Russian forces have left Chernobyl plant, says Ukraine state nuclear firm

State-owned Energoatom had earlier said that most troops had gone, leaving only a small number behind

"According to the staff of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, there are now no outsiders on site," Energoatom said in an online post. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File)

The Ukrainian state nuclear company said on Thursday that all of the Russian forces occupying the Chernobyl nuclear power station had withdrawn from the territory of the defunct plant.

There was no immediate comment from the Russian authorities. The UN nuclear watchdog, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said it is preparing to send a mission to the radioactive waste facilities at Chernobyl in northern Ukraine.