Russian troops withdraw from Chernobyl nuclear power plant - AA

Russian troops occupying the former nuclear power plant at Chernobyl have left, the plant's staff said Friday.

According to Ukraine's state nuclear company Energoatom, the staff at the plant said there were currently no "outsiders" at the site.

"This morning, the invaders announced their intentions to leave the Chernobyl nuclear power plant," Energoatom said in a statement.

Ukraine lost control of the Chernobyl plant after a fierce battle with Russian forces, Ukraine’s presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on Feb. 24, the first day of the Russia-Ukraine war.

The plant was never fully abandoned and still requires constant management. It is the site of what is regarded to be the world's worst nuclear accident in 1986.