Russians leave Chernobyl site as fighting rages elsewhere

By NEBI QENA and YURAS KARMANAU
Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian authorities at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant say Russian forces have left the damaged plant. The exit happened early Friday after soldiers got “significant doses” of radiation from digging trenches at the highly contaminated site. The move came as fighting continued near Kyiv and other zones. There are indications the Kremlin is using talk of de-escalation as cover while regrouping and resupplying its forces and redeploying them for a stepped-up offensive in eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says defense forces are preparing for a stepped-up Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine.