⚪ Live news on the Ukraine war
Europe’s largest nuclear power plant burns – cooling tower in flames
Today, 12.08.2024 | 01:11
Europe’s largest nuclear power plant burns – cooling tower in flames
01.11 am: German technology and Eastern European historian Anna Veronika Wendland gives the all-clear on social media: “The cooling towers are relatively far away from the reactor buildings.” She warns against statements like “fire in the cold storage facility,” as this leads to false associations. Why the thick smoke? “Because the Russians are probably burning tires there and the airflow in a natural draft cooling tower is naturally really good (chimney effect).” In the war between Russia and Ukraine, nuclear power plants are “technical bargaining chips and are used by both sides as an instrument of nuclear fear psyops and appeals to international security.”
21.35: According to Russian reports, a fire broke out in the cooling system of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Enerhodar, southern Ukraine, on Sunday evening. The Moscow-appointed governor of the region, Yevgeny Balitsky, said that there had previously been a Ukrainian attack on the area surrounding the power plant, as the state agency Tass reported. However, there is no danger, as all the nuclear power plant’s blocks have been shut down. Radiation levels are within the normal range.
The Russian authorities spoke of considerable damage to the infrastructure. According to the Russians, the fire was caused by a combat drone.
Selenskyj accuses Russia of setting fire to the nuclear power plant
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in turn, accused Russia of setting fire to the nuclear power plant. The radiation levels were normal, Zelensky wrote on Platform X. “But as long as Russian terrorists control the nuclear power plant, the situation is not and cannot be normal.” He called for an immediate reaction from the international community and the IAEA nuclear authority.
IAEA reports “no impact on nuclear safety”
The IAEA stated that “no impacts on nuclear safety” had been reported. “IAEA experts observed heavy dark smoke coming from the northern area of the plant after several explosions in the evening,” the UN agency said in the online service X. The nuclear power plant reported a “suspected drone attack on one of the cooling towers” to the IAEA.
Russia captured Europe’s largest nuclear power plant shortly after the start of its war of aggression and has occupied it ever since. Both sides blame each other for attacks on the power plant or sabotage of it. Russia has recently repeatedly complained about Ukrainian drone attacks.
Reactors were already shut down in 2022
Due to safety concerns, the reactors were shut down in 2022, but still need to be cooled. IAEA observers are stationed on site. The observers reported late in the evening that they had observed heavy smoke in the north of the nuclear power plant after several explosions. They had been informed of an alleged drone attack. There were no effects on nuclear safety.
Deaths in Russian missile attack on Kyiv
Sunday, August 11, 7:27 a.m.: Two people were killed in a nighttime Russian missile attack near the Ukrainian capital Kiev. The Ukrainian rescue service announced on Sunday that the two victims were a man and his four-year-old son. AFP journalists reported explosions in the center and east of Kiev late on Saturday evening. The Ukrainian Air Force announced on the online service Telegram that two Russian missiles were heading for the capital. Meanwhile, the governor of the western Russian border region of Kursk reported 13 injured in the city of the same name as a result of a Ukrainian air strike.
Selenskyj admits Ukraine’s attempt to “shift the war” to Russia
8.21pm: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has admitted for the first time that Ukraine has advanced into the Russian region of Kursk. Kiev is trying to “shift” the war onto Russian territory, Zelensky said in his daily address on Saturday. “Today, Commander Syrsky has reported several times on the front, our actions and the shift of the war onto the territory of the aggressor,” Zelensky said, referring to Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky.
Expert: “Kursk maneuvers could lead to the military end of Ukraine”
5.18pm: Five days after the start of the Ukrainian advance in the western Russian border region of Kursk, Russian and Ukrainian troops are still fighting. The Ukrainian side has so far refrained from commenting on the attack. According to analysts, however, the Ukrainian units were able to advance several kilometers into Russian territory.
Military expert Gustav Gressel assesses the situation in an interview with “Spiegel”: “Ukraine is currently making major advances and gaining ground. In the long run, however, it will be difficult for it to hold this ground. The further Ukraine advances, the more soldiers and weapons systems will have to move in.” Gressel also addresses a major danger that could threaten Ukraine: “The Kursk maneuver could mark the end of Ukraine’s military existence. Ukraine is in a tricky situation. Due to the low level of military aid from its partners, it can hardly win the war using purely conventional means. It is therefore trying risky operations. But this risks losing the West’s support completely,” says the military expert.
Ukraine reports attack on Russian gas production tower – about 40 dead
16:24: The Ukrainian naval forces say they have killed around 40 Russian soldiers in an attack on a gas production tower in the Black Sea. Forces of the navy and military intelligence attacked the site where the enemy had assembled personnel and equipment, Ukrainian media reported, according to the navy. The occupiers wanted to use the tower to jam satellite navigation signals, which would have endangered civilian shipping.
“We cannot allow something like this to happen,” Dmytro Pletenchuk told the online newspaper Ukrainska Pravda. There were no civilians on the gas production platform, which is out of service, it was said. The missile and artillery units of the coastal forces carried out the attack. A published video showed a heavy explosion. The authenticity of the footage could not be independently verified.
It was not the first operation of this kind, said Pletenchuk. The enemy had already used the tower in the past to disrupt the navigation of grain freighters, for example. The naval officer stressed that the decision to attack was made for the safety of civilian shipping.
Construction workers are being withdrawn from Kursk nuclear power plant
Saturday, August 10th 10.15am: Due to the advance of Ukrainian troops in the Russian Kursk region, workers are being withdrawn from the construction site for two new nuclear reactors at the Kursk nuclear power plant. The number of construction workers will be temporarily reduced, said the company Atomstroiexport, a subsidiary of the Russian state nuclear company Rosatom. The other specialists will continue work as planned.
The Kursk nuclear power plant in the town of Kurchatov is repeatedly mentioned as a possible target of the advance into Russian territory that began on Tuesday. However, it is about 60 kilometers from the border. The furthest advances by Ukrainian troops, which were reported but not confirmed, reached a good 30 kilometers into Russia. According to official information, the Russian National Guard had increased protection of the power plant after the Ukrainian offensive became known.
Two new reactors are being built at the nuclear power plant to replace the two oldest, already decommissioned units. Two other reactors are in operation.
Kremlin-friendly oligarch surprises with sharp criticism of Putin’s war: “Crazy”
10.31pm: The Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska has taken a surprisingly clear stance against the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. According to “ntv” he called the war “crazy” on the sidelines of an economic forum in Japan. He also said he was open to stopping the fighting. “If you want to end the war, you have to stop the shelling first,” said Deripaska.
According to the report in the Japanese newspaper “Nikkei Asia”, he also called for an “immediate, unconditional ceasefire”. The oligarch had already spoken critically about the Russian war of aggression in the past. With an estimated fortune of 2.56 billion euros, Deripaska is considered one of the richest men in Russia and is on numerous Western sanctions lists because of his closeness to Putin.
Russian military convoy hit by Ukrainian artillery strike
15:24: During its advance in the Kursk region, Ukraine appears to have succeeded in striking a blow against Russian troops in the Kursk region. According to several media reports, a Russian military convoy was attacked and badly damaged near the district town of Rylsk.
Videos on social media show numerous burned-out military vehicles, and 14 transporters were reportedly hit. There also appear to be many casualties. The convoy was supposed to support Russian troops in defending themselves against the Ukrainian advance in Kursk. According to unconfirmed reports, a Himars strike was behind the attack. A video is said to show the attack from a drone’s perspective
Russia attacks Ukrainian supermarket – ten dead
13.10: According to the Interior Ministry in Kiev, at least ten people were killed and 35 others injured in a Russian attack on a supermarket in Kostiantynivka in eastern Ukraine. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko announced the new number of victims on Friday in the online service Telegram and published photos of the fire service’s operation in the rubble of the building. According to the report, nearby residential buildings were also damaged in the attack in the town, which is around 13 kilometers from the front.
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