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Alexey Likhachev, the head of Russia's state nuclear corporation, Rosatom, announced on Tuesday that only 20 Russian employees remain at the Bushehr nuclear power plant in southern Iran as the final phase of personnel evacuation concludes.

During a press conference, Likhachev stated that the corporation has completed the last rotation of its staff. Approximately 180 personnel are currently en route from the coastal facility to Isfahan in central Iran, from where they are expected to be repatriated. The remaining 20 individuals on-site include senior managers and engineers tasked with maintaining equipment safety and oversight.

The evacuation process follows several waves of personnel reductions that began in March. Russia initiated the pullout due to increasing safety concerns following regional military escalations that saw projectiles landing near the facility. Moscow had previously warned that any strike on the operating reactor could lead to a radiological disaster.

Likhachev emphasized that while the construction of two new reactors at the site remains a technological priority for Russia, the current security environment necessitates reducing the Russian presence to a bare minimum. The evacuation has been coordinated with Iranian authorities, who have assisted in securing the transport routes for the departing specialists.

The Bushehr plant, which began supplying electricity to Iran's grid in 2011, remains the country's only operational nuclear power facility. Despite the withdrawal of the majority of its technical staff, Rosatom indicated it would continue to monitor the situation closely with the hope of resuming full-scale operations and construction once regional stability is restored.

//Petra// AF