Ukraine nuclear agency reports rise in Chornobyl radiation levels after Russian troops seize control

The New Safe Confinement seals off the Object Shelter, also known as the Sarcophagus, a temporary structure built in 1986 over the debris of the 4th reactor of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, Kyiv Region, northern Ukraine.

The Chernobyl nuclear power plant had exceeded control levels after Russian troops took control of the area.

The experts at the state nuclear agency said in a statement that the change was due to the movement of a large number of heavy military machinery lifting the top layer of soil into the air.

According to the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine, the condition of the Chornobyl nuclear facilities is unchanged.

The world's worst nuclear disaster was caused by an explosion and fire at the Chornobyl power plant.

Russian troops were closing in on the capital city of Kyiv on Friday after launching an invasion of Ukraine the previous day.

One of the worst security crises in Europe for decades has been caused by the assault.

An advisor to the presidential office warned that it was impossible to consider the shuttered reactor safe after Russian forces captured control of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant.

The attack by Russian troops was described by Mykhailo Podolyak as pointless and one of the most serious.

The situation was not critical for the time being as the Interior Ministry said that it was monitoring an increase in radiation levels.

Russia's defense ministry said on Friday that Russian soldiers had agreed with the Ukrainian military to ensure the facility's safety.

The current developments in the country will not allow nationalist units and other terrorist organizations to stage a nuclear provocation.

The death toll of cancer caused by Chornobyl is estimated by the environmental group Greenpeace at close to 100,000.

The Chornobyl Exclusion Zone lies between the capital city of Kyiv and the border of the two countries.

The tragedy of 1986 will not be repeated, according to Zelenskyy, who spoke shortly after Russian troops took control of the nuclear power plant.

He said this was a declaration of war against Europe.

The UN nuclear watchdog said it is following the conflict in Ukraine with grave concern and called for maximum restraint to avoid any action that may put the country's nuclear facilities at risk.

The safe and secure operations of the nuclear facilities in that zone should not be affected or disrupted, according to the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The IAEA is in contact with its Ukrainian counterpart.

When contacted by CNBC, a spokesman for the IAEA was not available.