Russia seizes control of Chernobyl nuclear plant

Kyiv, Feb 25: The Russian military forces have seized control of the Chernobyl nuclear plant, Ukrainian officials said.

"Our defenders are giving their lives so that the tragedy of 1986 will not be repeated," President Volodymyr Zelensky took to Twitter and said. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has warned of the possibility of another ecological disaster at the site.

The Chernobyl's exclusion zone remains largely devoid of life, 36 years after a faulty reactor caused a major explosion at the plant. The three other reactors of the plant were all shut down by the year 2000.

The Russian troops reportedly entered the exclusion zone before crossing over into Ukraine. The US said that it has information that the Russians are holding the staff hostage at the site.

The plant is located around 130 km north of the capital Kyiv and could provide a path into the city for Russia.