Ukraine War: Concerns over nuclear incident as Russia's attack 'stalls'

Created: 08/12/2022, 04:52

By: Sandra Kathe, Vincent Büssow, Nail Akkoyun, Andreas Apetz, Christian Stör, Sarah Neumeyer

Bombs explode in Crimea.

The Russian army is attacking southern Ukraine in the Ukraine war: the news ticker.

• Explosions on the Crimean peninsula:

  experts assume an attack by Ukraine.

• Heavy blow for Russia:

  Crimean attack reminiscent of the sinking of the cruiser "Moskva".

• 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.

+++ 10:28 p.m .:  

At the emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on the situation at the Ukrainian nuclear power plant Zaporizhia, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, demanded immediate access to the plant.

"This is a difficult hour, a serious hour, and the IAEA must be able to carry out its mission in Zaporizhia as soon as possible," Grossi said on Thursday (August 11).

"Time is of the essence," he emphasized.

In his daily video message, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on the world community to "expel the Russian occupiers immediately".

He emphasized: "Only the complete withdrawal of the Russians guarantees nuclear safety for all of Europe."

Ukraine War: Concerns over nuclear incident as Russia's attack 'stalls'

+++ 9.35 p.m .:

At an international conference in the Danish capital Copenhagen, at which the representatives of Western countries decided on further aid for Ukraine, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace expressed skepticism about a possible victory for Russia in the Ukraine war, according to media reports .

The British politician emphasized that the Russian war of aggression had come to a standstill and that the first defeats were becoming apparent.

Under these conditions, Wallace considered it unlikely that Russia would ever succeed in occupying all of Ukraine.

The massive resistance of Ukrainian troops also reduces the chances of victory for the Russian occupiers.

© Miguel Medina/AFP

Ukraine War: Concerns about nuclear incident in Zaporizhia

+++ 18:16:

After the bombardment of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, concern about a nuclear incident is growing.

Now the UN Security Council is also advising.

At the request of Russia, a meeting is scheduled for Thursday (11 August) in the United Nations' most powerful body.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned of a new catastrophe.

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The power plant had been attacked with heavy artillery and rocket launchers, a representative of the Russian occupation authorities, Vladimir Rogov, said on Thursday in the Telegram news channel.

Shots are fired from towns under Ukrainian control.

The Ukrainian company Enerhoatom reported a total of ten impacts in the vicinity.

The information could not be verified.

Earlier, Ukraine had accused Russia of targeting the nuclear power plant.

According to the operator Enerhoatom, the situation in the power plant is "under control" despite the new attacks.

The radioactivity is no higher than usual. The nuclear power plant had already been fired at and damaged by rockets over the weekend.

Russia and Ukraine blamed each other.

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Ukraine War: Smoke rises near Zaporizhia nuclear power plant

+++ 5.15 p.m .:

Kiev and the officials deployed by Russia in the occupied south of Ukraine have accused each other of attacking the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant (see update from 4.15 p.m.).

According to Ukraine's atomic energy agency Energoatom, Russian troops "fired again on the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant."

"Zelensky's fighters again attacked the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant and the area near the nuclear power plant," Vladimir Rogov, a member of the pro-Russian regional administration, wrote on Telegram.

According to the

, no casualties have been reported on either side so far.

News about the Ukraine war: Smoke rises near the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant

+++ 4.15 p.m .:

Both Telegram and Twitter are currently circulating recordings showing smoke rising from the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.

The Danish journalist Oliver Alexander, who works for the

, among other things, posted a video clip on Twitter showing the reactor near the city of Enerhodar.

"Several reports on Telegram about a plume of smoke rising near the Zaporizhia NPP," the journalist wrote.

News about the Ukraine war: Zelenskyj warns of a nuclear catastrophe – “We have to protect Europe”

+++ 3:00 p.m .:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj has warned the international community of a new nuclear disaster similar to that of Chernobyl in 1986.

Russia is a terrorist state that is holding the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant hostage and using it for blackmail, he said on Thursday via video link at the start of a donor conference on Ukraine in Copenhagen.

Today, Russia is even more cynical and even more dangerous than the Soviet Union, which once wanted to keep the Chernobyl nuclear disaster a secret.

"We must protect Europe from this threat," said Zelenskyy.

Zaporizhia is not only the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, but also the third largest in the world.

The reaction to the Russian actions must be comprehensive.

Ukraine needs maximum armament and ammunition for defense.

"Nobody needs new catastrophes," Zelenskyy said.

The donor conference #CopenhagenUkraine on Thursday was supposed to be about weapons, the training of soldiers and help with demining Ukraine.

Representatives from 26 countries were present, including several defense ministers.

Germany was represented by the state secretary responsible for armaments in the Federal Ministry of Defense, Benedikt Zimmer.

Ukraine War News: Eleven civilians killed in Donetsk

+++ 10.05 a.m .:

As reported by

, eleven civilians were killed in Russian attacks in the Donetsk region.

According to Donetsk Oblast Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko, six people were killed in Bakhmut, three in Soledar and others in Krasnohorivka and Avdiivka.

Eight people were injured, Kyrylenko said.

News about the Ukraine war: Brewery in Donetsk shot at – Toxic ammonia gas escaped

+++ 8:14 a.m .:

Pro-Russian separatists accuse Ukraine of having shot at a brewery in the city of Donetsk.

One person is said to have died and several people were injured.

The Emergencies Ministry in the Russian-backed self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic said a shell hit an ammonia pipe late at night, sparking a fire that spread over 600 square meters.

Toxic ammonia gas escaped.

The gas escaped within a radius of two kilometers.

According to the pro-Russian authorities, the gas leak has been stopped, but people are still being asked to retreat into buildings and keep doors and windows closed.

Ammonia is toxic and acts as a cytotoxin.

There is a risk of suffocation.

Ukraine war news: Russian missile attack focuses on Bakhmut - civilians killed

Update from Thursday, August 11, 6:11 a.m .:

It is the 169th day of the Ukraine war.

Even at night the fighting finds no rest.

In the Donbass in eastern Ukraine, Russian troops continued their advances accompanied by heavy artillery fire.

Seven civilians were killed in the town of Bakhmut on Wednesday (10 August).

Shops, houses and apartments were also damaged and fires were caused by the attack.

This has now been confirmed by the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office.

In a speech, President Volodymr Zelenskyy announced retaliation for the Russian air strike.

The President also appealed to the population in the Russian-occupied region and urged people to contact the Ukrainian armed forces through secure channels to transmit information about the enemy or about collaborators.

In addition, contact should be maintained with those citizens who are alone or cut off from communication.

"Talk to them, support them, tell them about our struggle and the possibility of evacuation to a free area," Zelenskyy said.

News on the Ukraine war: “Be captured or die” – Separatists warn Ukrainian soldiers

+++ 10:50 p.m .:

Two civilians are said to have been killed in attacks on a village near Kharkiv.

This was announced by the local police on Wednesday.

Russian troops fired on the village of Stary Saltiv, which is under Ukrainian control, around 12 p.m.

Police accused Russian forces of deliberately attacking residential buildings and announced an investigation into war crimes suspicions.

+++ 10:20 p.m .:

Pro-Russian troops are said to have made advances in several important cities in the Donetsk region.

This was reported by a spokesman for the fighters of the self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic" on Wednesday to Russian media, as reported by

.

The troops are said to have entered the cities of Soledar and Bakhmut, which have been fought over for days.

In addition, the occupiers would control the villages of Pisky, Marinka and Avdiivka.

Regarding the latter, the spokesman concluded, "the Ukrainian soldiers who are still in the city will be captured or die".

Ukraine war news: civilians killed after rocket attack on Bakhmut

+++ 9:20 p.m .:

Seven civilians are said to have been killed in a Russian attack in the city of Bakhmut.

This was reported by the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office on Telegram on Wednesday.

The troops from Russia are said to have hit high-rise buildings, single-family houses and shops in the city center with multiple rocket launchers.

Six other people were injured.

The Attorney General's Office is now investigating on suspicion of a war crime.

For days, Bakhmut has been the target of Russian troops trying to advance in the Donbass region.

The government of Ukraine has asked all civilians to leave the contested region.

News about the Ukraine war: Power lines from the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant could be cut

+++ 8.15 p.m .:

Ukraine has threatened to cut the power line to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.

The head of the state nuclear power plant operator Enerhoatom, Petro Kotin, announced this measure should Russia connect the power plant to the network of the annexed Crimean peninsula.

"I think our armed forces will be ready for that if necessary," the 61-year-old told agency RBK-Ukrayina, adding that Ukrainian power lines would shell the power lines.

According to Kotin, the power plant would have to be completely disconnected from Ukraine's power system if Russia wants to connect it to Crimea's grid.

This would jeopardize the power supply of the entire Russian-occupied south of Ukraine.

The situation around the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant has been tense since it was captured in March.

Again and again there are battles near the kiln, which the Russian troops apparently use as a military base.

News about the Ukraine war: Ukrainian military wants to recapture Cherson “quickly”.

+++ 19.15:

One person was killed in the explosions on the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea.

This is reported by

, citing the local health department.

Eight other people were also injured.

It is still unclear what the exact cause of the detonation is (see initial report).

Ukraine continues to deny participation.

Most recently, such a statement came from Ukraine's Defense Minister Hanna Malyar.

She wrote on Facebook, "The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine cannot determine the cause of the fire, but reminds of fire safety regulations and a ban on smoking in unauthorized places."

+++ 5.50 p.m .:

In an interview with the Ukrainian press agency RBC-Ukraine, a high-ranking commander stated that the Cherson region wanted to be liberated from Russian occupation in the coming months.

"Unfortunately, I can't give you a time frame or a date.

But I want to tell the people of Kherson that it won't take as long as everyone is expecting.

It will be quick," Major General Dmytro Marchenko said.

By the end of the year, they want to have definitely liberated Cherson and thus herald the "end of the active phase of the war," it said.

“And then there will be some local military operations.

But by the end of the year we must complete the main phase of this war,” Marchenko concluded.

Ukraine war news: strategically important bridge damaged

+++ 4.15 p.m .:

According to their own statements, the Ukrainian military has rendered a bridge at the Nowa Kachowka dam in southern Ukraine unusable by rocket fire.

"The hit was accurate" and "effective," Army Command South said on Facebook on Wednesday (August 10).

The crew administration has not yet received any information on this.

The day before, the Russian broadcaster

had only reported regular shelling of the bridge over the ship canal and the dam itself.

Russia had largely conquered the southern Ukrainian region of Cherson on the lower reaches of the Dnipro River.

Using long-range missile systems, the Ukrainian army is systematically trying to destroy the only three river crossings in the area.

This is intended to prevent the Russian army from being replenished on the right bank and to enable recapture.

News about the Ukraine war: Russia claims German Gepard tanks have been destroyed

+++ 3:00 p.m .:

According to their own statements, Russian forces have destroyed a German Cheetah anti-aircraft tank in southern Ukraine.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the tank was hit in the area of ​​the city of Mykolaiv.

In addition, three Ukrainian fighter jets were shot down in the region.

News about the Ukraine war: At least ten Russian planes probably destroyed

First report from Wednesday, August 10, 1:35 p.m.:

Kiev – The Ukraine war continues unabated.

On the 168th day of the war, all eyes are on the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea.

"Crimea is Ukrainian and we will never give it up," said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after the explosions at a Russian airbase.

The detonations caused severe damage at the Saki base in western Crimea.

According to Ukrainian sources, at least ten planes were destroyed.

"After the explosion that we saw, it is clear that the Air Force contingent was hit," spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force Staff Yuri Ihnat said on TV.

According to Ihnat, Sukhoi Su-30M and Su-24 combat aircraft and Ilyushin Il-76 transport aircraft are stationed there.

News about the Ukraine war: explosions on the Crimean peninsula

The cause of the explosions in Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, remains unclear.

According to official information from Moscow, a violation of fire safety rules is responsible for the incident.

Many experts, on the other hand, assume a Ukrainian attack.

The number and force of the explosions suggest a targeted attack by Ukraine.

The

quoted a senior Ukrainian military as saying that a weapon developed by Ukraine had been used.

Selenskyj's advisor Oleksiy Arestovych also spoke unofficially of an attack with a new Ukrainian weapon.

The focus of military experts is primarily on the new Hrim-2 short-range ballistic missiles.

They were developed in Ukraine and are said to have a range of up to 500 kilometers.

The leadership in Kyiv has not yet claimed responsibility for the explosions.

However, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak wrote on Twitter: "This is just the beginning."

News about the Ukraine war: Crimea attack would be a heavy blow for Russia

It would be the first military attack on targets in Crimea.

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.

According to military experts at the US

, the Russian leadership does not want to admit a Ukrainian attack for image reasons.

Then Moscow would have to admit that its air defenses had failed, the institute said in its analysis.

(cs/nak/dpa)