Russia-Ukraine updates: UN nuclear watchdog to issue Zaporizhzhia report

06.09.2022, 15:02 dw.com

The UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Tuesday is set to issue a report on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine. Kyiv and Moscow have repeatedly accused each other of shelling the plant. The Zaporizhzhia plant, along with most of the rest of the region, has been under Russian occupation since March, but is run by Ukrainian staff. Ukraine's nuclear agency Energoatom said on Monday that shelling disrupted power lines and took the plant's last remaining reactor offline. The UN nuclear watchdog, citing information supplied by Kyiv, said that the plant's backup power line had been cut to extinguish a fire. It said that the line itself was not damaged and would be reconnected. The IAEA's presence at the plant was reduced to two staff members, down from six on Monday. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi will issue a report on Ukraine on Tuesday and then brief the UN Security Council. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned of a "near radiation catastrophe," and alleged that Moscow "does not care what the IAEA will say." Meanwhile, Kyiv has claimed gains in a counter-offensive in Ukraine's south, including the re-capture of one village in the Kherson region, which lies immediately west of Zaporizhzhia. Here's a look at some of the other major news stories from Russia's war in Ukraine on September 6. Kharkiv regional Governor Oleh Synehubov said that that three civilians were killed in two Russian strikes on the regional capital and on a village north of it. Synehubov said that a Russian rocket attack had destroyed a residential building, killing a 73-year-old woman. Two men were killed in shelling in the Kharkiv village of Zolochiv, which lies in between the regional capital and Ukraine's border with Russia, according to the governor. Synehubov said that a new rocket attack on Tuesday morning had nearly destroyed an apartment building in central Kharkiv. The city's mayor, Ihor Terekhov, said that three people had been rescued from under the ruins of the building. Ukraine's General Staff in a Facebook post estimated the Russian military's total losses since the start of the invasion in February at more than 50,000 soldiers. The Ukrainian army claims to have destroyed over 2,000 tanks and nearly 4,500 armored vehicles, and to have shot down 236 airplanes and 207 helicopters. The dpa news agency said it could not independently verify the data. Britain's defense ministry has given an estimate of 25,000 Russian losses, far short of the Ukrainian General Staff's figures. Moscow has not provided any information on casualties for many months. Last Friday, pro-Russian separatists in the Donetsk region estimated their losses since late February at 2,900. Putin was seen smiling and joking with his defense minister as they oversaw military drills in Russia's Far East Russian President Vladimir Putin was seen smiling and joking with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu as he inspected military drills in the country's Far East region. Troops from China, India and a number of other countries are participating in the drills, named "Vostok-2022" after the Russian word for "east." Russia's defense ministry said the exercises involve only 50,000 troops, much less than the 300,000 that it said took part in 2018. Moscow says the drills also involve military contingents and observers from Algeria, Laos, Mongolia, Nicaragua and Syria. Also involved are Belarus, which Moscow has used as a staging ground for its invasion of Ukraine, and a number of other former Soviet countries in Central Asia and the Caucasus. The exercises are due to end on Wednesday, after which Putin will attend the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok alongside Chinese top lawmaker Li Zhanshu. Russian statistics bureau Rosstat said the country's GDP had fallen by just 0.4% in the first six months of 2022, as oil and gas revenues continue to shore up the country's finances despite Western sanctions. Former British Foreign Minister Liz Truss, who is set to take office as prime minister today, has pledged to increase British defense spending to at least 2-3% of GDP. Truss said that her first conversation with a world leader as PM will be with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, underscoring Britain's support for Kyiv. Germany is set to extend the lifespans of two nuclear plants as Berlin tries to find alternatives to Russian gas. sdi/wd (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)

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