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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres shake hands after a joint news conference following their meeting in Lviv, Ukraine August 18, 2022 [Gleb Garanich/Reuters]
By Usaid Siddiqui and Linah Alsaafin
Published On 18 Aug 2022
  • Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says his country was worried of “another Chernobyl”, amid ongoing fighting at the Zaporizhzhia power plant in Ukraine during a trilateral meeting on Thursday with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and UN chief Antonio Guterres.
  • Zelenskyy has urged the United Nations to “ensure” the security of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant which is currently under Russian control.
18 Aug 2022 - 20:10
 (20:10 GMT)

Ukrainian celebrity crowdfunds radar satellite for armed forces

A Ukrainian TV host has crowdfunded a gift to help Ukraine’s armed forces beat back Russia’s invasion — usage rights to a radar satellite that can see through clouds.

TV star Serhiy Prytula and Finnish satellite company ICEYE OY confirmed the deal in separate statements.

“The contract signed with the Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation will initially provide the Government of Ukraine with the full capabilities for one of ICEYE’s satellites already in orbit,” the company said.

“In addition, ICEYE will provide access to its constellation of SAR satellites, allowing the Ukrainian Armed Forces to receive radar satellite imagery on critical locations with a high revisit frequency,” it said on its website.

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18 Aug 2022 - 19:22
 (19:22 GMT)

Russian villagers evacuate after ammunition base fire near Ukraine border: Official

The inhabitants of two villages in southern Russia near the Ukrainian border were evacuated on Thursday after a nearby ammunition storage depot caught fire but no one was hurt, an official said.

Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Belgorod region, said in a statement that emergency services were investigating the cause of the fire near the settlements of Timonovo and Soloti, 15km (nine miles) from Ukraine. He did not give details.

Al Jazeera was unable to verify the governor’s claims.

18 Aug 2022 - 18:55
 (18:55 GMT)

A lot at ‘stake’ Turkey in Russia-Ukraine war: AJ correspondent

Al Jazeera’s Resul Sardar reporting from Istanbul says Turkey has a lot at “stake” amid its mediating efforts between Russia and Ukraine, and fears it will be forced to choose a side if the war continues.

“If the war lingers on, it will eventually face a hard situation of making painful choices in between Kyiv and Moscow,” Sardar said.

“And that is definitely something that Turkey doesn’t want – because in such a case, it feels that it will be dragged into conflict with Russia, particularly in the areas that there is a delicate balance between Turkey and Russia – such as Syria, Libya, the eastern Mediterranean bases, Nagorno Karabakh and the Black Sea.”

18 Aug 2022 - 18:25
 (18:25 GMT)

Russia moves jets with hypersonic missiles to Kaliningrad

Moscow has deployed three MiG-31 fighter jets armed with hypersonic missiles to its Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad.

Russia’s defence ministry said the jets carrying the new Kinzhal air-to-surface missiles have been stationed at the Chkalovsk airbase as an “additional measure of strategic deterrence”.

Kaliningrad is located between the EU countries of Poland and Lithuania, more than 1,000 kilometres (621 miles) from Moscow.

18 Aug 2022 - 17:58
 (17:58 GMT)

Ukraine, UN agreed parameters for IAEA mission to nuclear plant: Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said he agreed the parameters of a mission of the International Atomic Energy Agency to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant at talks with the UN secretary-general and Turkey’s leader.

Zelenskyy told a news conference after the talks in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv that Russia should immediately withdraw its forces and stop shelling from the nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres lefrt, meets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, in Lviv, Ukraine on August 18, 2022 [Ukrainian Presidency/Anadolu Agency]
18 Aug 2022 - 17:10
 (17:10 GMT)

Ukraine’s nuclear plant must be demilitarised: UN chief

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Thursday for the demilitarisation of the vast nuclear power plant held by Russia in southern Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, and said he was gravely concerned by the situation in and around it.

Guterres, speaking to reporters after talks in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, said that military equipment and personnel should be withdrawn from the plant and called for efforts to ensure it is not the target of military operations.

“The facility must not be used as part of any military operation. Instead, agreement is urgently needed to reestablish Zaporizhzhia’s purely civilian infrastructure and to ensure the safety of the area,” he said.

18 Aug 2022 - 16:40
 (16:40 GMT)

Erdogan wars of another ‘Chernobyl’

Turkey’s President Erdogan on Thursday threw his country’s support behind Ukraine and warned of the danger of “another Chernobyl” disaster erupting at a nuclear power plant held by invading Russian forces.

“While continuing our efforts to find a solution [to the conflict], we remain on the side of our Ukraine friends,” Erdogan said after talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, adding, “We are worried. We don’t want another Chernobyl.”

18 Aug 2022 - 16:20
 (16:20 GMT)

Turkey, Ukraine sign reconstruction agreement

Turkey and Ukraine have signed a document agreeing to help rebuild Ukraine’s infrastructure, including roads and bridges.

The document was signed by Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine Oleksandr Kubrakov and Minister of Trade of the Republic of Turkey Mehmet Mus.

The bridge connecting Bucha and Irpin destroyed at the beginning of the Russian invasion is considered to be the first major piece of infrastructure earmarked to be restored as part of the agreement.

18 Aug 2022 - 15:50
 (15:50 GMT)

Russian ship carrying ‘plundered’ Ukraine grain reaches Syria: Embassy

A Russian cargo ship allegedly carrying stolen Ukrainian grain has reached Syria, Kyiv’s embassy in Beirut said Thursday, the latest in a series of contested shipments arriving in the war-torn country.

“According to our information, SV KONSTANTIN has docked in Syria,” the embassy said in a statement to the AFP news agency.

It said the ship was carrying “grains that were plundered and illegally transported by the Russian occupation authorities”, adding that the vessel was initially destined for the Lebanese port of Tripoli.

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18 Aug 2022 - 15:05
 (15:05 GMT)

Zelenskyy, Guterres meet Erdogan in Lviv

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and UN chief Guterres have met Turkish President Erdogan in the western city of Lviv.

“The visit of the President of Turkey to Ukraine is a powerful message of support from such a powerful country,” Zelenskyy said in a statement, adding that they would discuss cereals exports and Zaporizhzhia.

As a potential power broker, Erdogan will use his first visit to Ukraine since the war started nearly six months ago to seek ways to expand the export of grain.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Lviv, Ukraine on August 18, 2022 [Murat Kula/Anadolu Agency]
18 Aug 2022 - 14:40
 (14:40 GMT)

Denmark to invest $5.5bn in new warships

Denmark expects to invest 40 billion Danish crowns ($5.47bn) in new warships as the NATO member seeks to bolster its maritime security in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the defence ministry has said.

As part of the investments due over the next 20 to 25 years, a partnership with the country’s maritime industry was launched, aiming to develop and build the new warships in Denmark, Minister of Defence Morten Bodskov said in a statement.

“With Russia’s attack on Ukraine and the new security situation in Europe, it is more important than ever that Denmark is able to defend itself. Security of supply plays a decisive role here,” Bodskov said.

18 Aug 2022 - 14:25
 (14:25 GMT)

Zelenskyy calls on UN to ‘ensure security’ of nuclear plant

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has urged the United Nations to ensure security at the Zaporizhzhia power plant, where increased fighting has raised fears of a nuclear incident.

“The UN must ensure the security of this strategic object, its demilitarisation and complete liberation from Russian troops,” Zelenskyy said in a statement after meeting UN chief Antonio Guterres in Lviv.

The Ukrainian leader also criticised “deliberate” Russian attacks on the facility.

18 Aug 2022 - 14:10
 (14:10 GMT)

Moscow engaging in ‘quiet’ diplomacy on Griner swap: Official

Russia’s foreign ministry has said it was engaged in “quiet diplomacy” with the United States regarding a potential prisoner swap that would include basketball star Brittney Griner.

Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medallist and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) star, was sentenced on August 4 to nine years in prison in Russia on drug charges – a ruling US President Joe Biden called “unacceptable”.

“Quiet diplomacy is under way and it should bear fruit if Washington follows it, and not fall into propaganda through media hype to score points before an election,” said Nechayev, a spokesman for the Russian foreign ministry, referring to the US midterm elections in November.

US basketball player Brittney Griner [File: Natalia Kolesnikova/Pool/Reuters]
18 Aug 2022 - 13:33
 (13:33 GMT)

Nuclear weapons use possible only in ’emergency circumstances’: Russia

Russia’s foreign ministry has said that Moscow would only use its nuclear arsenal in “emergency circumstances” and that it has no interest in a direct confrontation with NATO and the United States.

Speaking at a media briefing, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Ivan Nechaev said nuclear weapons would be used solely as a “response” measure.

“Russian military doctrine allows a nuclear response only in response to the threat of mass destruction, or when the very existence of the state is threatened,” he said. “That is, the use of a nuclear arsenal is possible only as part of a response to an attack in self-defence and only in emergencies.”

18 Aug 2022 - 12:32
 (12:32 GMT)

Estonia repels cyberattacks claimed by Russian hackers

Estonia has repelled a wave of cyberattacks, which came shortly after its government opted to remove Soviet monuments in a region with an ethnic Russian majority.

“Yesterday, Estonia was subject to the most extensive cyber attacks it has faced since 2007,” Luukas Ilves, Estonia’s under-secretary for digital transformation at Estonia’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, wrote on Twitter.

Read more here.

18 Aug 2022 - 12:25
 (12:25 GMT)

Families of Ukrainian captured soldiers demonstrate in Lviv

Dozens of relatives of Ukrainians imprisoned in Russia held a protest in Lviv where President Zelenskyy was meeting United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The protesters held up banners calling for help and denounced the lack of action from international organisations.

“Why are they not acting? Why aren’t they doing anything? When this is their goal, their task, that’s why these organisations exist,” said Anastasia Zanos, fiancee of an imprisoned soldier.

Many of those imprisoned had surrendered to Russian forces in May, ending their defence of the pulverised Azovstal steel mill in Mariupol.

(Al Jazeera)
18 Aug 2022 - 11:38
 (11:38 GMT)

Finland says Russian fighter jets suspected of violating airspace

Two Russian fighter jets are believed to have violated Finnish airspace, Finland’s defence ministry said, as the Nordic country seeks NATO membership following Moscow’s war on Ukraine.

“Two Russian MIG-31 fighters are suspected of having violated Finnish airspace in the Gulf of Finland off Porvoo,” the ministry said in a statement.

The Finnish Air Force sent up “an operational flight mission” to identify the aircraft, it said, adding that the Finnish Border Guard had started “a preliminary investigation”.

The incident occurred at 9:40am (0640 GMT) and lasted about two minutes as the jets flew westward for about one kilometre, a defence ministry spokesman told AFP.

Finland, which shares a 1,300km (800-mile) eastern border with Russia, reversed decades of military non-alignment by seeking membership in the North Atlantic alliance in May, after being rattled by Moscow’s war on Ukraine.

18 Aug 2022 - 11:24
 (11:24 GMT)

UN chief Guterres arrives in Lviv

Al Jazeera’s Teresa Bo said UN chief Antonio Guterres has arrived in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv ahead of his meeting with the Ukrainian and Turkish presidents.

“He’s been touring the city, going to universities where he spoke about the role that Ukrainian lawmakers played in drafting international humanitarian law in the United Nations charter, among other things,” Bo said, speaking from Lviv.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres visits Ivan Franko National University, Ukraine’s oldest university, in Lviv, Ukraine on August 18, 2022 [Evgeniy Maloletka/AP Photo]
18 Aug 2022 - 11:21
 (11:21 GMT)

Russia says it may shut down Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant if shelling continues

Russia’s defence ministry has said the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine may be shut down if Ukrainian forces continue shelling the facility, something Kyiv has denied doing.

Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told reporters that Moscow was taking measures to ensure safety at the complex and denied it had deployed heavy weapons in and around the plant.

In a briefing, Igor Kirillov, head of Russia’s radioactive, chemical and biological defence forces, said the plant’s backup support systems had been damaged as a result of shelling. Kirillov said that in the event of an accident at the plant, radioactive material would cover Germany, Poland and Slovakia.

The Zaporizhzhia plant was seized by Russian forces in March. It remains close to front lines, and has repeatedly come under shelling in recent weeks. Russia and Ukraine have blamed each other for attacks on the plant.

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18 Aug 2022 - 11:10
 (11:10 GMT)

Russia says 3 MiG warplanes with hypersonic missiles moved to Kaliningrad region

Russia’s defence ministry has said that three MiG-31E warplanes equipped with Kinzhal hypersonic missiles have been relocated to its Kaliningrad region, Interfax reported.

Russian state-owned news agency RIA cited the ministry as saying that the MiG jets would be on round-the-clock duty.

Kaliningrad, a Russian Baltic coast exclave located between NATO and European Union members Poland and Lithuania, became a flashpoint after Lithuania moved to limit goods transit to the region through its territory, with Russia promising retaliation.