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7 mins ago
The body of a captured British aid worker shows "possible signs of unspeakable torture", according to a Ukrainian minister
By Hannah Richie
The recovered body of British aid worker Paul Urey, who was captured in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and died in the custody of Russian-backed separatists, bears signs of "possible unspeakable torture", the Minister of Defense said on Thursday. Ukrainian Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba.
"The Russians have returned the body of a British aid worker, Paul Urey, whom they captured in April and left for dead due to 'illness' and 'stress' in July (and the body shows) unspeakable signs of possible torture," Kuleba tweeted, promising to identify the perpetrators of the crime and "hold them accountable."
"Detaining and torturing civilians is a barbaric and heinous war crime," Kuleba added.
CNN cannot independently confirm Kuleba's claims and has not reviewed autopsy reports related to his death.
Urey - who was from Warrington, Cheshire - was captured in April and accused of being a mercenary.
In July, Russian-backed officials reported his death due to "chronic illness" and "stress";
he was 45 years old.
Urey suffered from various illnesses, including diabetes, his friend Lex Roberts told CNN.
DPR ombudsman Daria Morozova said that Urey "received adequate medical care" while he was held in the breakaway region.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Russian ambassador to the United Kingdom, Andrei Kelin, after learning of Urey's death.
In a statement, UK Prime Minister Liz Truss — who was foreign minister at the time of Urey's capture — said the man had been carrying out "humanitarian work" to "try to help the Ukrainian people." ."
"The Russian government and its proxies continue to commit atrocities. Those responsible will be held accountable. My thoughts are with the family and friends of Mr. Urey at this horrible time," Truss said.
13 mins ago
About 2.5 million people were forcibly deported to Russia, Ukraine tells UN Security Council
By Richard Roth, Laura Ly
Khrystyna Hayovyshyn, Ukraine's Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, speaks during a Security Council meeting on September 7.
(Photo: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Ukraine told a United Nations Security Council meeting on Wednesday that 2.5 million people have been forcibly deported from the country as part of a Russian "leak" plan in which many are being tortured and killed.
Ukraine's deputy ambassador to the UN, Khrystyna Hayovyshyn, told the Security Council that thousands of Ukrainian citizens are being forcibly deported to "isolated and depressed regions of Siberia and the Far East."
Among the 2.5 million people deported so far, the ambassador said, there are 38,000 children, many of whom have been ripped from the arms of their parents.
Russian authorities are terrorizing those they deport under the guise of searching for "dangerous" people, the ambassador said, disappearing people affiliated with the Ukrainian government or media and those with political views deemed objectionable.
The comments came as US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield described Russian "leak operations" as "gruesome".
"A growing number of eyewitnesses and survivors of 'leak' operations tell stories of threats, harassment and incidents of torture by Russian security forces. They have had their biometrics captured, their identity documents confiscated and they have been cut off from all means of communication. They have been subjected to invasive searches and interrogations in inhumane and degrading circumstances. It is truly horrific," Thomas-Greenfield told reporters outside the UN Security Council chamber.
But Russia's ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, told the Security Council that new arrivals go through "registration" procedures, not filtering.
Nebenzia said it was unfortunate that human rights groups made what he described as baseless accusations against Russia.
"We have wasted time" discussing this issue, he said.
"People are fleeing Ukraine, rather out of fear of Ukraine," Nebenzia added.
15 mins ago
A bombardment damaged a reserve power line at the Zaporizhia plant, according to the UN nuclear watchdog.
By Mick Krever, Sharon Braithwaite
A satellite image shows damage to the roof of a building adjacent to several of the nuclear reactors at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant on August 29. (Maxar Technologies/AP)
A bombardment on Tuesday damaged a reserve power line that would supply the Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia in an emergency, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
"Of the three standby lines between (the Zaporizhia NPP) and the thermal power plant, one is damaged by shelling, while the other two are disconnected, senior Ukrainian operational staff told IAEA experts present at the site. the plant since last week," the IAEA said in a statement.
The Zaporizhia nuclear power plant has been in the hands of Russian forces since the beginning of March, but continues to be operated by Ukrainian personnel.
The IAEA director general visited the plant last week, and two IAEA experts stayed behind to maintain a permanent presence at the plant.
The IAEA said the damage from the bombing did not "have an immediate impact" on the plant, because the power line was not connected to the grid at the time.
19 mins ago
Ukraine plans to close the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, according to the head of nuclear inspectors
By Yulia Kesaieva, Vasco Cotovio
Ukraine is studying the possibility of closing the Zaporizhia NPP due to the deteriorating security situation, said Oleh Korikov, Ukraine's chief state inspector of nuclear and radiation safety.
"If conditions are met that require the closure of the plant, the plant and power unit No. 6 will be closed," Korikov said on Wednesday.
Zaporizhia is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.
"The continuing deterioration of the situation, the prolonged lack of power supply from an external source of electricity will force us to deploy standby diesel generators, and it is extremely difficult to replenish the supply of diesel fuel during the war," Korikov added.
Korikov said keeping diesel generators running would not be sustainable.
For context:
In an interview last month, Energoatom CEO Petro Kotin explained why diesel generators are not a sustainable alternative.
Diesel generators are a backup to cool fuel and keep things running, but there are caveats to using them indefinitely and it's a "dangerous" situation, he explained.
'We are playing with fire,' IAEA chief warns of hostilities near Zaporizhia nuclear plant
"Reliability issues could be an issue ... because in this case they could be required to work for an indefinite amount of time, and they have a limited ability to constantly be in work mode," Kotin added.
Korikov's concerns run along the same lines, as tensions continue at the plant.
"Four huge diesel tanks are needed a day," Korikov explained.
"Potentially, we can find ourselves in a situation without diesel; it can lead to an accident, damaging the active zone of the reactors and releasing radioactive products into the environment. It will not only affect the territory of Ukraine, but also have cross-border effects."
Currently, the plant "generates electricity and supplies it for its own needs" through an exceptional process called "islanding", in which the plant —although disconnected from the electricity grid— uses its own energy to power the cooling systems, according to Korikov.
war in ukraine
