Latest news on Russia and the war in Ukraine

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is requiring global action to avoid a disaster at the Russian- inhabited Zaporizhzhia nuclear reactor– Europe’s biggest such plant– in southern Ukraine.

“Any radiation incident at the Zaporizhzhya NPP could be a blow to many countries,” Zelenskyy stated on Telegram last night. “Everything depends only on the direction and strength of the wind,” he included.

The president as soon as again required “brand-new difficult sanctions versus Russia, versus Rosatom [Russia’s state-owned nuclear power giant] and the whole nuclear market” within the nation.

Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian authorities have actually consistently stated Russia has actually stationed soldiers and weapons at the power plant, and utilized it as a base from which to introduce attacks on surrounding locations. Ukraine has actually called that a method of “nuclear blackmail.”

“Russia does not stop its blackmail actions at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and around it,” Zelenskyy restated in his nighttime address, stating “provocative shelling of the Nuclear power plant territory continues. Under cover of the station, the occupiers are shelling nearby towns and communities. The Russian military hides ammunition and equipment right in the station’s facilities.”

Calling for Russian forces to withdraw from the nuclear power center and surrounding locations with no conditions, Zelenskyy stated the world needs to understand by now the threats of unrestrained nuclear activity.

“For many decades, the world has struggled for proper control over all activities with nuclear materials and radiation safety. And if now the world lacks the strength and determination to protect one nuclear plant, it means that the world will lose. There is still a chance to prevent this loss,” he stated.

— Holly Ellyatt

Russia’s Minister of Defense stated he talked with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres about the Zaporizhzhia nuclear reactor.

Russia’s Sergei Shoigu talked about the safe operation of the center and provided an upgrade on occasions happening on the ground, according to a Kremlin declaration published on the Telegram messaging app.

The 2 likewise talked about the U.N. effort to assist in the export of Russian fertilizers along with Ukrainian farming items.

— Amanda Macias

The spokesperson for the U.N. Secretary-General rejected Russian declares that U.N. authorities were canceling or obstructing sees from the International Atomic Energy Agency to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear reactor.

“First, the IAEA is a specialized agency that acts in full independence in deciding how to implement its specific mandate. Second, the U.N. Secretariat has no authority to block or cancel any IAEA activities,” composed U.N. Secretary-General spokesperson St éphane Dujarric in a declaration.

Dujarric included that the U.N. supports a possible IAEA objective to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear reactor, needs to both Russia and Ukraine concur.

— Amanda Macias

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear reactor is running with the danger of breaking radiation and fire security requirements, according to an upgrade from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s workplace.

Russian forces took control of the center in March, a couple of days after the Kremlin’s major intrusion of Ukraine started.

“Ukraine calls on the world community to take urgent measures to force Russia to give back control over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant for the sake of the security of the whole world,” the declaration included.

— Amanda Macias

President Vladimir Putin declared Russia’s weapons is possibly years ahead of its foreign equivalents.

“Promising models and systems that are future-oriented and will determine the future of the armed forces are of particular interest,” he stated. Putin was speaking at the opening of the “Army 2022” global military-technical online forum on Monday.

“We are talking about high-precision weapons and robotics, about combat systems based on new physical principles,” Putin stated, according to Russian state news firmInterfax “Many of them are years, maybe decades ahead of their foreign counterparts, and in terms of tactical and technical characteristics they are significantly superior.”

Speaking at the opening of the online forum, Putin stated Russia was all set to share its weapons innovation with its allies.

“Russia sincerely values ​​historically strong, friendly, truly trusting ties with the states of Latin America, Asia, and Africa, and is ready to offer its partners and allies the most modern types of weapons – from small arms to armored vehicles and artillery, combat aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles,” the president stated.

Commenting on the significantly polarized nature of international geopolitics, especially amidst Russia’s war in Ukraine, Putin stated Russia valued “that today our country has many allies, partners, like-minded people on different continents.”

These are states that, he stated, “do not bend before the so-called hegemon, their leaders show real masculine character and do not bend.”

— Holly Ellyatt

The U.S., U.K., EU and other nations have actually gotten in touch with Russia to right away withdraw its military forces from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and all of Ukraine.

“We urge the Russian Federation to immediately withdraw its military forces and all other unauthorized personnel from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, its immediate surroundings, and all of Ukraine so that the operator and the Ukrainian authorities can resume their sovereign responsibilities within Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders and the legitimate operating staff can conduct their duties without outside interference, threat, or unacceptably harsh working conditions,” stated a joint declaration released on Sunday on the site of the EU Delegation to the International Organizations in Vienna.

The declaration, backed by 42 nations, stated Russia’s control of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant– Europe’s biggest nuclear reactor– “poses a great danger” to the global tenets relating to nuclear security and security, as laid out by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

“Deployment of Russian military personnel and weaponry at the nuclear facility is unacceptable and disregards the safety, security, and safeguards principles that all members of the IAEA have committed to respect,” the declaration stated.

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is the biggest nuclear reactor in Europe and there was prevalent consternation when Russian forces recorded the system on March 4, with reports of military devices and ammo being positioned there.

Russian and Ukrainian forces have actually implicated each other of shelling the power plant in current weeks, raising worries of a devastating occurrence at the plant.

— Holly Ellyatt