Barely six months after the start of their invasion, Russian troops in eastern Ukraine are attacking a cornerstone of the Ukrainian defense line with all their might. In the south, the Ukrainians are putting the Russians on the defensive. The condition of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, which was hit by bombs, is causing concern.
Barely six months after the start of their invasion, Russian troops in eastern Ukraine are attacking the town of Bakhmut - a cornerstone of Ukraine's defense line - with all their might. In the south, the Ukrainians say they are putting the Russians on the defensive. The condition of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, which was hit by bombs, is of particular concern. The 164th day of the war at a glance:
Shelling of nuclear power plant site denounced as "terrorism".
Russia and Ukraine blamed each other for the shelling of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant site on Friday. The largest nuclear power plant in Europe is located in the part of southern Ukraine occupied by Russia - there have already been dangerous situations there several times in the past months of the war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj spoke of an "act of terrorism" by the Russian side and called for new sanctions aimed specifically at the neighboring country's nuclear industry. The Foreign Ministry in Kyiv warned that if a reactor were hit while it was in operation, the possible consequences would be "tantamount to the use of a nuclear bomb."
IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi warned of the risk of a nuclear disaster that could threaten public health and the environment in Ukraine and beyond. He was "extremely concerned" about Friday's events. "Any military firepower aimed at or emanating from the facility would be playing with fire, with potentially catastrophic consequences," Grossi said.
The Ukrainian state nuclear agency Enerhoatom said the shelling damaged a nitrogen plant and an auxiliary part of the power plant. "There is still a risk of hydrogen escaping and radioactive particles spreading, and the risk of fire is also high."
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that parts of the city of Enerhodar, where the power plant is located, had lost power and water supplies - and blamed the Ukrainian army. In addition, a block of the nuclear power plant had to be partially shut down. The information could not be independently verified. The Ukrainian side, on the other hand, said the Russians had shelled the area themselves.
British intelligence sees new phase of war
According to British information, the war is currently entering a new phase. The Ministry of Defense in London expects that the heaviest fighting will shift to a front line almost 350 kilometers long, which extends southwest near Zaporizhia to Cherson and thus runs parallel to the Dnipro River. In anticipation of Ukraine's counteroffensive or in preparation for a possible attack, Russian forces were almost certainly massing in southern Ukraine, the British wrote. Long Russian military convoys continued to move south-west away from Ukraine's Donbass region.
Russians gradually pushed back Ukrainians in the east
Since the capture of the Luhansk Oblast, Russian attacks in eastern Ukraine have focused on the neighboring Donetsk Oblast. The invaders have gradually been able to push back the Ukrainian defenders over the past few weeks. They now control about 60 percent of the territory. The headquarters of the Ukrainian troops in the Donbass is located in the Sloviansk-Kramatorsk conurbation, where a good half a million people lived before the war. This area is secured from the east by the Siwersk - Soledar - Bakhmut line of fortifications. This is now faltering in several places. Russian troops are also in front of Siwersk and Soledar.
However, the heaviest fighting is currently taking place around the Bachmut traffic junction. According to their own statements, the Ukrainian army has initially fended off the Russian advances there. Russian offensives in the direction of the cities of Sloviansk, Bakhmut and Avdiivka have been repelled, the Ukrainian general staff said in its evening report.
The fighting is also continuing in front of the former regional capital of Donetsk, which has been in the hands of pro-Russian separatists since 2014. The troops loyal to Moscow are trying to push the Ukrainians further away. In the area around the small town of Avdiivka north of Donetsk, there had been several attempted attacks that had been repelled, the General Staff reported.
According to Kyiv, the Russians are on the defensive in the south
In the south of the country, however, the initiative is passed to the Ukrainians. According to the situation report from Kyiv, the Russian troops there are concentrating on defending their positions. The Southern Command of the Ukrainian military previously reported that it had destroyed at least six Russian arms and ammunition depots and two command posts in the Kherson region. There is no independent confirmation for this information either.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said air and artillery strikes killed nearly 600 Ukrainian soldiers. The 46th Ukrainian air assault brigade was hit near the village of Bilohirka in the Cherson region. According to him, more than 400 "nationalists" were killed. In addition, more than 70 other soldiers were killed and 150 injured by rocket attacks on the front there. More than 80 "foreign mercenaries" died in rocket attacks in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
Konashenkov also reported on the destruction of several artillery systems in Ukraine. A battery of "Olcha" and Himars rocket launchers was destroyed. Himars are long-range, accurate US multiple rocket launchers.
Separatist leader with symptoms of poisoning
The head of the military administration deployed by Russia in the occupied southern Ukrainian region of Cherson, Volodymyr Saldo, is in an artificial coma in an intensive care unit in Moscow with symptoms of poisoning. "Today he was flown from Crimea to Moscow in an artificial coma in a special plane," reports the Russian Telegram channel Baza. His condition is considered critical, poisoning is mentioned as a possible cause.
Another member of the crew administration died as a result of an attack. The deputy head of the administration set up by the Russians in the city of Nova Kakhovka, Vitaly Gura, has succumbed to his injuries, pro-Russian politician Yekaterina Gubareva writes on Telegram. The Russian state news agency Ria Novosti also reports Gura's death. Accordingly, he is said to have been attacked by unknown persons with a gun earlier in the day near his house.
Another grain ship arrived in Istanbul
A ship carrying 33,000 tons of corn from Ukraine has arrived in Istanbul for inspection. The Turkish Ministry of Defense announced this on Twitter. It is the second grain carrier since Turkey brokered an international agreement on Ukrainian exports across the Black Sea. Two more ships are expected shortly.
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