- Zelenskiy: Russia plans “decisive energy blow to all Europeans”
- Russia has delayed the reopening of the gas pipeline to Europe
- The IAEA says the line is down at the Zaporizhzhia plant but is operating as a backup
- US ambassador to Russia steps down
KYIV, Sept 5 (Reuters) – European leaders sought to ease the impact of high energy prices across the continent after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned of a difficult winter, although he reported progress in a counteroffensive against Russian troops.
In late-night comments on Sunday, Zelenskiy thanked his forces for taking two settlements in the south and a third, along with additional territory, in the east, citing “good reports” from his military commanders and intelligence chief. Read more
Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the president’s office, earlier released an image of soldiers raising the Ukrainian flag over a village he said was in the southern zone that is the main focus of the counteroffensive.
Register now for FREE, unlimited access to Reuters.comRegister
“Vysokopillya. Kherson region. Ukraine. Today,” Tymoshenko wrote on Facebook over a photograph of three soldiers on rooftops, one of them pinning a Ukrainian flag to a post.
Ukraine launched a counter-offensive last week targeting the south, particularly the Kherson region, which Russia seized at the start of the conflict.
Following intense shelling by Ukrainian forces against groups of Russian troops in the region, the Russians have banned the movement of residents, barring them from crossing the Dnipro River, the Ukrainian General Staff said on Monday.
Russia has launched 25 missile strikes and more than 22 airstrikes against military and civilian targets in Ukraine in the past 24 hours, the statement added, maintaining its focus on establishing full control over the Donetsk region.
Zelenskiy’s remarks came a day after he warned Europeans that Russia was preparing a “decisive energy strike” in the cold months ahead.
Moscow has cited Western sanctions and technical problems for the power outages. European countries, which have supported Kyiv with diplomatic and military support, have accused Russia of weaponizing energy supplies.
Some analysts say shortages and rising living costs as winter approaches risk undermining Western support for Kyiv as governments try to calm disgruntled populations.
Last week, Moscow said it would keep the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, its main gas channel to Germany, closed, while G7 countries announced a planned price cap on Russian oil exports.
The Kremlin said it would stop selling oil to nations that adopted the cap.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Sunday that his government had been planning a total stoppage of gas deliveries in December, promising measures to lower prices and link social benefits to inflation.
“Russia is no longer a reliable energy partner,” Scholz told a news conference in Berlin.
Ukrainian firefighters put out a fire at a residential house after a Russian military strike, as Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues, in Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, September 5, 2022. REUTERS/Alex Babenko.
Read more
In response, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev accused Germany of being an enemy of Russia. “In other words, he has declared a hybrid war on Russia,” he said.
On Sunday, Finland and Sweden announced plans to offer billions of dollars to power companies to stave off the threat of insolvency amid the crisis. Read more
Separately, the US Embassy in Moscow said John Sullivan, the ambassador appointed by former President Donald Trump in 2019, had left his post and was retiring. A State Department official said Sullivan had served a typical tour length. Read more
EYES ON THE ZAPORIZHZHIA NUCLEAR PLANT
Russian authorities said the situation was calm around the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, after UN inspectors said on Saturday it had again lost external power.
Three loud explosions were heard in Energodar, the city under curfew where the plant is located, but there were no immediate details of damage or casualties, Russia’s official TASS news agency said on Monday.
Ukrainian troops made two attempts to deploy assault teams around the city, he said, adding that they were using drones, heavy artillery and rocket-launching systems.
The last main external power line was cut, although a backup line maintained power supply to the grid, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said. Read more
Only one of its six reactors remained operational, he said.
Russian troops seized the plant shortly after President Vladimir Putin sent his army to the border on February 24. It has become a focal point of the conflict. Each side has blamed the other for the bombings that have raised fears of a nuclear disaster.
Vladimir Rogov, a pro-Russian official in the Zaporizhzhia region, told Komsomolskaya Pravda radio that there had been no bombings or raids, and that IAEA experts were expected to work at the plant at least until Monday.
Last week an IAEA mission visited the plant, which is still operated by Ukrainian personnel, and some experts have remained there awaiting the issuance of an IAEA report. Read more
Russia has resisted international calls to demilitarize the area.
On other battlefronts, Ukrainian Telegram channels reported explosions at the Antonivsky Bridge near the city of Kherson, which is occupied by Russian forces.
Ukrainian missiles have badly damaged the bridge in recent weeks, but Russian troops were trying to repair it or set up a pontoon or barge crossing to keep supplies to their units on the right bank of the Dnipro River.
Register now for FREE, unlimited access to Reuters.comRegister
Reporting by Tom Balmforth in Kyiv; Additional reporting by Michael Shields, Ron Popeski, Elaine Monaghan and Reuters bureaus; Written by Patricia Zengerle and Clarence Fernandez; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Simon Cameron-Moore
Our standards: the Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.