The global atomic energy watchdog says Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has been disconnected from its last remaining main power line to the grid and is relying on a reserve line.
The plant, which has been seized by Russian troops, has become a focal point of the conflict, with each side blaming the other for nearby shelling. The other lines were lost earlier during the fighting.
“Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has once again lost the connection to its last remaining main external power line, but the facility is continuing to supply electricity to the grid through a reserve line,” the agency said on Saturday.
“Less than 48 hours after director general Rafael Mariano Grossi on Thursday established the presence of the IAEA support and assistance mission to ZaporizhzhIa at the facility in southern Ukraine, the agency's experts were told by senior Ukrainian staff that the ZNPP's fourth operational 750-kilovolt power line was down.”
“One reactor is still operating and producing electricity both for cooling and other essential safety functions at the site and for households, factories and others through the grid,” the IAEA said.
Explosions took place on Sunday at the Antonivsky bridge, near the occupied southern city of Kherson, according to posts on Telegram channels.
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Russian Malka artillery systems are fired from an undisclosed location in Ukraine. AP -
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visits a training ground for Ukrainian soldiers in Putlos near Oldenburg, Germany. AFP -
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (R) hands The Order of Liberty medal to Boris Johnson in Kyiv. The UK Prime Minister visited on Ukraine’s Independence Day. AFP -
Destruction in Chaplyne, Dnipropetrovsk region. Reuters -
The UN Security Council votes on whether to allow Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to address the meeting via video link on threats to international peace and security. AP -
A pro-Ukrainian statue in Prague, Czech Republic. AP -
Krystyna Kopaczewska takes part in a Ukrainian Independence Day rally outside Downing Street in London. Reuters -
Firefighters work to extinguish flames at a shopping centre Galaktika after Russian shelling in Donetsk. Reuters -
Ukrainian servicemen fire at Russian positions in Kharkiv region. AP -
Destroyed Russian tanks and military equipment on Khreshchatyk, a street in central Kyiv, have been turned into an outdoor military museum. AFP
Ukraine began a counter-offensive last week targeting the south, particularly the Kherson region, which was seized by the Russians early in the conflict.
The bridge has been severely damaged by Ukrainian missiles over the past weeks, but Russian troops were trying to repair it or to set up a pontoon crossing or barges to maintain supplies to Russian units on the right bank of the Dnipro river.
A stand-off over Russian gas and oil exports intensified last week as Moscow vowed to keep its main gas pipeline to Germany shut and G7 countries announced a planned price cap on Russian oil exports.
Germany also on Sunday announced a relief plan worth €65 billion ($65 billion) for its people as it tries to slow rampaging inflation
The energy fight is a fallout from the invasion of Ukraine, underscoring the deep rift between Moscow and western nations as Europe steels itself for the cold months ahead.
“Russia is preparing a decisive energy blow on all Europeans for this winter,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly address on Saturday.
The IAEA report came hours after Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered on Saturday to mediate in the stand-off.
Mr Erdogan told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that “Turkey can play a facilitator role in the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, as they did in the grain deal”.
Ukraine, one of the world's largest grain exporters, was forced to halt almost all deliveries after Russia invaded in late February, raising fears of a global food crisis.
Exports of grain across Black Sea ports resumed after Kyiv and Moscow signed a deal in July, with the UN and Turkey acting as guarantors.
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UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar attend a signing ceremony in Istanbul, Turkey. Reuters -
Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov, seated, at the signing ceremony. Reuters -
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, left, Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, second left, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, seated, second right, and Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar at the signing ceremony. Reuters -
Mr Guterres speaks during the signing ceremony. Reuters -
Mr Guterres and Mr Erdogan sit at the start of the signature ceremony for an agreement on the safe transportation of grain and foodstuffs from Ukrainian ports. AFP -
Mr Erdogan speaks at the signing ceremony. Reuters -
Mr Guterres and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu stand together on the day of the deal signing in Istanbul. Reuters -
Roman Abramovich attends the ceremony in Istanbul. Reuters -
Mr Guterres said the deal would clear the way for grain shipments from three Ukrainian ports; Odesa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny, stabilising runaway prices on the global market. Reuters -
The UN chief said a co-ordination centre would be set up in Istanbul to manage Black Sea traffic. Reuters -
A Turkish national flag, a Russian national flag, a United Nations flag and a Ukrainian national flag in Istanbul, before the deal was signed. AFP
There was no immediate mention of Mr Erdogan having also spoken to Mr Zelenskyy on Saturday to offer his mediation.
Last month, Mr Erdogan gave a warning about the risk of a nuclear disaster when he visited Lviv for talks with the Ukrainian leader.
The Turkish leader said he wanted to avoid “another Chernobyl”, referring to the world's worst nuclear accident in another part of Ukraine in 1986, when it was still part of the Soviet Union.
This week, a 14-strong team from the International Atomic Energy Agency visited Zaporizhzhia, with Mr Grossi on Friday saying the site had been breached “several times” in fighting.
Ukraine has accused Russia of storing ammunition at Zaporizhzhia and stationing hundreds of soldiers there.
It also suspects Moscow is intending to divert power from the plant to the nearby Crimean peninsula, annexed by Russia in 2014.
