war in Ukraine
Zelenskyj: Moscow is deploying “enormous resources” in terms of artillery, personnel and equipment in the Donbass
Ukraine, Nova Kakhovka: This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows the aftermath of a Ukrainian attack on a Russian ammunition depot.
© Planet Labs Pbc / DPA
According to the will of Ukraine, the proud nuclear power Russia is to be blocked internationally by new sanctions against the nuclear industry. An overview of the latest developments in Ukraine.
In view of the fighting over the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv is calling on the West to impose sanctions on Russia’s nuclear industry. The punitive measures would have to be taken by the nuclear industry of the aggressor state, said Zelenskyj in a video speech distributed on Saturday evening. Nuclear power Russia builds or operates nuclear power plants in several countries and also stores radioactive waste. The country is considered a competitor in the market for the USA, for example.
Russia is using the nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine to scare people and to blackmail the Ukrainian leadership and the whole world, Zelenskyy said. For days, Kyiv and Moscow have been accusing each other of being responsible for the shelling of the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. Russia has occupied the sprawling facility in the city of Enerhodar for months. Sunday is day 172 in the Russian war of aggression.
Nuclear power plant as a fortress?
Zelenskyy accused the Russian troops of using the area as a fortress in order to shoot at the small towns of Nikopol and Marhanets on the other bank of the Dnipro Dam. He warned that the deployment of Russian troops on the site of the nuclear power plant “increases the radioactive threat to Europe to a level not seen even at the most difficult moments of confrontation during the Cold War.” He had previously warned of a possible nuclear catastrophe.
Zelenskyj further said: “Of course there has to be a hard reaction.” Ukrainian diplomats and representatives of the partner countries are now doing everything to block Russia’s nuclear industry. At the same time, the President called for international criminal justice to hold the officials responsible in the “state of terror” accountable. In addition, every Russian soldier who shells the nuclear power plant or hides there becomes a target for Ukrainian secret agents and the army.
With six reactors and a net output of 5700 megawatts, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant was occupied by Russian troops in early March. It is of strategic importance for the country’s electricity supply. Russia invaded Ukraine at the end of February. The leadership in Moscow and the occupation authorities in Zaporizhia have rejected demands to return the nuclear power plant to Ukrainian control. In 1986, the worst nuclear accident on European soil occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine.
Location at the Dnipro Dam in Ukraine
Zelenskyi also said in a speech that the situation in eastern Ukraine is still difficult, but without major changes. The Kharkiv region in particular is repeatedly attacked, but the defense is holding up. Meanwhile, Russia has deployed “colossal resources” in terms of artillery, personnel and equipment in the Donbass.
But there is also good news in the south. There, according to Zelensky, the Ukrainian military repeatedly manages to deal blows to the “Russian occupiers”. According to Ukrainian sources, the car bridge of the Nowa Kakhovka dam in the Cherson region is no longer passable as a result of several attacks. The Ukrainian Army Command South announced on Facebook on Saturday that the bridge had been deliberately rendered unusable by rocket and artillery units.
According to this, the Ukrainian army has now succeeded in using long-range missile systems to destroy the last of the only three river crossings. This is intended to prevent the Russian army from being replenished on the right bank of the Dnipro and to enable recapture. The Ukrainians had previously rendered the railway bridge and the road bridge at Cherson unusable. Russian troops built a civilian ferry service across the river, and reportedly several pontoon bridges for the military as well.
The administration of the Russian occupiers confirmed the shelling of the dam bridge. At the same time, she warned of damage to the dam wall, which could lead to a catastrophe. The information could not be checked independently. According to the operators, the output of the connected hydroelectric power station has been reduced to emergency operation. “We are working in a very dangerous mode,” said the power plant’s deputy chief Arsenyy Zelenskyy, according to the Russian state news agency TASS. Since the beginning of the war of aggression, Russia has largely conquered the Kherson region on the lower reaches of the Dnipro River.
Grain transports are running and bring income
Zelenskyi also described the transport of Ukrainian grain and foodstuffs via the Black Sea ports as good news. Meanwhile, 16 ships with corn, wheat, soybean, sunflower oil and other products have left to ease the situation on the global food market. The proceeds from the sale would benefit the state and the farmers, who could now sow the new seeds, Zelenskyj said. “It’s an important element on the road to victory,” he says.
Agricultural exports via Ukraine’s Black Sea ports were blocked for months because of the war. On July 22, the war opponents Ukraine and Russia, each signed an agreement with Turkey through UN mediation, to allow grain exports from Ukraine again. A coordination center in Istanbul is staffed by representatives of the four parties. Among other things, the inspections are intended to ensure that ships do not have any weapons loaded.
Ten Russian planes still in Germany after airspace closure
Almost six months after the blocking of EU airspace for aircraft from Russia, there are still ten aircraft owned or controlled by Russia in Germany. This was reported by the editorial network Germany (RND) on Sunday, citing the Federal Ministry of Transport. “Since the machines are subject to a take-off and flight ban due to the EU sanctions regime, they cannot be used by the owner and cannot be taken to another location,” the ministry was quoted as saying.
What will be important on Sunday
Zelenskyy expects the further transport of grain across the Black Sea. In the south and east of Ukraine and around the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the warring parties are preparing for new battles.
Also read: