Russian troops seize Chernobyl nuclear power plant – Kiev

Russian forces have seized the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the Ukrainian president’s office said on Thursday. The claim comes hours after Kiev said fighting was raging at the site of the 1986 nuclear disaster.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed earlier on Thursday that Kiev’s troops were trying to repel a Russian attack in Chernobyl.

“After a fierce battle, our control over the Chernobyl site was lost. The condition of the facilities of the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant, confinement unit, and storage of nuclear waste is unknown,” Mikhail Podolyak, an aide to the head of the president’s office, told the Ukrainian news agency UNIAN late on Thursday.

The official branded the attack on the site “completely pointless,” claiming it represented “one of the most serious threats for Europe today.” Podolyak also alleged that the Russians might be engaged in unspecified “provocative” actions at the site, which saw one of the worst-ever nuclear accidents back in 1986.

Unverified footage circulating online shows a tank, as well as other armored vehicles parked outside the plant. Moscow has neither confirmed nor denied the events underway in Chernobyl at the time of writing. Belarus earlier denied its troops were taking part in the Russian assault.