G7 calls for withdrawal – Due to rocket fire: 13 dead in Dnipropetrovsk

After the overnight attack on Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, which killed 13 people, foreign ministers of the seven leading democratic economic powers (G7) called on Moscow to return the occupied Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant to Ukraine. “Ukrainian personnel responsible for the operation of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant must be able to perform their duties without threats or pressure,” the foreign ministry demanded in a statement from G7 foreign ministers in Berlin on Wednesday. “It is Russia’s continued dominance over the nuclear power plant that is endangering the region,” the G7 leaders said.

G7 demands transfer of power plants to Ukraine
The Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant is located in the Dnipropetrovsk region, about 20 kilometers away on the south side of the Kakhovka reservoir on the Dnipro (Dnieper) River, which is currently occupied by Russia. Over the weekend, the facility itself has already been shelled and damaged, with both sides (Ukraine and Russia, take note) blaming each other for the incidents. In addition to the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, the G7 called for all nuclear power plants on Ukraine’s internationally recognized border to be kept in Ukrainian hands. This is the only way to ensure safe operation.

Petro Kotin, head of Ukraine’s Enerhoatom nuclear power plant, says Ukraine must recapture the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant by winter. Last week’s attack on the plant destroyed three lines connected to Ukraine’s power grid. Russia, on the other hand, wants to connect the plant to its own electricity grid, which would mean that Ukraine would lose useful energy before the winter.

Russia blames the UN
Russia has named the United Nations as the trigger for the degeneration. “Unfortunately, the UN played a negative role in this case,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in an interview with Russian radio station Sputnik. For example, the UN prevented an inspection trip by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which led to an escalation. “In the UN Secretariat, which deals with the problems of nuclear energy, including the consequences of technical disasters and the problem in the broadest sense of the word, they need to understand that the world is on the brink,” Zakharova said.

UN is concerned
Russia’s foreign ministry had already condemned on Tuesday that the planned trip of IAEA representatives to the nuclear power plant had been canceled due to security concerns of the UN secretariat. For Zakharova, this was “irresponsible action”. For this reason, Russia has requested a special session of the UN Security Council for Thursday.

Explosions have been reported on Tuesday in Crimea, which has been annexed by Russia since 2014. The reason for this is unclear. Russia claims that the reason is violating fire safety rules. According to eyewitnesses, however, it was a Ukrainian attack, but no responsibility was taken for the explosion in Kiev. However, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak promptly wrote on Twitter: “This is just the beginning.”

Russia wants to strengthen itself
According to estimates by British secret services, Russia wants to recruit volunteers in Ukraine to bolster its offensive. Lucrative bonuses should be the incentive to join, the recruits should be male up to the age of 50 with at least a high school diploma. The British Ministry of Defense shared this information in a broadcast on Wednesday. However, Britain says it is unlikely that these recruitments would have a decisive impact on the war in Ukraine.