Rospotrebnadzor reports fires in Chernobyl NPP exclusion zone, says radiation levels in Russia stable

MOSCOW. March 28 (Interfax) - Radiation levels remain stable in Russia despite fires in the exclusion zone of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, Rospotrebnadzor, Russia's health and consumer rights protection watchdog, said in a statement.

"Given the fires in the Chernobyl NPP exclusion zone, Rospotrebnadzor has been monitoring radiation levels in border areas of Russia," the agency said.

"The monitoring indicates that radiation levels remain stable in Russia," it said.

Rospotrebnadzor said it was continuing to monitor the situation.

The State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management said on social media earlier that the radiation hazard had grown due to fires in the Chernobyl NPP exclusion zone that had the potential to spread. The agency said that fires observed at over 30 spots in the exclusion zone over the past two weeks had exceeded 8,700 hectares in total.

Vadym Denysenko, an advisor to the Ukrainian interior minister, said on Monday that the fire situation in the Chernobyl NPP exclusion zone was generally stable.

"A lot of old information, dating a few weeks back, has been repeated lately. As of now, the fire situation in the Chernobyl zone is more or less stable, and there are no big fires burning," Denysenko said during a television marathon.