Moscow claims to have repelled an attempt by kyiv to regain control of the atomic plant
The Russian engineers who supervise the operation of the Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia, the largest in Europe, with six reactors, and the scene of armed clashes that threaten its security, have decided to disconnect the plant from the Ukrainian electricity grid for “technical” reasons. ». This is confirmed by the pro-Russian authorities of Energodar, a town where the facilities are located, which satisfy a fifth of the country’s electricity consumption. They argue that due to the bombardment by the Ukrainian Army, two lines of the power wiring that feed the reactors “have been damaged.”
The International Nuclear Energy Agency (IAEA), which has several experts deployed at the plant right now, confirmed the disconnection from the electricity grid, but clarified that “a reserve line is still active.” An identical incident occurred on August 25, but in the end the electrical fluid was returned to the Ukrainian network.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Saturday that Ukrainian forces undertook an unsuccessful attempt to seize the nuclear power plant from Russian troops at dawn on Saturday. Konashenkov said that a Ukrainian unit launched an amphibious attack from the Dnieper River on the plant, but, he stressed, “it was repelled and they suffered 47 casualties.”
Ukraine acknowledged on Friday that it had bombed Russian Army positions in Energodar, at points near the atomic plant. According to information released by the kyiv General Staff, “our troops launched precision offensives in the cities of Kherson and Energodar, destroying three enemy artillery systems, as well as an ammunition arsenal.”
IAEA Mission
It so happens that on Thursday a group of IAEA inspectors arrived at the nuclear power plant, headed by the organization’s director, Rafael Grossi. They worked for a few hours and left several colleagues there to finalize the checks. However, in kyiv they have not been very satisfied with the mission as they have not yet demanded the complete demilitarization of the atomic plant and its surroundings. This was expressed by the Ukrainian president, Volodímir Zelenski, while an adviser to the Ukrainian Ministry of the Interior went so far as to say that Grossi and his team were “deceived” by the Russians and even “manipulated”. Grossi assured on Thursday that they detected traces of attacks against the plant, of which Moscow and kyiv mutually accuse each other. He stated that the “physical integrity of the plant was violated on several occasions (…) and this can happen again.”
In this context, the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, offered this Saturday to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, during a telephone conversation, mediation to find a way out of the current confrontation around the Zaporizhia plant. Erdogan has been the architect of the agreement that allows Ukrainian grain exports and is trying hard to sit Putin and Zelensky down for negotiations. So far without any success.
US delays Russian visas for UN Assembly
Russia was concerned this Saturday that it had not yet received any visas for the members of its delegation that will attend the UN General Assembly in the United States this month, according to a letter sent to the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres. “As of September 1, none of our 56 representatives has received a visa,” wrote the Russian ambassador to the body, Vassily Nebenzia. The Assembly should take place between September 20 and 26 in New York. According to a 1947 agreement, Washington must not impede the transit of representatives of member countries.
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