The Ukrainian city of Enerhodar near the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant was hit by several projectiles on Sunday evening. As in the previous days, Russians and Ukrainians blamed each other for the artillery shelling. Both sides have released videos showing numerous cars burning in neighborhoods (see above).
Nine people were injured, two of them seriously, said Vladimir Rogov, a member of the Russian occupation administration. With such measures, Ukraine wants to prevent experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from visiting the power plant. The information could not initially be verified by an independent party.
The escaped Ukrainian mayor of Enerhodar, Dmytro Orlow, spoke of a provocation: Russian troops had fired. He accused Moscow of “nuclear blackmail” because Russian troops were holed up in the nuclear power plant. The international community fears a possible nuclear accident caused by the fighting at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.
Experts from the IAEA have now found their way to the nuclear power plant. The support and relief mission under his leadership will arrive there “later this week,” IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said on Twitter on Monday. “We must protect the security of the largest nuclear facility in Ukraine and Europe,” he said.
Residents: drone attack on nuclear power plants
Russian forces had previously reported a Ukrainian armed drone attack on the occupied nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine. The drone was shot down and fell on the containment shell over a reactor, Enerhodar’s crew records reported Sunday. The explosive charge exploded without causing any damage. The information could not be independently verified.
The Russian side suggested that the drone was intended to attack a spent fuel storage facility. Shortly after the outbreak of war in March, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe was occupied by Russian troops. It has been fired repeatedly for weeks, for which Ukraine and Russia blame each other. Therefore, the fear of a nuclear disaster like the one at Chernobyl in 1986 is growing.
Rocket fire in the north
Authorities say the Rivne region in northern Ukraine was attacked by Russia with missiles on Sunday evening. A military object was hit near the local town of Sarny, regional head Vitaly Koval said on Telegram. A residential building was also damaged, Mayor Ruslan Serpeninow said. There was no information about possible victims.
Activists from neighboring Belarus linked the attack to several Russian warplanes taking off from airports in Belarus. The ruler there, Alexander Lukashenko, made his land available to the Russian troops as a deployment area against Ukraine.
Two rockets also hit the center of the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkov on Sunday evening, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said. An administrative building was destroyed. There was also initially no information about victims.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
