According to a senior Pentagon official, the Russian military has begun withdrawing from Gostomel Airport, northwest of Kiev, and is moving from Chernobyl to Belarus.
“We understand they are leaving, but I can not say if they are all leaving,” the AFP (AFP) quoted the source as saying.
Since March 9, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has stopped receiving data directly from the nuclear power plant where the largest radioactive accident in history occurred in 1986.
On Sunday, the United Nations agency again expressed concern over the lack of staff revenue at the plant since March 20.
The UN nuclear watchdog said on Tuesday that it was in Ukraine to discuss with government officials the provision of “emergency technical assistance” to ensure the safety of nuclear facilities in Ukraine.
For more than a month since the start of the Russian military offensive, Rafael Croce has been warning of the dangers of this war, the first in a country with a large nuclear capability – 15 reactors in four active plants and multiple waste deposits.
Russian forces still control Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said that “less than 20%” of Russian troops had begun to “re-establish themselves in Belarus” as the Ukrainian military prevented them from advancing in the region around Kiev.
“We estimate that they are changing themselves in Belarus. We do not have the exact number, but this is our preliminary estimate,” John Kirby told a news conference.
The U.S. official warned that Russia’s words about the expansion around Kiev had not yet been fulfilled.
A Pentagon spokesman said the move did not mean a withdrawal for the United States, but an attempt by Russia to re-deploy and re-deploy its troops.
The U.S. Department of Defense’s communications director recalled that Russia has set a priority to prioritize the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine.
After talks with Ukrainian negotiators in Istanbul on Tuesday, Russia also announced that it would reduce its activities around Kiev and Chernihiv to ease tensions and help move the talks towards an agreement.
Chernihiv Governor Vyacheslav Sass said on Wednesday that Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure continued overnight, despite the intention to reduce the intensity revealed by Moscow.