US says Russia has begun withdrawing troops from Chernobyl power plant

“Chernobyl is an area where they (Russian troops) are starting to redeploy their forces. Many soldiers have left this facility and moved to Belarus,” the US official said, speaking on condition of anonymity, according to the Bangkok Post.

Even so, this person still can’t be sure Russia has withdrawn all forces from the Chernobyl power plant or not.

Satellite image of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant published by Maxar Technologies on March 10

Previously, Russian troops took control of the Chernobyl plant – where radioactive waste is still stored – on February 24, the first day of Moscow’s launch. Special military operation in Ukraine.

The Russian military also took control of Europe’s largest nuclear plant at Zaporizhzhia, southern Ukraine, on March 4. On March 30, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi personally visited the power plant in Zaporizhzhia, in response to concerns about nuclear incidents from this facility.

Ukraine currently has 15 reactors at four operating nuclear power plants, as well as nuclear waste storage facilities, including at Chernobyl, the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster in 1986.

Russia on March 29 announced it would reduce its activities military in areas near the capital Kiev and the city of Chernihiv in northern Ukraine, to facilitate the negotiation process. However, Governor Chernihiv said on March 30 that the province remained under shelling throughout the night.

US defense officials say Russia has only “repositioned” a small force of troops near Kiev, and may be preparing for a major offensive elsewhere. According to Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, “the vast majority” of Russian troops around Kiev remain in place.

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