Ukraine War: Conflicting Statements About Causes Of Crimean Explosions
Created: 08/10/2022 04:53
By: Sandra Kathe, Nail Akkoyun, Andreas Apetz, Lucas Maier
The Ukraine war is claiming more and more victims.
At the same time, the Russian army is running out of soldiers: the news ticker.
Medvedev compares Zelenskyy with Hitler:
Former Russian president insults Ukrainian head of state.
Southern Ukraine:
In Ukraine, Russia is probably shifting to defending the occupied territories.
Explosives in nuclear power plant:
Russian troops are probably wiring energy units
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.
+++ 10.40 p.m .:
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the shelling of the Ukrainian nuclear power plant Zaporizhia at the weekend does not pose an immediate threat to nuclear safety. This was announced by IAEA boss Rafael Mariano Grossi on Tuesday at the agency’s headquarters in Vienna.
The assessment is based on information from Ukrainian authorities, which had reported damage, but the radiation measurements were still at a normal level.
Russia and Ukraine blamed each other for the shelling of the nuclear power plant.
The Ukraine War in Pictures - Destruction, Resistance and Hope
View photo gallery
+++ 10:25 p.m .:
There were several different statements during the evening about the cause of an explosion at a Russian air force base on the Crimean peninsula annexed by Russia.
While the Russian side reported that the explosion and fire in the ammunition depot were probably caused by "fire safety violations", observers initially assumed it was an act of sabotage.
Now, the US newspaper
New York Times
reports that an unknown senior Ukrainian military officer said in an interview with the newspaper that an attack by Ukraine was behind it.
This was carried out using a weapon “developed by Ukraine itself”.
Local partisans loyal to Ukraine also played a role.
There was no further information on this, nor could the information be verified so far.
Several media previously reported that Ukraine officially said it had nothing to do with the blast.
A Russian ammunition dump is said to have exploded not far from a popular holiday town on the Crimean peninsula on Tuesday.
© imago-images
Ukraine-News: No big territorial gains and chaotic withdrawals in Donetsk
+++ 10:00 p.m .:
According to a daily summary by the Ukrainian general staff, Russian troops could not have conquered any towns on Tuesday, despite many attacks on the Donetsk region.
When the Spire was attacked, the Russians encountered Ukrainian resistance so much that they retreated "chaotically".
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In attempts to attack the towns of Vesely, Yakovlivka and the town of Soledar, the attackers "turned on their heels" when Ukrainian troops launched a counterattack.
The information could not be independently verified.
Explosion in Crimea: at least one person killed, several injured
+++ 7.15 p.m .:
One person died in the explosions in the area of a Russian military airfield in Crimea (see update from 4.30 p.m.).
This was reported by Sergei Aksenov, leader of the self-proclaimed “Republic of Crimea”, on Telegram.
“The situation is local and under control.
I repeat again: there is no general evacuation in the district.
Only the residents of the houses located in the immediate vicinity of the military airfield will be relocated,” said Aksenow.
Earlier, the Minister of Health of the "Republic of Crimea", Konstantin Skorupsky, said that five people were injured in the explosions.
It is unclear if the deceased is among those previously reported injured.
News about the Ukraine war: Russia promises access to Zaporizhia nuclear plant
+++ 17.45:
According to its own statements, Russia wants to allow a visit from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to the recently bombarded Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in the south of Ukraine, which is occupied by its own troops.
"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 allegedly canceling an inspection trip that had already been planned, thereby causing a new escalation.
The Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in the city of Enerhodar was shot at several times last weekend and some were damaged.
However, the critical infrastructure should remain intact.
Russia and Ukraine blame each other.
The allegations have not yet been verified independently.
Ukraine War News: Multiple Explosions in Crimea
+++ 4.30 p.m .:
Apparently there were several explosions near the Russian military base Novofedorivka on the annexed Crimean peninsula.
This is reported by the Reuters
news agency
, citing several eyewitnesses.
Videos are circulating on social media that are said to show a cloud of smoke over the base.
+++ 3.15 p.m .:
According to Ukrainian information, Russian attacks have again cost the lives of at least three civilians.
An attack was directed against a target near the Russian-occupied Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.
The Russian military fired more than 120 rounds from multiple rocket launchers at the city of Nikopol in southern Ukraine, the governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, Valentin Resnichenko, said.
The big city is on the Dnepr on the opposite side of the nuclear power plant.
News about the Ukraine war: Ex-President Medvedev compares Selenskyj with Hitler
+++ 1:45 p.m .:
The Ukrainian demand for an international travel ban for all Russians has triggered severe criticism in Moscow.
The statements by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy were received "extremely negatively," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday, according to the
Interfax agency
.
"The irrationality of the train of thought exceeds every measure," he criticized.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Twitter berated Zelenskyy as "the greatest Ukrainian clown" - and even compared him to Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.
Since the start of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, Medvedev has repeatedly made derogatory remarks about the neighboring country.
In the past, for example, he questioned the continued existence of Ukraine as a sovereign state.
+++ 12.55 p.m .:
Belarus announces joint military exercises with Russia again.
The exercises are scheduled to take place in Belarus on August 9-11 and in Russia on August 22-25.
Russia has been using Belarusian territory to launch missiles at Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion.
News about the Ukraine war: Russia stationed air defenses around the nuclear power plant that had been bombarded
+++ 10.50 a.m .:
After repeated shelling of the southern Ukrainian nuclear power plant Zaporizhia, the Russian occupying forces stationed air defense systems around the 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.
In the past few days, Moscow and Kyiv have repeatedly blamed each other for attacks on the nuclear power plant.
The information cannot be verified independently.
According to Balizki, the power plant is currently operating normally.
News about the Ukraine war: Too few soldiers - Russia is concentrating on defending the south
+++ 10.05 a.m .:
According to British military experts, the Russian invasion troops in Ukraine have concentrated their efforts in recent days on repelling a Ukrainian counter-offensive in the south of the country.
Nevertheless, the Russian attacks in the eastern region of Donetsk have continued, according to the daily intelligence update from the Ministry of Defense in London on Tuesday.
The British experts concluded that the progress made by the Russian aggressors was still limited.
The Russians achieved their greatest success in the past 30 days when advancing on the town of Bakhmut.
But even there, the front line was shifted by just ten kilometers during this period.
In other areas it was only three kilometers.
The British see a lack of personnel among the Russians as one of the reasons for this.
Ukraine war news: Three civilians killed in Donetsk region
+++ 9.50 a.m .:
Three civilians were killed in Russian attacks in the Donetsk region.
Donetsk region governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said that people were killed in Chasiv Yar, Novoselivka Persha and Marinka.
According to Kyrylenko, on August 8, 19 people were injured.
Meanwhile, the Russian war in Mykolaiv Oblast has damaged more than 9,000 civilian objects.
According to local authorities, 5870 residential houses, 320 educational institutions, 65 health institutions, 131 cultural institutions and 106 industrial enterprises were damaged or destroyed by the Russian war.
This is reported
by The Kyiv Independent.
News about the Ukraine war: Russia plans referendum in southern Ukraine - Selenskyj demands travel ban for Russians
Update from Tuesday, August 9th, 7:40 a.m.:
"The most important sanctions are to close the borders, because the Russians are taking their country away from others," said Zelenskyj of the US newspaper
Washington Post
on Monday.
Russians should "live in their own world until they change their philosophy".
He was reacting to the occupation authorities' announcement in the southern Ukrainian region of Zaporizhia that they would hold a referendum on joining Russia.
Similar plans exist for the occupied territory of Kherson.
Zelenskyj's statements come up against a growing discussion in the EU to make it more difficult or to stop issuing tourist visas to Russians.
Even if travel is made more difficult by the cut flight and rail connections, many Russians traveled to the EU in the summer despite the war.
Russia's neighbor Latvia in the Baltic States has already tightened visa regulations.
Ukraine war: US supports Kyiv with billions more dollars
+++ 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.
News about the Ukraine war: Explosions reported in Kharkiv
Update from Monday, August 8, 7 a.m.:
According to a report by the
Kyiv Independent
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.
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,
AFP
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)
