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Destroyed building in Kharkiv
Photo: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
This article will be continuously updated.
Russia sends nuclear workers to Zaporizhia
8.55 a.m .:
Russian authorities have sent nuclear specialists to the Ukrainian
nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia to the southeast
.
The eight representatives of Rosenergoatom, which belongs to the Russian state-owned company Rosatom, are demanding daily reports from the station management on "confidential issues" related to the operation of the nuclear power plant, according to a statement by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Friday, citing Ukrainian authorities .
According to them, the nuclear power plant will continue to be
operated by Ukrainian personnel
, but will be controlled by Russian forces.
Russian troops had occupied the facility on March 4th.
According to the information, the Ukrainian employees work “under incredible pressure”.
Four nuclear power plants with 15 units are currently in operation in Ukraine.
Ukraine announces new fuel suppliers
8:50 a.m.:
Ukraine wants to remedy the currently prevailing fuel shortage with the help of various European suppliers.
According to Economy Minister Julia Swyrydenko, the bottlenecks should be eliminated within a week, since the Ukrainian operators have concluded contracts with suppliers from Europe.
"Queues and rising prices at gas stations can be observed in many regions of our country," said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his nightly video address.
The occupiers deliberately destroyed the infrastructure for the production, delivery and storage of fuel.
This week Russia also attacked the main Ukrainian fuel producer, the Kremenchuk oil refinery, as well as several other large storage facilities.
British military sees Russian offensive flagging
8.44 a.m .:
According to the British military, Russia is forced to gather and regroup its troops after failed advances in north-eastern Ukraine.
"The deficiencies in tactical coordination persist," the British military tweeted.
Due to the weakness of the units and insufficient air support, Russia cannot fully exploit its combat capabilities.
The information could not be independently verified.
Increased attacks on Kharkiv
8.25 a.m .:
The Russian army has targeted the city of Kharkiv.
Violent explosions were heard there on Saturday night.
Nevertheless, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of "tactical successes" by government troops in the Kharkiv region.
"The situation in the Kharkiv region is difficult," Zelenskyi said in a televised address.
"But our military and our secret service have achieved important tactical successes." According to the Ukrainian armed forces, they recaptured the "strategically important" village of Ruska Losova near Kharkiv.
According to the Ministry of Defense in Kyiv, the Ukrainian soldiers brought more than 600 residents to safety.
Zelenskyy accused the Russian army of wanting to "destroy all life" during its offensive in the Donbass.
The constant attacks on the infrastructure and on residential areas showed "that Russia wants to make this area uninhabitable".
Russian troops have already captured a number of villages in the Donbass region.
But the Ukrainian armed forces also reported minor successes.
A senior NATO official said Russia had made "slight" and "uneven" progress in its attempt to encircle enemy positions while Ukrainian forces counterattacked.
Ukraine blows up railway bridge with freight train
8.20 a.m.:
According
to media reports, the Ukrainian army blew up a railway bridge in the Donetsk region.
A Russian freight train was hit, as the online newspaper Ukrajinska Pravda wrote.
According to the online portal "Hromadske", it is unclear what type of wagons it was.
The destroyed bridge was therefore a connection over the river Siwerskyi Donets between the towns of Lyman and Rajhorodok in eastern Ukraine.
The railway connection to Lyman, which is at the epicenter of the fighting in
eastern Ukraine
, has been destroyed.
US trains Ukrainian soldiers in Germany
8:12 a.m.:
A senior US Department of Defense official said Russia's offensive in eastern Ukraine was "behind schedule."
The Russian armed forces are "far from being able to establish a connection between the troops that marched through the Kharkiv region in the north of the Donbass and the troops from the south of the country".
However, it can be assumed "that they will continue to create the conditions for a sustained, larger and longer offensive," added the Pentagon representative.
Washington is the main supporter of the Ukrainian military.
The US has supplied heavy weapons to Ukraine on a large scale.
In addition, the training of Ukrainian soldiers by the US military in Germany has now started.
The training covers, among other things, the operation of howitzers and radar systems that are being made available to Kyiv as part of military aid to defend against Russia.
The training takes place in coordination with Germany.
cpa/dpa
