UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called for international inspectors to be given access to the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant after Ukraine and Russia traded accusations over the weekend bombing of Europe’s largest nuclear plant. “Any attack on a nuclear plant is something suicidal,” Guterres told a news conference in Japan, where he attended the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony on Saturday to mark the 77th anniversary of the world’s first atomic bombing. Ukraine said fresh Russian shelling on Saturday damaged three radiation sensors and injured a worker at the Zaporizhia power plant, the second strike in consecutive days at the site. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of practicing “nuclear terrorism” that warrants more international sanctions, this time on Moscow’s nuclear sector. “There is no such nation in the world that could feel safe when a terrorist state shoots up a nuclear plant,” Zelensky said in a televised address on Sunday. Russian forces seized the factory in southeastern Ukraine in early March, but it is still operated by Ukrainian technicians. Russian authorities in the region said Ukrainian forces hit the site with multiple rocket launchers, destroying administrative buildings and an area near a storage facility. The Russian embassy in Washington also issued a statement reporting the damage. “Ukrainian nationalists launched an artillery strike on the territory of this object on August 5. Two high voltage power lines and a water pipeline were damaged as a result of the bombing. “Only thanks to the effective and timely actions of the Russian military to cover the nuclear facility, its critical infrastructure was not affected,” the embassy said. Reuters was unable to verify either side’s version. Events in the Zaporizhzhia site – where Kyiv claimed Russia struck a power line on Friday – have alarmed the world. Guterres said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) needs access to the plant. “We fully support the IAEA in all its efforts in relation to creating the conditions to stabilize the plant,” Guterres said. IAEA chief Rafael Mariano Grossi warned on Saturday that the latest attack “highlights the very real risk of nuclear catastrophe”. Elsewhere, a deal to unfreeze Ukraine’s food exports and reduce global shortages accelerated as four more ships departed from Ukrainian Black Sea ports, while the first cargo ship docked since Russia’s February 24 invasion. The four outgoing ships had nearly 170,000 tons of corn and other food. They were traveling as part of a deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey to try to help reduce soaring world food prices resulting from the war. Before Moscow’s Feb. 24 invasion, which Russian President Vladimir Putin calls a “special military operation,” Russia and Ukraine together accounted for nearly a third of global wheat exports. The unrest has since threatened famine in some parts of the world.
BATTLE FOR DONBAS
Putin’s troops are trying to gain full control of eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region, where pro-Moscow separatists seized territory after the Kremlin annexed Crimea in the south in 2014. Russian forces stepped up their offensive north and northwest of the city of Donetsk in the Donbass on Sunday, the Ukrainian military said. The Russians attacked Ukrainian positions near the heavily fortified settlements of Pisky and Avdiivka, as well as shelling other locations in the Donetsk region, it said. As well as strengthening its control over Donbas, Russia is consolidating its position in southern Ukraine, where it has massed troops in a bid to prevent a possible counter-offensive near Kherson, Kyiv said. As the fighting rages, Russians settling in the wake of Moscow’s invasion have toyed with the idea of joining Ukraine’s occupied territories into Russia. Last month, a senior pro-Russian official said a referendum on such a move was likely “by next year”. In his video speech, Zelensky said any “sham referendums” on his country’s occupied territories joining Russia would eliminate the possibility of talks between Moscow and its Ukrainian counterparts or their allies. “They will single-handedly shut down any change in talks with Ukraine and the free world that the Russian side will clearly need at some point,” Zelensky said. Also on Sunday, Ukraine’s chief war crimes prosecutor said nearly 26,000 suspected war crimes committed since the invasion were being investigated, with 135 people charged, 15 of whom are in custody. Russia denies targeting civilians. Shelling and shelling occurred overnight in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv and around military installations in the western Vinnytsia region, among other places, Ukrainian authorities said. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Beyond Ukraine, a delegate battle took place at the International Chess Federation where Russia’s former vice-president Arkady Dvorkovich won a second term as president, defeating Ukraine’s Andrii Baryshpolets. And after days of controversy, Amnesty International apologized for the “sadness and anger” caused by a report accusing Ukraine of putting civilians at risk. This had angered Zelensky and prompted the head of the group’s Ukraine rights office to resign. The Morning Update and Afternoon Update newsletters are written by Globe editors, giving you a concise summary of the day’s most important headlines. Sign up today.
title: “Un Chief Demands International Access To Ukraine Nuclear Plant After New Attack " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-11” author: “James Riggs”
“Any attack on a nuclear plant is something suicidal,” Guterres told a news conference in Japan, where he attended the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony on Saturday to mark the 77th anniversary of the world’s first atomic bombing. Ukraine said fresh Russian shelling on Saturday damaged three radiation sensors and injured a worker at the Zaporizhia power plant, the second strike in consecutive days at the site. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has accused Russia of practicing “nuclear terrorism” that warrants more international sanctions, this time on Moscow’s nuclear sector. “There is no such nation in the world that could feel safe when a terrorist state detonates a nuclear plant,” Zelensky said in a televised address on Sunday. Russian forces seized the factory in southeastern Ukraine in early March, but it is still operated by Ukrainian technicians. Russian authorities in the region said Ukrainian forces hit the site with multiple rocket launchers, destroying administrative buildings and an area near a storage facility. The Russian embassy in Washington also issued a statement reporting the damage. “Ukrainian nationalists launched an artillery attack on the territory of this object on August 5. Two high-voltage power lines and a water pipeline were damaged as a result of the shelling. Only thanks to the effective and timely actions of the Russian military in covering the nuclear facility , its critical infrastructure was not affected,” the embassy said. Reuters was unable to verify either side’s version. Events at the Zaporizhzhia site – where Kyiv claimed Russia struck a power line on Friday – have alarmed the world. Guterres said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) needs access to the plant. “We fully support the IAEA in all their efforts in relation to creating the conditions to stabilize the plant,” Guterres said. IAEA chief Rafael Mariano Grossi warned on Saturday that the latest attack “highlights the very real risk of a nuclear catastrophe”. Elsewhere, a deal to unfreeze Ukraine’s food exports and reduce global shortages accelerated as four more ships departed from Ukrainian Black Sea ports, while the first cargo ship docked since Russia’s February 24 invasion. read more The four outgoing ships had nearly 170,000 tons of corn and other food. They were traveling as part of a deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey to try to help reduce soaring world food prices resulting from the war. Before Moscow’s Feb. 24 invasion, which Russian President Vladimir Putin calls a “special military operation,” Russia and Ukraine together accounted for nearly a third of global wheat exports. The unrest has since threatened famine in some parts of the world.
BATTLE FOR DONBAS
Putin’s troops are trying to gain full control of eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region, where pro-Moscow separatists seized territory after the Kremlin annexed Crimea in the south in 2014. “Ukrainian soldiers are firmly holding the defense, inflicting losses on the enemy and are ready for any change in the operational situation,” Ukraine’s general staff said in a briefing on Monday. Russian forces stepped up their offensive north and northwest of the city of Donetsk in the Donbass on Sunday, the Ukrainian military said. The Russians attacked Ukrainian positions near the heavily fortified settlements of Pisky and Avdiivka, as well as shelling other locations in the Donetsk region, it said. As well as strengthening its control over Donbas, Russia is consolidating its position in southern Ukraine, where it has massed troops in a bid to prevent a possible counter-offensive near Kherson, Kyiv said. As the fighting rages, Russians settling in the wake of Moscow’s invasion have toyed with the idea of joining Ukraine’s occupied territories into Russia. Last month, a senior pro-Russian official said a referendum on such a move was likely “next year”. read more Zelensky said any “sham referendums” on his country’s occupied territories joining Russia would eliminate the possibility of talks between Moscow and its Ukrainian counterparts or their allies. “They will single-handedly shut down any change in talks with Ukraine and the free world that the Russian side will clearly need at some point,” he said. read more Ukraine’s chief war crimes prosecutor said on Sunday that nearly 26,000 suspected war crimes committed since the invasion were being investigated, with 135 people charged and 15 in custody. Russia denies targeting civilians. read more Shelling and shelling occurred overnight in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv and around military sites in the western Vinnitsya region, among other places, Ukrainian authorities said. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Report from Reuters offices. Written by Stephen Coates. Editing: Simon Cameron-Moore Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
