Moment of the explosion at Enerhodar near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant
The physical integrity of Ukraine’s Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant had been breached amid heavy shelling from both sides, UN nuclear agency chief Rafael Grossi said on Thursday.
“It’s obvious that the plant and the physical integrity of the plant has been violated multiple times … this is something that cannot continue to happen,” Dr Grossi said.
Vehicles carrying members of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspection mission were seen driving on roads outside the city of Zaporizhzhia as the team visited the largest nuclear facility in Europe after a long wait.
The head of the nuclear watchdog said he would continue to worry about the tense situation at the nuclear power plant until the fighting stabilizes.
Heavy fighting in the Zaporizhzhia region was not stopped by the visit of the top UN official, whose team ignored nearby gunfire to inspect the power plant on Thursday. Experts are likely to remain at the facility for a few days.
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The footage is said to show explosions in northern Ukraine near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant
The mayor of Enerhodar said “constant mortar attacks” hit the Ukrainian town near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in the early hours of Thursday, September 1.
Dmytro Orlov claimed in a Telegram post that the Russian strikes hit the “pre-agreed route” of the UN IAEA mission to the Zaporizhzhia plant, causing an electrical unit to shut down.
Russian news agency Interfax said the bombings hit residential buildings, a preschool building and parked cars. There was an unknown number of victims in the attack.
Images circulating on Twitter are said to show explosions in the city that day.
The footage is said to show explosions in northern Ukraine near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant
The mayor of Enerhodar said “constant mortar attacks” hit the Ukrainian town near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in the early hours of Thursday, September 1. UN IAEA mission to the Zaporizhzhia plant, which caused a shutdown of an electrical unit. Russian news agency Interfax said the bombings hit residential buildings, a preschool building and parked cars. An unknown number of casualties occurred in the attack. Images circulating on Twitter are said to show explosions in the city that day. Subscribe to our newsletters.
Joe Middleton September 2, 2022 8:53 am
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G7 plans price cap on Russian oil
Group of Seven finance ministers are expected to confirm plans on Friday to impose a price cap on Russian oil in a bid to reduce revenue from Moscow’s war in Ukraine but keep crude flowing to avoid spikes of prices, G7 officials said.
Ministers from the club of rich industrial democracies are due to meet virtually and are expected to issue a statement outlining their implementation plans.
“There is likely to be an agreement,” said a European G7 official, adding that it was unclear how many details would be revealed, such as the per-barrel level of the price cap, above which compliant countries would they will refuse insurance and financing to Russian crude oil and cargoes of petroleum products.
British Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi said in Washington on Thursday that he hoped G7 finance ministers “will have a statement that will mean we can move forward with the pace to do this”.
“We want this oil price cap to go over the line,” he said at a think tank event in Washington a day after discussing the cap with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.
Despite a drop in Russia’s oil export volumes, its oil export earnings in June rose by $700 million from May due to prices boosted by its war in Ukraine, the agency said Energy International last month.
The G7 is made up of Great Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States. Some officials in the bloc have said the cap needs broader support and have questioned whether it can succeed without the participation of major oil consumers China and India, which are unlikely to approve the plan.
But other G7 officials have said China and India have expressed interest in buying Russian oil at an even lower price under the cap.
Joe Middleton September 2, 2022 8:31 am
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Cargo ship carrying corn from Ukraine anchors in Istanbul
A cargo ship carrying more than 3,000 tons (3,307 tons) of corn from Ukraine was towed to an anchorage in Istanbul on Friday after briefly running aground, a shipping agency said, the first incident this rate in an export agreement negotiated by the United Nations.
Turkish state broadcaster TRT Haber said traffic in the Bosphorus strait had reopened after it was halted due to the grounding of the 173-meter (567.59-foot) Lady Zehma due to a rudder failure around 1800 GMT.
The Tribeca Shipping Agency said the Lady Zehma’s towing and salvage operation began at 21:10 GMT and anchored in the southern anchorage area of the Bosphorus at 23:30 GMT.
No one was injured in the incident, the Istanbul governor’s office said. During the burial, the ship’s bow had been about 150 meters from the shore in the busy Bebek district, according to a witness and data from Refinitiv Eikon.
Shipping data showed the ship was anchored in the Sea of Marmara, off the coast of Istanbul, on Friday morning.
Ukraine’s grain exports fell after Russia invaded the country on February 24 and blockaded its Black Sea ports, raising global food prices and sparking fears of shortages in Africa and the Middle East, Reuters reports.
Three ports were unblocked under the agreement signed on July 22 by Moscow and Kyiv, and negotiated by the UN and Ankara.
Joe Middleton September 2, 2022 7:52 am
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Norwegian energy firm Equinor completes exit from Moscow
Norwegian energy firm Equinor said on Friday it had completed its exit from Russia in the wake of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, fulfilling a promise made in February, Reuters reports.
This is the first orderly and complete exit from Russia by an international oil and gas company as pressure mounts on others, such as TotalEnergies and Exxon Mobil, to also leave.
On February 28, Equinor said it would begin the process of divesting joint ventures in Russia, calling its position “untenable” due to the outbreak of war the previous week.
Since then, Equinor was left with one asset to divest, a stake in the Arctic Kharyaga oil field, operated by Russia’s Zarubezhneft and of which TotalEnergies is a partner.
“Equinor can now confirm that the full exit of Kharyaga has also been completed,” Equinor said in a statement.
“Following Kharyaga’s exit, Equinor has no remaining assets or projects in Russia.”
Joe Middleton September 2, 2022 7:25 am
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Heavy fighting and shelling continue near the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant
Heavy fighting continues in southern Ukraine, including shelling in the Enerhodar district near the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Britain’s Ministry of Defense said today.
He added that the Kremlin has gone ahead with the Vostok 22 military exercise, an annual joint strategic exercise affair, marking the culmination of a year of military training even as its war in Ukraine unfolds.
“Russia has publicly stated that 50,000 troops will participate, but it is unlikely that more than 15,000 troops will be actively participating this year. That is about 20% of the forces that participated in the last Vostok exercise in 2018” , the British Ministry of Defense said today.
He added that Russia’s military performance in Ukraine has highlighted that its “strategic military exercises, such as Vostok, have failed to sustain the military’s ability to conduct large-scale complex operations.”
These events are heavily scripted, do not encourage initiative and are primarily aimed at impressing Russian leaders and the international public, the ministry said.
Arpan Rai 2 September 2022 07:04
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More than 100 Russian soldiers were killed in the last 24 hours, according to Ukraine
More than 100 Russian soldiers have been killed in the past 24 hours, Ukrainian military officials said Friday morning.
A total of 102 Russian soldiers have been killed, while six tanks, an Msta-B howitzer, a Grad multiple rocket launcher, a 120mm mobile mortar, eight armored vehicles and five ammunition depots were destroyed on September 1, the operational command of Ukraine. south said
Ukrainian forces also hit a drone checkpoint and a ferry crossing in the south, military officials added.
Arpan Rai September 2, 2022 6:36 am
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Russian bombing continues in Kharkiv
Ukrainian officials confirmed this morning the shelling by Russian forces in the city of Kharkiv, in northeastern Ukraine.
The shelling was reported from Kholodnohirskyi district around 6 am by Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov.
At least four cars have been damaged but no casualties have been reported so far, according to initial information.
Arpan Rai 2 September 2022 06:25
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The physical integrity of the nuclear power plant has been violated, says the UN inspector
Officials from the UN atomic watchdog who visited the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant said the physical integrity of Europe’s critical infrastructure has been damaged.
“It’s obvious that the plant and the physical integrity of the plant has been violated, multiple times … this is something that cannot continue to happen,” said the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Doctor Rafael Grossi.
The IAEA team arrived at the power plant site after being delayed by several hours due to heavy shelling in the region. The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, captured by Russia within days of the invasion, has been witnessing heavy gunfire from both sides, Ukraine and Russia, for months.
“This morning the situation was quite difficult, but … having come this far, it was not going to stop,” said Dr. Grossi, who came uncomfortably close to the shot.
“There were times when…