Russia accuses Kiev of launching a new series of strikes against the Zaporijia nuclear power plant as fighting intensifies on the Kinbourne peninsula and the Russian air force launches strikes in Kherson.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Ukraine had attacked the Zaporijia nuclear power plant again as an act of “provocation”.
‘The radiation situation at the nuclear power plant is still normal’Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding that attacks blamed on Ukrainians in Zaporijia, however, are causing “extreme concern” in Moscow.
The IAEA said on Monday that despite heavy shelling at the Zaporijia factory over the weekend, there were “no immediate security concerns”.
“The condition of the six reactor units is stable and the integrity of spent fuel, fresh fuel and low, intermediate and high level radioactive waste in the respective warehouses has been confirmed”the IAEA said in a statement.
The four international specialists working at the – under Russian occupation – largest nuclear power plant in Europe first received information from the management and then carried out an inspection to see with their own eyes the damage caused by the bombings on Saturday and Sunday.
Grossi on Sunday believed that the attacks on the Zaporijia power station were “definitely deliberate and targeted” and classified the situation as “extremely serious”.
“A Good Dozen Attacks” hit the plant, according to Grossi, who, without attributing responsibility to Russian or Ukrainian troops, was outraged that there were those who considered it a nuclear plant. “a legitimate military target”.
This Tuesday, the activity of the Ukrainian forces is concentrated in the Mikolaiv region, trying to retake the occupied territory, while Moscow retaliates for the expulsion of its troops from Kherson.
“We have three more sites (to be taken) on the Kinbourne Peninsula” before the Mikolaiv region was completely liberated, regional governor Vitali Kim said.
On Monday, spokeswoman for the Ukrainian Army’s Southern Command, Natalia Goumeniouk, had indicated that “a military operation is underway” on the said peninsula, “in silent mode”.
The capture by the Ukrainian army of the last three villages in the Mikolaiv region captured from Russian troops is a major victory for Kiev, just days after the expulsion of Moscow troops from Kherson, the hitherto occupied capital.
However, on Tuesday, Ukrainian authorities reported that the Russian air force carried out new strikes in 12 areas of the Kherson region, killing at least three people and injuring seven others.
In recent days, Russia had already bombed this region in retaliation for the expulsion of its army by Ukrainian forces on November 11.
The military offensive launched by Russia in Ukraine on February 24 has already led to the flight of more than 13 million people — more than six million internally displaced persons and more than 7.7 million to European countries — according to the latest data of the UN, which classifies this refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since World War II (1939-1945).
The Russian invasion – justified by the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, with the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russian security – was condemned by the international community at large, which responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and Russia political and economic sanctions.
Source: DN
