Russian paratroopers are keeping watch over the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant along with the Ukrainian National Guard, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday as it published a video supposedly showing soldiers from both forces guarding the premises.
The Russian forces “reached an agreement” with the nuclear power plant guard battalion of the Ukrainian National Guard, the ministry’s press service said in a statement. Both nations’ soldiers are currently providing security at the power plant’s units, spent fuel storehouses, and the protective dome built over the sarcophagus of the destroyed fourth reactor, it added.
The two-minute video released by the ministry shows the area around the power plant and people armed with assault rifles. The footage also shows two men in military uniform, one with a Ukrainian flag on his arm, discussing the security cameras and motion detectors in the area.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the power plant staff is working as normal, and the nuclear environment at the site remains safe. The video also shows people who appear to be power plant employees and military personnel measuring the radiation levels.