Ukraine nuclear operator: Russian troops leave Chernobyl

LVIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s nuclear operator company says Russian troops are leaving the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and heading towards the country’s border with Belarus. The operator Energoatom said that the Russian military is also preparing to leave the nearby city of Slavutych where power plant workers live. Energoatom also said reports were confirmed that the Russians dug trenches in the Red Forest and received “significant doses of radiation.” The forest is in the 10-square-kilometer (nearly four-square-mile) area surrounding the Chernobyl plant within the Exclusion Zone. The operator said the Russian troops “panicked at the first sign of illness,” which “showed up very quickly,” and began to prepare to leave. The claim couldn’t be independently verified.