FORT DE BREGANCON /France/, August 19. /TASS/. There is no radiation contamination threat following the accident at a military test site near Severodvinsk in Russia’s northwestern Arkhangelsk region, Russian President Vladimir Putin told journalists on Monday ahead of talks with his French counterpart, Emanuel Macron.

When asked about an alleged radiation contamination threat after a "certain man-induced disaster," Putin said, "If you mean the accident in Severodvinsk, there is no threat there, no increased radiation levels."

"Experts, including independent, were commissioned there. They are monitoring the situation. I receive reports from our experts, both civilian and military. We see no serious changes there but are taking preventive measures all the same to avoid any unexpected developments," Putin said.

The accident at a military test site near Severodvinsk, in Russia’s northwestern Arkhangelsk Region, occurred on August 8. The Russian defense ministry said back then that two people had died in an accident while testing a liquid propellant jet engine but gave no further details. However Rosatom, the Russian state-run atomic energy corporation, said on August 10 that five of its employees had died in a fire and a subsequent explosion during an offshore platform missile test. Three more employees had been taken to the hospital.

The Russian defense ministry pledged there had been "no hazardous emissions in the atmosphere and the radiation levels are within the norm.".