LVIV, Ukraine (AP) 鈥� Russian troops were leaving the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and heading towards Ukraine's border with Belarus, the Ukrainian nuclear operator company said.
The operator, Energoatom said that the Russian military was also preparing to leave Slavutych, a nearby city where power plant workers live.
Energoatom also said reports were confirmed that the Russians dug trenches in the Red Forest, the 10-square-kilometer (nearly four-square-mile) area surrounding the Chernobyl plant within the Exclusion Zone, and received 鈥渟ignificant doses of radiation.鈥�
The Russian troops 鈥減anicked at the first sign of illness,鈥� which 鈥渟howed up very quickly,鈥� and began to prepare to leave, the operator said. The claim couldn't be independently verified.
Energoatom said the Russians have signed a document confirming the handover of the Chernobyl plant and stating that the plant鈥檚 administration doesn鈥檛 have any complaints about the Russian troops who were 鈥済uarding鈥� the facility.
鈥淚t turns out that the occupiers 鈥榞uarded鈥� the station for more than five weeks, and even so well that there are no complaints,鈥� Energoatom said in a statement on Telegram.
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