Ukraine war: US supports Kyiv with billions more dollars

Created: 2022-08-09 04:54

By: Sandra Kathe, Nail Akkoyun, Andreas Apetz, Lucas Maier

The situation around the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia continues to deteriorate.

Russia's troops use a rare missile: the news ticker on Monday, August 8th.

• Explosives in nuclear power plant:

  Russian troops are probably wiring energy units

• Strategically important bridge under fire:

  Ukrainian troops deployed

• Editor

  's note: You can read all the news about the Ukraine conflict in this news ticker.

  Some of the information comes from warring factions in the Ukraine war and cannot be checked directly and independently.

+++ 10:20 p.m .:

According to a statement from the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Russia has failed in its attempt to advance into the Avdiivka and Piskiv areas.

Russian forces were forced to retreat under heavy fire from Ukrainian soldiers, Chief of Staff Oleksandr Shtupun reports on Facebook.

Also, the Russian troops tried unsuccessfully to break through the Ukrainian defenses in the areas of the Marjinka settlement.

In the regions of the two major cities of Pavlohrad and Zaporizhia, however, there were several airstrikes.

The information has not yet been independently verified.

A commander of a territorial defense battalion in Zaporizhia Oblast in southern Ukraine.

© Dmytro Smolyenko/Imago

News about the Ukraine war: USA support Kyiv with further billions of dollars

+++ 9.30 p.m .:

The US government wants to provide Ukraine, which has been attacked by Russia, with a further 4.5 billion US dollars (around 4.4 billion euros) for the state budget.

The US Agency for International Development said on Monday that the budget deficit caused by Russia's "brutal war of aggression" should be alleviated with the money.

The government of Ukraine will receive the funds in tranches, starting with a $3 billion payout in August.

The funds are to be made available to the country via the World Bank.

The additional funding is intended to help the Ukrainian government maintain basic functions for its people, it said.

This includes social and financial support for the Ukrainian population and people who are fleeing the country.

The Pentagon has also announced further armaments aid amounting to one billion US dollars.

A firefighter in the ruins of a destroyed house in Donetsk.

The photo was taken on August 6th.

© Valentin Sprinchak/Imago

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News on the Ukraine war: USA call for ceasefire at Zaporizhia nuclear plant

+++ 8.15 p.m .:

According to a statement by Colin Kahl, Undersecretary for Policy in the US Department of Defense, Russia is struggling with significant losses in the Ukraine war.

Moscow is said to have complained of up to "70,000 or 80,000 victims" in the past month.

One reason is the attitude of the two armies:

"Ukrainian morale and will to fight is unquestionable and in my opinion much higher than the average will to fight on the Russian side, which gives the Ukrainians a significant advantage," Kahl was quoted as saying by

.

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News on the Ukraine war: USA calls for ceasefire at Zaporizhia nuclear plant

+++ 6:00 p.m .:

The White House has asked Russia to stop all military operations near nuclear facilities in Ukraine.

"Fighting near nuclear plants is dangerous," White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One.

"And we continue to call on Russia to cease all military operations in or near Ukrainian nuclear facilities and to return full control to Ukraine," Jean-Pierre said.

The worries are primarily devoted to the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, which was occupied by Russian troops in March and has been fiercely fought over in recent days.

News on the Ukraine war: Russia reports successes against "HIMARS" missiles

+++ 5 p.m .:

The government in Moscow has reported successes against “HIMARS” rocket launchers.

Rockets fired by US rocket launchers were shot down in southern and eastern Ukraine.

In addition, several HIMARS vehicles were destroyed near the city of Kramatorsk, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

+++ 16.15:

In the Zaporizhia region, Russian troops are apparently pushing for a referendum.

The head of administration of the Russian army there signed a corresponding decree, the state news

reported from Russia on Monday.

Meanwhile, numerous details remained open, for example how such a vote would be organized.

News about the Ukraine war: Russian troops are probably laying explosives in nuclear power plants

+++ 15.15:

Russian soldiers are said to have wired energy units from the contested nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia.

This was announced by the Ukrainian Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security in the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy on Monday afternoon.

According to media reports, the responsible major general had previously stated that the fight for the nuclear power plant would become bloody (see update from 11.30 a.m.).

A spokesman for Ukraine's defense ministry also said there was information that Russian troops may have planted explosives at the power plant.

None of the above information can be independently verified.

+++ 2.30 p.m .:

The armed forces of the Russian army probably used a “Kinzhal” type rocket on Sunday (August 7).

This type of rocket is currently only available to the troops in small numbers.

According to a report by the

news portal , it was used in the attack on the city of Vinnytsia, southwest of Kiev.

+++ 1.45 p.m .:

The assessment of the “Institute for the Study of War” (see update from 8.30 a.m.) is now also confirmed by a media report from Russia: Not only in the self-proclaimed People’s Republics (Eastern Ukraine) are Russian mobilization measures currently underway Army, but also in Russia itself. "According to our calculations, more than 40 such units have already been set up in at least 20 regions of Russia," reports the Russian daily

.

also refers to this

in the Europe edition.

News on the Ukraine war: Kremlin sees no basis for meetings between Putin and Zelenskyy

+++ 12.00 p.m .:

Heavy fighting between the Ukrainian and Russian armies continues in eastern Ukraine.

Russian attacks were repelled to the east and south of the neighboring towns of Bakhmut and Soledar, the Ukrainian general staff said.

Likewise, Russian attacks southwest of the city of Avdiivka, east of Siwersk and southwest of the city of Avdiivka failed.

+++ 11.30 a.m .:

The Russian Major General Valery Vasilyev, commander of the army in the Zaporizhia region, has announced a bloody conflict over the nuclear power plant there, according to consistent media reports from Ukraine.

"There will either be Russian soil here - or a scorched desert," he is said to have said to soldiers.

"You Liberation fighters must understand that we have no other choice.

And when it comes to the toughest job, we have to carry it out with honor,” Vasilyev is quoted as saying.

+++ 10.45 a.m .:

Russian forces are again forced to withdraw in the Luhansk region.

This was stated by Governor Serhij Hajdaj on Monday, according to a report by the

news portal .

According to this, the Russian army tried to capture the positions near the village of Verkhniokamyanske – between Donetsk and Luhansk – and in four other areas.

This apparently failed, but this cannot be independently verified.

+++ 10:00 a.m .:

The British Ministry of Defense fears the use of so-called butterfly mines in the Donbass.

According to a situation report, Russia uses them.

The mines are apparently an enormous danger to the civilian population.

According to the ministry in London, Russian troops are most likely trying to use dispersible mines “PFM-1” and “PFM-1S” in the cities of Donetsk and Kramatorsk.

The PFM-1 butterfly mines were said to have been used to devastating effect in the Soviet-Afghan war, where they allegedly maimed scores of children who mistook them for toys.

News about the Ukraine war: troops are probably shooting at a strategically important bridge

+++ 9.15 a.m .:

Ukrainian army troops are currently apparently shooting at a bridge in the occupied Cherson region.

This is reported by the Russian news

, citing local officials.

The Ukrainian army fired at the bridge last week using US military “HIMARS” missiles, possibly in preparation for a counteroffensive.

The structure is one of two crossings of the Dnipro River.

The bridge is considered a strategically important connection for the Russian army.

The above information cannot be independently verified.

+++ 8.30 a.m .:

Mobilization actions are currently taking place in the self-proclaimed People’s Republics of Luhansk and Donetsk.

These should primarily affect those who are unfit for service.

This is reported by the US think tank “Institute for the Study of War” in a status report.

The report refers to information from the Ukrainian secret service.

It is primarily about setting up new motorized rifle battalions.

This cannot be verified independently.

News about the Ukraine war: Explosions reported in Kharkiv

Update from Monday, August 8, 7 a.m.:

According to a report by the

news portal, the mayor of Kharkiv reported seven explosions in Kharkiv.

Ihor Terekhov said the city had been hit by Russian rockets.

No injuries were reported.

"It's very noisy in the city. I'm asking everyone to stay safe," Terekhov said.

The governor of the Sumy region reported more than 50 explosions.

Dmytro Zhyvytsky said that Russian troops shelled the north of the Sumy region.

The region bordering Russia is under constant fire, the governor reported.

War in Ukraine: Russia fires on nuclear power plant again – “nuclear catastrophe” looming

+++ 1:34 p.m .:

As the Ukrainian energy company Energoatom reports on Telegram, the Russian military is said to have fired on the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant again last night.

During a rocket attack on the city of Enerhodar, the railings of the nuclear power plant were also hit.

An employee was injured by shrapnel and is now in hospital.

The explosions shattered the plant's windows over an area of ​​800 square meters.

Zaporizhia has been occupied by Russian troops since March.

Energoatom reports that about 500 Russians and Rosatom employees hid in bunkers before the attack.

"Their target was clearly the containers with spent fuel elements that are stored in the open near the hit facilities," writes the energy company on Telegram.

The missile hit destroyed three radiation monitoring sensors.

A possible worsening of the radiation situation is no longer recognizable in time.

Energoatom is therefore asking for a demilitarized zone to be set up around the nuclear power plant.

"We urgently need to stop the actions of Russian nuclear terrorists in order to protect Ukraine and the world from a nuclear catastrophe," the company writes.

Update from Sunday, August 7th, 6:30

a.m.: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has praised his armed forces for successful counterattacks - and emphasized the role of Western weapons.

In the past week, the Ukrainian army has achieved "strong results" in the destruction of Russian war logistics, Zelenskyj said in his video address on Sunday night.

"Any attack on the enemy's ammunition depots, on their command posts and on accumulations of Russian technology saves the lives of all of us, the lives of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians."

Ukraine-News: Another attack on nuclear power plant – Zelenskyj sees “nuclear threat”

Update from Saturday, August 6th, 7:00 a.m.:

"Anyone who creates nuclear threats for other peoples is definitely not able to use nuclear technology safely," said Ukrainian President Selenskyj on Saturday night.

Specifically, he demanded punitive measures against the Russian state-owned company Rosatom.

He holds Russia responsible for the shelling of the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia.

Meanwhile, Russian forces are said to have shelled a farm and a grain silo in Zaporizhia Oblast.

Russian shelling in the Novomykolaivsky district of the region destroyed grain silos with about 3,000 tons of grain, reports Ukrinform, citing the director of the silo.

Russian shelling also reportedly hit agricultural infrastructure, destroying a warehouse containing over 365 tons of sunflowers.

Ukraine war: Another attack on nuclear power plant – Russia blames Ukraine

+++ 10:29 p.m .:

After the three artillery hits on the site of the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia, Russia has now spoken out.

As after the first attack, Russia blamed Ukraine for the artillery strike,

reports.

"Armed Ukrainian groups carried out three artillery strikes at the site of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant (...) and in the city of Enerhodar," the Russian army statement said.

Previously, Ukraine had reported shelling from Russia.

Vladimir Putin's troops called on "international organizations to condemn the criminal actions of Volodymyr Zelenskyy's regime, which commits acts of nuclear terrorism".

The power plant has been under Russian occupation since the beginning of March.

Moscow was recently criticized for this from the ranks of the USA.

Foreign Minister Antony Blinken said that Russia "knows very well that Ukraine cannot and will not fire back because it could accidentally hit a nuclear reactor or high-level radioactive waste stored there".

News about the Ukraine war: concerns about nuclear power plants continue to grow

First report from Friday, August 5:

Zaporizhia - According to British intelligence services, actions by the Russian armed forces are highly likely to endanger the security of the Ukrainian nuclear power plant Zaporizhia.

Moscow's intentions regarding the largest nuclear power plant in Europe are "still unclear" five months after the start of the Ukraine war, the British Ministry of Defense said in an update on Friday (5 August).

Russia is said to be using artillery units in the areas adjacent to the power plant to attack Ukrainian regions west of the Dnipro River.

They may have used the high-security status of the power plant site to protect themselves and their equipment from Ukrainian counterattacks at night, sources said.

Ukraine War News: Nuclear Safety Principles “Violated”

With six blocks and an output of 6000 megawatts, the plant in the city of Enerhodar in the Zaporizhia Oblast is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.

Russian troops occupied the facility in early March.

After that, the nuclear power plant continued to be operated by Ukrainian personnel, but was monitored by Russian nuclear specialists.

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has described the situation at the nuclear power plant as extremely unstable and fragile.

"All the principles of nuclear safety have been violated in one way or another," Rafael Grossi said in New York this week.

An IAEA inspection to check technical safety is urgently needed.

(nak/ska/luc/aa with dpa/AFP)