombed Irpin and Makariv and that there had been fighting around Hostomel.  Pavliuk said there had been Ukrainian counterattacks and some Russian withdrawals around the eastern suburb of Brovary.
Chernihiv was also attacked.  At least one person has been killed and four others injured in a Russian bombing of a humanitarian convoy sent to Chernihiv to evacuate residents cut off from food, water and other supplies, Ukraine’s Ukrainian’s Human Rights Commissioner said.
Ukraine also reported Russian artillery barricades in and around the northeastern city of Kharkiv.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the information showed that Russia was not restricting its military operations in Ukraine, but was trying to regroup, replenish its forces and step up its attack on Donbas.
“Russia has repeatedly lied about its intentions,” Stoltenberg said.  At the same time, he said, the pressure continues in Kyiv and other cities and “we can expect additional offensive actions that will bring even more suffering.”
Donbass is the predominantly Russian-speaking industrial area where Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting Ukrainian forces since 2014. In recent days, the Kremlin, in a seeming shift in its military objectives, has said that its “main target” is now is gaining control of Donbas, which consists of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, including Mariupol.
Donetsk’s top rebel leader Dennis Pushilin has ordered the formation of a rival city government for Mariupol, according to Russian state news agencies, as a sign of Russia’s intention to hold and manage the city.
The Red Cross, meanwhile, said its teams headed to Mariupol with medical supplies and other assistance, and hoped to evacuate civilians from the besieged city, the site of some of the worst in the war.
Tens of thousands have been able to get out of Mariupol in recent weeks via humanitarian corridors, reducing its population from 430,000 before the war to about 100,000 last week, but other efforts to alleviate the city have been thwarted by continuing Russia.  attacks.
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said 45 buses would be sent to pick up civilians from the besieged and bombed-out city, where food, water, medicine and fuel had been depleted.
“It is desperately important that this operation be carried out,” the Red Cross said in a statement.  “The lives of tens of thousands of people in Mariupol depend on it.”
As the talks between Ukraine and Russia resumed via video, there seemed little faith that the two sides would resolve the conflict soon.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that the conditions are not yet “ripe” for a ceasefire and that he is not ready to meet with Zelensky until the negotiators do more work, said Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi after a telephone conversation with the Russian leader.  .
In other news, Ukraine’s emergency services say the death toll has risen to 20 from a Russian rocket attack on a government building in the southern city of Mykolaiv on Tuesday.
As Western officials look for clues as to what Russia’s next move might be, a top British intelligence official has said that frustrated Russian soldiers in Ukraine are refusing to carry out orders and sabotaging their equipment and accidentally shot down their own aircraft.
Speaking in Australia, Jeremy Fleming, head of the GCHQ cyber-espionage service, said Putin had apparently “massively misjudged” the invasion.
U.S. intelligence officials have concluded that Putin is being misinformed by his advisers about how bad the war is going because they are afraid to tell him the truth.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peshkov said the United States was wrong and that “neither the State Department nor the Pentagon has any real information about what is happening in the Kremlin.”
——
Karmanau reported from Lviv, Ukraine.  Associated Press reporters around the world contributed to this report.

title: “Ukraine Russians Leaving Chornobyl As Fighting Rages Elsewhere " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-29” author: “Susan Mayberry”

Ukraine’s state-owned electricity company, Energoatom, said the withdrawal from Tsornobil came after soldiers received “significant doses” of radioactivity from digging trenches in the forest in the blockade zone around the closed plant.  But there was no independent confirmation of this.
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.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the Russian withdrawal from the north and center of the country was just a military tactic and that forces were gathering for new strong attacks in the southeast.
“We know their intentions,” Zelensky said in his night video address to the nation.  “We know they are moving away from those areas where we are hitting them to focus on other, very important ones, where it can be difficult for us.”
“There will be battles ahead,” he added.
Meanwhile, a bus convoy headed to Mariupol in another attempt to evacuate people from the besieged port city after the Russian military agreed to a limited ceasefire in the area.  However, Russian forces blocked 45 buses and only 631 people managed to leave the city in private cars, according to the Ukrainian government.
Twelve Ukrainian trucks were able to deliver humanitarian supplies to Mariupol, but all were confiscated by Russian troops, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said late Thursday.
A new round of talks was scheduled for Friday, five weeks after the war that left thousands dead and drove 4 million Ukrainians out of the country.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said it had been informed by Ukraine that Russian forces at the site of the worst nuclear disaster in the world had handed over control of the Ukrainians in writing.
The last Russian troops left the Chornobil plant early Friday, according to the Ukrainian government agency responsible for the blockade zone.
Energoatom did not provide details about the condition of the soldiers who said they were exposed to radiation and did not say how many were affected.  There was no immediate comment from the Kremlin, and the IAEA said it was unable to confirm reports of Russian troops receiving high doses.  He said he was looking for more information.
Russian forces occupied the Chornobil site in the early stages of the February 24 invasion, raising fears that they would cause damage or disruption that could spread radioactivity.  The workforce at the construction site oversees the safe storage of spent fuel rods and the wreckage of the reactor that exploded in 1986.
Edwin Lyman, a nuclear expert with the US-based Association of Concerned Scientists, said it was “unlikely” a large number of troops would develop serious radioactivity, but it was impossible to know for sure without further details.
He said the contaminated material was probably buried or covered with new topsoil during the Chornobil clearing, and some soldiers may have been exposed to a “hot spot” of radiation while digging.  Others may have assumed they were in danger, he said.
Earlier this week, the Russians said they would significantly reduce military operations in areas around Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv to boost trust between the two sides and facilitate negotiations.
But on the outskirts of Kiev, Governor Oleksandr Palviuk told social media on Thursday that Russian forces had bombed Irpin and Makariv and that there had been fighting around Hostomel.  Pavliuk said there had been Ukrainian counterattacks and some Russian withdrawals around the eastern suburb of Brovary.
Chernihiv was also attacked.  At least one person has been killed and four others injured in a Russian bombing of a humanitarian convoy sent to Chernihiv to evacuate residents cut off from food, water and other supplies, Ukraine’s Ukrainian’s Human Rights Commissioner said.
Ukraine also reported Russian artillery barricades in and around the northeastern city of Kharkiv.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the information showed that Russia was not restricting its military operations in Ukraine, but was trying to regroup, replenish its forces and step up its attack on Donbas.
“Russia has repeatedly lied about its intentions,” Stoltenberg said.  At the same time, he said, the pressure continues in Kyiv and other cities and “we can expect additional offensive actions that will bring even more suffering.”
Donbass is the predominantly Russian-speaking industrial area where Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting Ukrainian forces since 2014. In recent days, the Kremlin, in a seeming shift in its military objectives, has said that its “main target” is now is gaining control of Donbas, which consists of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, including Mariupol.
Donetsk’s top rebel leader Dennis Pushilin has ordered the formation of a rival city government for Mariupol, according to Russian state news agencies, as a sign of Russia’s intention to hold and manage the city.
The Red Cross, meanwhile, said its teams headed to Mariupol with medical supplies and other assistance, and hoped to evacuate civilians from the besieged city, the site of some of the worst in the war.
Tens of thousands have been able to get out of Mariupol in recent weeks via humanitarian corridors, reducing its population from 430,000 before the war to about 100,000 last week, but other efforts to alleviate the city have been thwarted by continuing Russia.  attacks.
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said 45 buses would be sent to pick up civilians from the besieged and bombed-out city, where food, water, medicine and fuel had been depleted.
“It is desperately important that this operation be carried out,” the Red Cross said in a statement.  “The lives of tens of thousands of people in Mariupol depend on it.”
As the talks between Ukraine and Russia resumed via video, there seemed little faith that the two sides would resolve the conflict soon.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that the conditions are not yet “ripe” for a ceasefire and that he is not ready to meet with Zelensky until the negotiators do more work, said Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi after a telephone conversation with the Russian leader.
In other news, Ukraine’s emergency services say the death toll has risen to 20 from a Russian rocket attack on a government building in the southern city of Mykolaiv on Tuesday.
As Western officials look for clues as to what Russia’s next move might be, a top British intelligence official has said that frustrated Russian soldiers in Ukraine are refusing to carry out orders and sabotaging their equipment and accidentally shot down their own aircraft.
Speaking in Australia, Jeremy Fleming, head of GCHQ, said Putin had apparently “massively misjudged” the invasion.
The Pentagon said Thursday that an initial half-dozen shipments of weapons and other security assistance from the United States had reached Ukraine as part of an $ 800 million aid package approved by President Joe Biden this month.
The missions included Javelin anti-tank weapons, Stinger anti-aircraft missile systems, body armor, medical supplies and other supplies, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.
U.S. intelligence officials have concluded that Putin is being misinformed by his advisers about how bad the war is going because they are afraid to tell him the truth.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peshkov said the United States was wrong and that “neither the State Department nor the Pentagon has any real information about what is happening in the Kremlin.”
——
Karmanau reported from Lviv, Ukraine.  Associated Press reporters around the world contributed to this report.