Most Russian forces have left Chernobyl: Ukraine's state nuclear company

Ukraine has repeatedly expressed safety concerns about Chernobyl and demanded the withdrawal of Russian troops, whose presence prevented the rotation of the plant's personnel for a time

Ukraine's state nuclear company Energoatom said on Thursday that most of the Russian forces that occupied the Chernobyl nuclear power station after invading Ukraine had left the defunct plant, and only a "small number" remained.

Though Russian troops seized control of Chernobyl soon after the Feb. 24 invasion, the plant's Ukrainian staff continued to oversee the safe storage of spent nuclear fuel and supervise the concrete-encased remains of the reactor that exploded in 1986.

Energoatom said these workers had flagged earlier on Thursday that Russian forces were planning to leave the territory.

"The information is confirmed that the occupiers, who seized the Chernobyl