The situation in Ukraine
Nuclear power plant site in Ukraine shelled
The Zaporizhia nuclear power plant: One block of the nuclear power plant had to be partially shut down. photo
© Uncredited/AP/dpa
Several shots were fired at the site of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine. Kyiv speaks of an “act of terrorism”. The current developments.
Russia and Ukraine blame each other for the shelling of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant site. The largest nuclear power plant in Europe is located in the part of southern Ukraine occupied by Russian troops – there have already been dangerous situations there several times in the past months of the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj spoke of an “act of terrorism” by the Russian side and called for new sanctions aimed specifically at the neighboring country’s nuclear industry. The Foreign Ministry in Kyiv warned that if a reactor were hit while it was in operation, the possible consequences would be “tantamount to the use of a nuclear bomb.”
Zelenskyj calls for new sanctions against Russia
“Anyone who creates nuclear threats for other peoples is definitely not in a position to use nuclear technology safely,” said Zelenskyj during the night. Specifically, he demanded punitive measures against the Russian state-owned company Rosatom.
Just a few days ago, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) expressed concern about the situation around the power plant, which, with six blocks and an output of 6,000 megawatts, is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. An inspection to check technical safety is urgently needed, said IAEA boss Rafael Grossi. But it is currently very difficult for the IAEA to even get into the war zone in Zaporizhia.
Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of shelling nuclear power plants
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that parts of the city of Enerhodar, where the power plant is located, had lost power and water supplies – and blamed the Ukrainian army. In addition, a block of the nuclear power plant had to be partially shut down. The information could not be independently verified. The Ukrainian side, on the other hand, said the Russians had shelled the area themselves.
As a result of the Russian attacks, a high-voltage line to the neighboring thermal power plant was damaged, according to the Ukrainian state-owned nuclear company Enerhoatom. Ukraine’s foreign ministry has appealed to the international community to ensure that the Russians return control of the nuclear power plant to the Ukrainians.
Great Britain: Ukraine war before new phase
According to British information, Russia’s war of aggression is entering a new phase. The British Ministry of Defense expects the heaviest fighting to shift to a nearly 350-kilometer-long front line that stretches southwest near Zaporizhia to Cherson and thus runs parallel to the Dnieper River. This was announced by the ministry in its regular intelligence update on the Ukraine war. In Zaporizhia there is a Russian-occupied Ukrainian nuclear power plant, the most powerful in Europe. Kherson is linked to the occupied Crimean Peninsula by a strategically important rail route.
In anticipation of Ukraine’s counteroffensive or in preparation for a possible attack, Russian forces were almost certainly massing in southern Ukraine, the British wrote. Long Russian military convoys continued to move south-west away from Ukraine’s Donbass region. Military equipment is also said to have been brought to Crimea from the Russian-held areas of Melitopol, Berdiansk and Mariupol, as well as via mainland Russia via the Kerch Bridge.
Putin and Erdogan want to expand economic relations
At their meeting, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed on expanding economic relations between their countries. At the meeting in the southern Russian tourist metropolis of Sochi, “very important decisions” were made in the area of trade and the economy, said Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak. For example, the conditions for cooperation are to be made easier for Russian and Turkish companies.
What was eagerly awaited was whether Putin and Erdogan would talk about a possible acquisition of Turkish combat drones by Russia. In the course of its war against Ukraine, Moscow had recently expressed interest in the Bayraktar TB2 weapons. In the evening, however, journalists from the state news agency Ria Nowosti said that the two presidents had not addressed the issue.
Latvia suspends visas for Russians indefinitely
Latvia has further indefinitely restricted issuing visas to Russians in light of the war in Ukraine. From now on, the Latvian embassy in Moscow will only accept visa applications from Russian citizens who have to attend the funeral of a close relative in Latvia, the diplomatic mission of the Baltic EU and NATO country said.
UEFA penalty after Fenerbahce fans shouted “Putin”.
After Fenerbahce fans chanted “Vladimir Putin” during the game against Dynamo Kyiv, UEFA fined the Turkish club. Fenerbahce has to pay a fine of 50,000 euros and has been sentenced to a partial lockout of its fans, according to the European Football Union.
Numerous Fenerbahce supporters chanted the name of the Russian President in the second half of the match of the second Champions League qualifying round in Istanbul. Vitaly Bujalskyj (57th minute) had put the Ukrainians in the lead, then there were calls of “Vladimir Putin” from the stands. The incident was also widely discussed on social media. Many Fenerbahce fans expressed their regret at the behavior of the supporters at the stadium.