The news came as a team from the IAEA headed to Ukraine to inspect the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. Read more at straitstimes.com.
ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine/KYIV - Ukraine announced on Monday the start of a long-awaited counter-offensive to retake territory in the south seized by Russian forces since their invasion six months ago, a move reflecting Kyiv's growing confidence as Western military aid flows in.- captured by Russian forces in March but still run by Ukrainian staff - that has become a hotspot in the war.
She declined to give details of the counter-offensive, saying Russian forces in southern Ukraine remained"quite powerful". "We must protect the safety and security of Ukraine's and Europe's biggest nuclear facility," Rafael Grossi said in a post on Twitter. Russia's defence ministry said its forces had shot down a Ukrainian drone that was trying to attack the nuclear power station, Russian news agencies reported. It said there was no serious damage and radiation levels were normal.Reuters could not independently verify either report.
Russian forces fired at Enerhodar, the Dnipro riverside town where the plant is located, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff said late on Sunday on his Telegram channel alongside a video of firefighters dousing burning cars.Liliia Vaulina, 22, among a growing number of refugees from Enerhodar arriving in the Ukraine-held city of Zaporizhzhia, some 50km upriver from the plant, said she hoped the IAEA mission would lead to a demilitarisation of its area.
On Monday, Zelensky accused Russia of trying to prevent European nations from filling their gas storage facilities enough to cope with the coming winter.