Fresh shelling at Ukraine nuke plant as inspection nears
Russia and Ukraine accused each other of fresh shelling at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, just two days after the plant was cut off from Ukraine’s electricity, causing a massive power outage and prompting international fears of a radiation disaster before backup diesel generators kicked in.
Inspectors from the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog are expected to visit the plant next week.
Shelling at the plant may result in hydrogen leakage, sputtering of radioactive substances and fires, Ukraine’s nuclear power agency warned in a statement, as it accused Russian troops of “repeatedly” targeting the facility over the past day. Russia’s attack and control of the plant was a threat to “the security of the whole world,” it added. Russia’s ministry of defense meanwhile said Ukraine had fired shells at the facility in the past 24 hours.
Negotiations for a visit to the nuclear power plant by U.N. inspectors are nearing completion, but the Kremlin is insisting on a Russian media presence for the visit, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said. “The Russians want to send Russian media to the power plant to welcome the delegation and to stage a propaganda show,” Kuleba said.
At the United Nations, Russia blocked the final draft of a declaration on a joint treaty on nuclear security after weeks of negotiations. The Russian delegation objected to a clause in the text regarding the situation at Zaporizhzhia power plant.
Ukraine has canceled an agreement with Russia, according to a parliamentary official. It was not clear which agreement he was referring to, though in a deal signed by Russian, Ukrainian and American leaders in 1994, Ukraine agreed to give up its nuclear weapons for security guarantees.
Elsewhere from the battlefield:
Almost three-quarters of Donetsk’s population has been evacuated since the war began, regional head Pavlo Kyrylenko said, adding that Ukraine retained control of about 45 percent of the region, but all cities were being shelled constantly. The area, along with neighboring Luhansk, has long been a flash point for conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Ukraine’s southern command used rockets to take out a key bridge used by Russian troops in the southern Kherson region, Reuters reported.
Britain plans to donate six undersea mine-hunter drones to Ukraine — equipment that will help detect Russian mines in the water and help keep ports safe, Britain’s Defense Ministry said Saturday, adding that it would train Ukrainian navy personnel on how to use the drones in the months ahead. Russia probably has increased the intensity of its assaults in the Donbas region in response to speculation that Ukraine is planning a major counteroffensive, Britain’s Defense Ministry said in an intelligence update.
AAA