Russian troops occupying the former nuclear power plant at Chernobyl have left, the plant’s staff say, BBC informs.
According to Ukraine’s state nuclear company Energoatom, staff at the plant said there are currently no “outsiders” at the site.
Earlier, it said some Russian forces had set off towards the Belarusian border, leaving a small group behind.
The announcement appears to confirm reports by senior US defence officials on Wednesday of a withdrawal.
Russian troops seized Chernobyl at the beginning of their invasion of Ukraine.
“This morning, the invaders announced their intentions to leave the Chernobyl nuclear power plant,” Energoatom said in a statement.
The company also confirmed reports that Russian troops had dug trenches in the most contaminated part of the Chernobyl exclusion zone, receiving “significant doses” of radiation. There are unconfirmed reports that some are being treated in Belarus.
Reuters news agency quoted workers at the plant as saying some of the soldiers had no idea they were in a radiation zone.
The Russian military, however, said that after capturing the plant radiation levels at the plant itself had stayed within a normal range.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a statement that it was unable to confirm the reports.
Its director did, however, say it was in close consultations with Ukrainian authorities on sending a mission to the Chernobyl plant in the next few days.
