![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() By Thibault MARCHAND Mykolaiv, Ukraine (AFP) Aug 30, 2022
President Volodymyr Zelensky met with top UN nuclear inspectors in Kyiv Tuesday ahead of their visit to inspect the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant as intense fighting raged across southern Ukraine, his office said. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi arrived in Kyiv late Monday at the head of a 14-strong team ahead of a visit to the Zaporizhzhia plant -- Europe's largest atomic facility -- which has been occupied by Russian troops since early March. "This is probably one of the top-priority questions regarding safety of Ukraine and the world today," Zelensky said, calling for the "immediate de-militarisation of the plant" and its transfer to "full Ukrainian control". The plant was targeted over the weekend by fresh shelling, Ukraine's nuclear agency Energoatom said, with Moscow and Kyiv trading blame for attacks around the complex of six nuclear reactors located on the banks of the Dnipro River. Meanwhile, intensive fighting raged across the nearby southern region of Kherson as Ukrainian troops pressed a major counter-offensive "in various directions". Most of the region of Kherson bordering the Black Sea -- and its provincial capital of the same name -- were seized by Moscow's military at the start of the invasion six months ago. With the war in the eastern Donbas region largely stalled, analysts have said for weeks that combat is likely to shift south to break the stalemate before winter comes. Also Tuesday, fresh Russian strikes on the centre of northeastern city of Kharkiv killed at least five people and injured seven. But much of the attention remained on the counter-offensive in the south. - A 'long and complicated' fight - "Heavy fighting is taking place in almost the entire territory of the Kherson region," the president's office in Kyiv said in a morning update after a night of "powerful explosions" with its forces launching "offensive actions in various directions". In Bereznehuvate, a town near the frontline some 70 kilometres (43 miles) north of Kherson city, AFP reporters could hear artillery fire and saw soldiers resting by the roadside. "We forced them well back," said Victor, an infantryman in his 60s who declined to give a surname. But his commander Oleksandr -- a veteran of the Afghanistan war -- predicted the fight to retake Kherson will be "long and complicated". Russia's defence ministry claimed Tuesday that Ukraine had met "defeat" in its southern counterattack, suffering "large-scale losses" of more than 1,200 soldiers and some 150 military vehicles. In a memo early Tuesday, Britain's defence ministry said that since the start of August, Russia had made "significant efforts" to reinforce troops on the western bank of the Dnipro River which splits Kherson city. But "most of the units around Kherson are likely under-manned and are reliant upon fragile supply lines by ferry and pontoon bridges across the Dnipro," it said. It was "not yet possible to confirm the extent of Ukrainian advances," it added. The Ukrainian presidency claimed its forces had destroyed "almost all large bridges" over the Dnipro and that "only pedestrian crossings remain" in Kherson region. Overnight, the Ukrainian-held city of Mykolaiv, 80 kilometres (50 miles) northwest of Kherson, came under "massive bombardment" with Russian anti-aircraft missiles killing two civilians and injuring 24, the army's southern command said. - Back to school - The fresh fighting came as students across Ukraine prepared for the start of a new academic year after schools were shut by the Russian invasion, now in its seventh month. Only those schools with air-raid bunkers will be permitted to reopen, with the rest reverting to online learning. "We just want to live our life fully," 16-year-old student Polina told AFP in Kyiv. "We are not afraid, we have already lived enough. Our generation has decided to live in the present moment." Meanwhile, EU defence ministers meeting in Prague started work on plans for the bloc to train Ukrainian soldiers. "There are many training initiatives but the needs are enormous," said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who says Ukrainian troops could be trained in nearby EU member states.
![]() ![]() Finnish nuclear plant OL3 off grid for turbine issues Helsinki (AFP) Aug 29, 2022 Finland's Olkiluoto 3 reactor was disconnected from the electricity grid on Monday due to a turbine issue, operator TVO said, the latest in a string of setbacks for the long-delayed plant. "The plant was disconnected from the grid unplanned around noon as a result of a fault on the turbine side," TVO spokeswoman Johanna Aho told AFP. The issue concerns the part of the plant where steam is used to produce electricity, not the reactor side. "The plant is completely safe," Aho said. "But it is ... read more
![]() |
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |