Business

The IAEA says the Russians will hand over control of the Chernobyl nuclear plant to Ukraine


A construction site of a bunker that includes an exploded reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear plant, in Chernobyl, Ukraine, on April 27, 2021.

Efrem Lukatsky | AP

The International Atomic Energy Agency said that Russia’s military takeover of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant last month has transferred control back to Ukraine, the International Atomic Energy Agency said on Thursday, citing information from Ukraine.

Kyiv told the IAEA that many Russian military convoys in the region have also turned back to the Kremlin’s ally Belarus on Ukraine’s northern border.

The IAEA said Russian forces, which have held the nuclear facility since February 24, have “in writing” returned control of the Chornobyl plant to Ukrainian servicemen, the IAEA said in a press release.

The agency added that it “has not been able to confirm reports of Russian forces receiving high doses of radiation while in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone.”

The IAEA said those Russian soldiers moved two convoys towards Belarus, while a third convoy left the nearby city of Slavutych, where many of the nuclear plant’s employees live, also towards Belarus.

“In addition, Ukraine reports that there are still some Russian forces on the Chornobyl NPP site but believes those forces are preparing to leave,” the IAEA said in a statement.

US intelligence appeared to back up Ukraine’s information. “We have seen indications that some Russian forces are leaving the Chernobyl plant facility,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said at a press conference Thursday afternoon.

“We see that they will be leaving the north to return to Belarus. But again, the signs are not quite clear at this point,” Kirby said.



Source link

news7g

News7g: Update the world's latest breaking news online of the day, breaking news, politics, society today, international mainstream news .Updated news 24/7: Entertainment, Sports...at the World everyday world. Hot news, images, video clips that are updated quickly and reliably

Related Articles

Back to top button