"A tragic night": Ukraine mourns eleven deaths from Russian rockets - not far from the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant
Created: 08/10/2022Updated: 08/10/2022 08:08
By: Markus Hofstetter, Bettina Menzel
Apparently, Ukraine is attacking Russian forces in the Crimean peninsula.
President Selenskyj warns of a nuclear catastrophe in Zaporizhia.
The news ticker.
Ukraine May Attack
Crimean Peninsula
: Fired Only “Ukrainian Devices”
Selenskyj
warns of
nuclear catastrophe
: The Ukrainian President compares the possible consequences of the attacks on the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia with the Chernobyl catastrophe.
Ukrainian
secret service
probably thwarts
attack
: According to the SBU, an attack on the Ukrainian defense minister and the head of the military intelligence service was prevented.
This
news ticker
on the military situation in the
Ukraine war
is constantly updated.
Update from August 11, 7:58 a.m
.: "A tragic night... In the Nikopol district, the Russian army killed 11 people and injured 13," Valentyn Resnichenko reported on Telegram about rocket fire.
By the head of the local military administration of the Dnepropetrovsk region.
The two affected towns are opposite the damaged Zaporizhia nuclear power plant - on the other bank of the Dnipro River, which was formed into a reservoir here.
A Russian soldier stands on the site of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.
© ANDREY BORODULIN/AFP
Update from August 10, 6:10 a.m
.: After explosions at a Russian air force base in Crimea, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised his compatriots that the lost peninsula would be brought home.
"Crimea is Ukrainian and we will never give it up," he said in Kyiv.
The cause was still not entirely clear.
But the number and force of the explosions suggest a targeted attack by Ukraine.
It would be the first military attack on targets in the Black Sea Peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014.
Symbolically, it would be a similarly heavy blow to the Moscow leadership as the sinking of the cruiser Moskva, the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, in mid-April.
Ukraine May Attack Crimean Peninsula: Fired Only “Ukrainian Devices”
Update from August 9, 8:13 p.m .:
The explosions on the Crimean peninsula on Tuesday could apparently come from Ukrainian attacks on a Russian ammunition depot, as the
New York Times
reported.
A senior Ukrainian military official with knowledge of the situation told the US newspaper that Ukrainian forces were behind the attack.
A spokesman for Crimea's Kremlin-installed governor confirmed there was an explosion but urged residents not to jump to conclusions about the cause.
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According to dpa information, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense initially announced that it could not say anything about the cause of the explosions.
However, there is a risk that Russia will falsify evidence of an alleged Ukrainian attack.
August 9 is International Day of Indigenous Peoples, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk wrote on Telegram.
In Ukraine, these included the Crimean Tatars, the Karaims and the Crimean Chaks.
"Today's explosions in Novofyodorovka are further evidence of who owns Crimea." Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak wrote on Twitter: "This is just the beginning." Crimea has a future as a travel paradise without Russian occupation.
Ukraine May Attack Crimean Peninsula: Fired Only “Ukrainian Devices”
According to the
New York Times
, Ukraine apparently only used “Ukrainian equipment” for the attack.
The newspaper refers to an anonymous source from military circles, who did not want to disclose the exact type of weapon.
According to the dpa news agency, observers previously assumed an act of sabotage because the Ukrainian troops on the mainland are more than 200 kilometers away.
According to previous reports, the Ukrainian army does not have any missiles with this range.
A Ukrainian attack on Russian forces in Crimea could escalate the war and embarrass Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The peninsula was annexed by Russia in 2014.
Several explosions on the Crimean Peninsula: Russia speaks of explosions in ammunition depots
Update from August 9, 6:43 p.m .:
According to the authorities, one person was killed in several explosions at a Russian military airfield on the annexed peninsula of Crimea.
Ammunition intended for the Air Force had exploded in a depot on the grounds of the Saki military airfield near Nowofyodorovka, Russian news agencies quoted the Russian Defense Ministry as saying on Tuesday.
The cause of the explosion is still unclear, but the ammunition depot was neither shot at nor bombed.
This information could not be independently verified.
Meanwhile, Ukraine evacuated more than 3,000 civilians from the hard-fought Donetsk region in the east of the country.
Among them were almost 600 children and 1,400 women, said the deputy chief of the presidential administration, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, on Tuesday.
The evacuation continues.
Russia wants to grant International Atomic Energy Agency access to Zaporizhia nuclear power plant
Update from August 9, 6:04 p.m .:
The Zaporizhia nuclear power plant had been shot at several times over the past weekend and some were damaged.
Russia and Ukraine blamed each other for this.
The critical infrastructure of the nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine is said to remain intact.
According to its own information, Russia now wants to allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to visit Europe's largest nuclear power plant.
"From our side, we are ready to provide the maximum possible support to resolve organizational issues," the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.
At the same time, Moscow accused the United Nations of having canceled an inspection trip that had already been planned, thereby causing a new escalation.
In March, Russian troops fired on the nuclear power plant and took it under their control.
In July, the International Atomic Energy Agency described the conditions at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant as “unsustainable”.
Russian forces install anti-aircraft systems around Zaporizhia nuclear power plant
Update from August 9, 12:15 p.m .:
According to their own statements, the Russian armed forces have started to station air defense systems around the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.
"The power plant's air defense systems will be strengthened," Yevgeny Balitsky, head of Moscow's military administration in the region, said on Russian state television on Tuesday.
The move can also be seen as a response to attacks on the power plant over the past week.
Moscow blamed Ukraine for the attacks.
Kyiv accused Russia of staging the attacks.
The information cannot be independently verified at this time.
According to Balizki, the power plant is currently operating normally.
The reactor's power lines and damaged blocks have been repaired, he said.
British intelligence: Is the Russian army suffering from understaffing?
Update from August 9, 10:39 a.m .:
In the current phase, Moscow is attaching more and more importance to defending the conquered areas in the south of the country.
That's according to the daily intelligence update from the UK Ministry of Defence.
Nevertheless, the Russian attacks in the eastern region of Donetsk continued, according to the summary published on Twitter.
Moreover, in the past 30 days, Russia has hardly managed to record any notable territorial gains.
Only in the Russian efforts to take the city of Bakhmut did the armed forces advance about 10 kilometers.
The British see a lack of personnel among the Russians as one of the reasons for this.
"Despite the continued heavy use of artillery in these areas, Russia has not been able to muster capable infantry combat troops in sufficient numbers to ensure major territorial gains," it said.
Zelenskyj warns of nuclear catastrophe - "Should not forget Chernobyl"
Update from August 9, 8.40 a.m .:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj has again warned of a nuclear catastrophe with regard to the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.
"The world should not forget Chernobyl and remember that the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant is the largest in Europe," the Ukrainian leader said on Monday.
“The Chernobyl disaster was a reactor explosion.
Zaporizhia has six reactors.”
At the same time, Zelenskyj called for new sanctions against Russia.
"New sanctions are needed against the terrorist state and the entire Russian nuclear industry for creating the threat of a nuclear catastrophe."
Ukraine-News: Heavy shelling in Donetsk - Federal Office for Radiation Protection is concerned about the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant
Update from August 9, 6.45 a.m .:
After the attacks on the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant last week, the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) has so far had no evidence of any radioactivity released.
The office explained this to the newspapers of the Funke media group.
All available radiological readings were therefore "in the normal range".
"The BfS sees no acute danger of a release of radioactive substances, but shares the concern for the long-term safe operation of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant."
On Tuesday morning, meanwhile, heavy artillery fire was reported from the front line in the Donetsk region.
"The situation in the region is tense - the shelling is constant along the entire front line," said the region's military administrator Pavlo Kyrylenko on Ukrainian television.
However, according to Kyrylenko, the Russian armed forces have so far not been able to make any further territorial gains.
The information cannot be independently verified.
Ukrainian secret service probably thwarts attack – defense minister as target
Update from August 8, 10:55 p.m .:
The Ukrainian secret service SBU reports that an attack by Russian spies on Defense Minister Oleksiy Resnikov and the head of military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, had been foiled.
In the online service
Telegram
, the secret service said that "murderers from the Russian special services who were planning attacks had been arrested".
A video released at the same time by the SBU shows an armed group overpowering two men in plain clothes and handcuffing them.
According to the information, the two men were arrested in Kovel in north-western Ukraine.
One of the alleged conspirators came from Russia via Belarus.
They are said to have prepared the "physical liquidation" of Reznikov and Budanov.
They are said to have been promised a reward of up to $ 150,000 (147,000 euros) for each "murder".
Ukraine War: US estimates Russian casualties at up to 80,000
Update from August 8, 9:00 p.m.:
The US Department of Defense estimates the number of losses on the Russian side to be even higher than the Ukrainian general staff
(see update from 8:00 p.m.)
.
According to the Pentagon, 70,000 to 80,000 people have been killed or injured by the Russians so far.
Pentagon top official Colin Kahl stressed that the Russian army suffered extraordinary losses because the Ukrainian military was functioning well and had a lot of support.
For him, the war is the "most intense conventional conflict in Europe since the Second World War".
Official bodies in Russia have not announced any casualty figures recently.
Kahl currently sees the Ukrainians as having a clear advantage, in particular because they are superior to the Russian armed forces in terms of their morale and willingness to fight.
“There is a lot at stake for them.
They are fighting for the survival of their country,” explained Kahl.
In contrast, Russian President Vladimir Putin achieved none of his goals: “His overarching goal was to overrun the entire country, bring about regime change in Kyiv and wipe out Ukraine as an independent, sovereign and democratic nation.
None of that happened.”
Update from August 8, 8 p.m.:
In the Ukraine war, the Ukrainian general staff reported new figures on Russian military losses on Facebook.
However, the information cannot be independently confirmed.
Soldiers:
42,340
Tanks:
1,811
Armored vehicles:
4,070
Artillery:
960
Multiple Rocket Launchers:
261
Air Defense Systems:
132
Aircraft:
223
Helicopters:
192
Drones:
754
Cruise missiles:
182
Ships:
15
US military package - Washington supports Kyiv with new military aid
Update from August 8, 7:40 p.m .:
The United States is providing additional military aid to Ukraine in the amount of one billion dollars (around 980 million euros), as the Ministry of Defense announced.
The additional deliveries should therefore include more rockets for the multiple rocket launchers of the Himars type.
These are considered by the Ukrainian army to be particularly effective in fighting the Russian invading forces.
In addition, the new US package should include surface-to-air missiles to defend against Russian aircraft and missiles, anti-tank missiles and other ammunition.
Ukraine war: warning of hostilities in Zaporizhia - nuclear power plant probably under danger
Update from August 8, 4:13 p.m
.: According to a Ukrainian diplomat, the fighting around Zaporizhia could lead to an unprecedented nuclear accident.
"What would then happen within a radius of 40 or 50 kilometers around the power plant would be absolutely not comparable to Chernobyl and Fukushima," said Yevheniy Tsimbaliuk, Kyiv's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Zaporizhia is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe and has been shot at several times in the past few days.
No radioactivity escaped.
According to the nuclear expert Zymbaljuk Zaporizhia is better protected by a separate cooling circuit and a special protective layer than the two nuclear accidents in Chernobyl and Fukushima.
However, Zaporizhia would probably not withstand a targeted military attack.
Nuclear power plants under fire in Ukraine war: Putin spokesman warns Europe of "catastrophic consequences"
Update from August 8, 4:13 p.m
.: The dispute over the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant continues: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov now said that the bombing of the plant "by the Ukrainian armed forces" was "potentially extremely dangerous" and could have consequences for a large area , "including European territory".
Russia expects those countries that have influence on Ukraine to use it and prevent such bombings in the future.
Peskow warned of the "catastrophic consequences" of these attacks for Europe.
Moscow and Kyiv blame each other in the matter.
The information could not initially be independently verified.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian energy company Energoatom has called for a demilitarized zone to be set up around the nuclear facility.
Zaporizhia nuclear plant: Kremlin blames Kyiv for shelling
Update from August 8, 12:45 p.m
.: Russia also blames Kiev for the second attack on the Ukrainian Zaporizhia nuclear power plant over the weekend.
"The shelling of the area of the nuclear facility by the Ukrainian armed forces is potentially extremely dangerous activity (...) with catastrophic consequences for a large area, including European territory," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists in Moscow on Monday.
Ukraine's allies must ensure that this shelling stops.
A Russian soldier guards an area of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in south-eastern Ukraine.
The photo was taken during a trip organized by the Russian Defense Ministry.
(Photo from May 1, 2022) © -/AP/dpa
Moscow and Kyiv blame each other for attacks on the nuclear facility in the south of the country.
Russian troops took control of it in March shortly after the military operation began.
A reactor had to be shut down after the attacks over the weekend.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned any attack on nuclear facilities as "suicidal".
War in Ukraine: Ukrainian army launches renewed counterattacks in south
Update from August 8, 12:05 p.m
.: In Donetsk, heavy fighting continues to rage in the cities of Bakhmut and Avdiivka.
Russian attacks were repelled east and south of the neighboring towns of Soledar and Bakhmut, the Ukrainian General Staff said on Facebook on Monday.
Likewise, Russian advances east of Siwersk and southwest of the city of Avdiivka failed.
Near the southern city of Kherson, which is occupied by Russian troops, the Ukrainian army launched renewed missile counterattacks on the strategically important and previously damaged Antonivka Bridge over the Dnipro River.
This was confirmed by the spokeswoman for the Ukrainian Southern Command, Nataliya Humenyuk.
In addition, the road across the Dnipro dam near Nowa Kakhovka was fired at with rockets.
This information could not be verified independently.
The Antonivka Bridge in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine was damaged in an attack in July.
(Photo of July 19, 2022) © Sergei Bobylev / Imago Images
Ukraine war: Russia is said to use ailing anti-personnel mines
Update from August 8, 10:04 a.m
.: According to British secret services, Russia is most likely using highly dangerous PFM-1 anti-personnel mines – also known as butterfly mines – in Ukraine.
Moscow probably wants to defend its front lines in the Ukrainian Donbass region, the British Ministry of Defense said in a tweet on Monday.
The mines are extremely dangerous for both troops and local civilians.
They would have had terrible effects in the Afghan war, children would have mistaken them for toys.
It is also likely that Russia is using its Soviet-era inventory, which has become ailing over the years and is now even more unpredictable, the British statement said.
This represents a significant risk for special forces who demin the areas.
A dog that detects Russian landmines is also being celebrated in Ukraine.
Ukraine war: police arrest six "supporters of the Russians"
Update from August 8, 8:24 a.m
.: The Ukrainian police arrested six "supporters of the Russians" in the heavily contested Bakhmut in the Donetsk region.
This emerges from a message from the deputy head of the police department in the city, as reported by
Focus Online
.
"Yes, we also meet such people on our Ukrainian land," Oleksiy Biloshitskyi is quoted as saying.
"We will continue to hold these werewolves." What exactly the collaborators are accused of is unclear.
In the hard-fought area of Bakhmut, the Ukrainian police arrested six alleged collaborators.
(Photo of July 15, 2022) © Vincenzo Circosta/imago
Ukraine war: President Zelenskyj hints at new arms deliveries
First report from August 8th:
Munich - The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj has indicated new arms deliveries by partners.
“Next week we expect news from partners regarding the aid packages.
Good news!” Zelenskyy said in his video speech on Sunday.
The key to successful defense continues to be arms deliveries from the West.
According to media reports, a new aid package for Ukraine is being put together in the USA.
US President Joe Biden is expected to announce another $1 billion worth of arms shipments today (8 August).
Ukrainian army defends last major agglomeration in Donbass under its control
According to Zelenskyj, the toughest fighting is currently taking place in Donbass.
The situation there remains difficult.
Defending places like "Avdiivka, Pisky, Maryinka and Bakhmut requires our main effort and, unfortunately, many lives," he said.
He also renewed his accusations against Russia for shelling the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine.
Ukrainian soldiers fire a howitzer in eastern Ukraine.
(Photo from July 18, 2022) © ukrinform/dpa/picture alliance
In the eastern region of Donetsk, the Ukrainian army is defending the last major conurbation still under its control in the Donbass.
Accordingly, the strategically important small town of Bakhmut is particularly under pressure from Russian attacks.
Ukraine war: Amnesty regrets 'pain' in Kyiv after controversial report
Amnesty International, meanwhile, defended its controversial report on the Ukrainian army's conduct of the war, while expressing regret at its impact.
"Amnesty International deeply regrets the pain and anger that our press release about the combat tactics of the Ukrainian military has caused," said a statement from the organization available to the German Press Agency.
However, the human rights organization sticks to the most important findings of the report.
In the report published on Thursday, Amnesty International accused the Ukrainian army of entrenching itself in residential areas, thereby unnecessarily endangering civilians.
"Although we fully stand by our findings, we regret the pain caused and want to clarify a few key points," Amnesty said after the criticism that followed.
The organization found Ukrainian violations of martial law at 19 different locations.
However, this does not justify the Russian war crimes.
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If Belarus participates in the Ukraine war: Tichanovskaya expects resistance
Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, currently in exile in Vilnius, expects strong opposition to her country's possible full participation in Russia's war against Ukraine.
“Our partisan movement will sabotage that.
Orders will be disobeyed.
Or the Belarusian soldiers will surrender there immediately, ”said the politician of the German Press Agency.
Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, opposition politician from Belarus.
© Bernd Thissen/dpa
Der belarussische Machthaber Alexander Lukaschenko sei ein Kollaborateur. Er habe Belarus in diesen Krieg hineingezogen und dafür, dass Russland ihn an der Macht halte, tue er nun alles, was von ihm verlangt werde, so Tichanowskaja vor dem zweiten Jahrestag der umstrittenen Präsidentenwahl. Heute sei klar, dass der Kreml wohl schon damals Kriegspläne gehabt und Lukaschenko deshalb an der Macht gelassen habe. Er überlasse belarussisches Gebiet, damit russische Streitkräfte von dort die Ukraine angreifen können.
“But at the beginning of the war there were also acts of sabotage against the important supply routes.
Rail partisans slowed military transport;
and information was given to the Ukrainian armed forces about the bases from which Russian missiles were fired.” A battalion of Belarusian fighters was also formed in Ukraine against the Russian invasion.