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Russian soldiers talk to each other near an apartment building damaged during fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces in Severodonetsk, on the territory which is under the Government of the Luhansk People's Republic control, eastern Ukraine [File: AP Photo]
Published On 25 Aug 2022
  • The EU condemned Russia’s deadly bombardment of a railway station in Ukraine’s eastern city of Chaplyne and warned that those “responsible for Russian rocket terror will be held accountable”.

  • The death toll from Russian missile attacks on Chaplyne has risen to 25 from an initially reported 22 after three more bodies were retrieved from the rubble in the town as rescue operations there ended, Ukrainian presidential aide Kyrylo Tymoshenko said on Thursday.

25 Aug 2022 - 20:32
 (20:32 GMT)

Zelenskyy says radiation accident narrowly avoided at Ukraine nuclear power station

The world narrowly avoided a radiation accident at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear station in Ukraine after power was cut to the two remaining working reactors, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.

Ukraine’s state nuclear company Energoatom said fires in the ash pits of a coal power station near the complex had disconnected the reactors from the power grid. The company blamed Russian “invaders” for the disconnection.

Zelenskyy said back-up diesel generators had immediately kicked in to ensure continuous power supply. Electricity is used for cooling and safety systems at the nuclear plant.
“If the diesel generators had not turned on … if our station staff had not reacted after the blackout, then we would have already been forced to overcome the consequences of a radiation accident,” he said in an evening address.

“Russia has put Ukraine and all Europeans in a situation one step away from a radiation disaster.”

25 Aug 2022 - 19:27
 (19:27 GMT)

Zelenskyy: World must act faster to get Russia out of nuclear plant

The International Atomic Energy Agency and other world bodies need to act much faster to force Russian troops to leave the territory of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.

“Every minute that Russian troops remain at the nuclear power station there is a risk of global radiation catastrophe,” he said in a video address.

25 Aug 2022 - 19:26
 (19:26 GMT)

Kyiv renames nearly 100 streets to shed Russian past

Ukraine’s capital renamed 95 streets as part of a drive to purge Russian and Soviet place names, Kyiv’s mayor announced a day after Ukraine marked 31 years of independence.

Since Russia invaded in February, Ukraine has accelerated what it calls “derussification”, a campaign to shed the legacy of hundreds of years of rule by Moscow.

“[The new names] should perpetuate the memory of significant historical events of Ukraine, as well as famous figures and heroes who glorified Ukraine and fought for the independence of our state,” Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko wrote on Telegram.

He said the process was far from over and promised to press ahead with the campaign.

25 Aug 2022 - 18:12
 (18:12 GMT)

Nuclear watchdog could visit Russian-held plant in coming days, Kyiv says

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) could travel to Ukraine’s Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant for a mission in southern Ukraine in the coming days, Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko has said.

“A visit is planned. We are talking about the coming days – definitely no later than the beginning of September,” Galushchenko told Reuters news agency in an interview in Kyiv.

Ukraine’s state nuclear company said earlier that the nuclear power plant had been disconnected from the Ukrainian grid.

Galushchenko said it was vital the IAEA mission was able to see what was happening at the plant.

25 Aug 2022 - 18:09
 (18:09 GMT)

Russia should agree to demilitarised zone around Ukraine nuclear plant: White House

Russia should agree to a demilitarised zone around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine and allow international officials to assess its safety, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has said.

“Russia should agree to the demilitarised zone around the plant and agree to allow an International Atomic Energy Agency visit as soon as possible to check on the safety and security of the system,” Jean-Pierre said.

She said the plant had come up in a call between US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, scheduled to mark Ukraine’s independence day on August 24.

“I know it is a bittersweet anniversary, but I made it clear that the United States would continue to support Ukraine and its people as they fight to defend their sovereignty,” Biden said on Twitter.

25 Aug 2022 - 16:31
 (16:31 GMT)

Regular power line to Zaporizhzhia plant restored, Ukraine tells IAEA

The last regular power line supplying electricity to the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) in Ukraine is working again after having been cut earlier, the UN nuclear watchdog has said, citing Ukraine.

“Ukraine told the IAEA that the ZNPP, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, at least twice lost connection to the power line during the day but that it was currently up again,” the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a statement, adding that information on the direct cause of the outage was not immediately available.

25 Aug 2022 - 15:49
 (15:49 GMT)

Russian opposition politician placed under de-facto house arrest

A Russian court has placed opposition politician Yevgeny Roizman under conditions similar to house arrest as he awaits trial on charges of “discrediting” the Russian army.

One of the last opposition figures still in the country who is not behind bars, the former mayor of the Urals city of Yekaterinburg was detained for his comments about Moscow’s military intervention in Ukraine.

A court in Yekaterinburg ruled to place Roizman under “restricted movement” – conditions similar to house arrest – until September 29, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.

Roizman, 59, is allowed to leave his place of residence for only one minute a day, cannot attend public events, use the internet, or send and receive letters. He is only allowed to communicate with close family members, his lawyer and investigators.

25 Aug 2022 - 15:28
 (15:28 GMT)

Spanish parliament upholds energy-saving decree

Spain’s parliament approved the minority government’s energy-saving decree, ratifying a set of unpopular measures in force since August 10 that the administration says has already cut electricity consumption.

Introduced as part of the European Union’s push to wean itself off Russian gas, the emergency energy savings range from mandatory temperature limits for air-conditioning or heating to turning off lights in public buildings and shop windows.

Whether the measures, approved by 187-161 votes, will help Spain meet its European commitment to cut gas usage by 7 percent remains to be seen, however, as utilities have been using more gas lately after a severe drought limited hydro-electric output. Further measures are expected next month.

The main opposition parties have criticised the measures as improvised, inefficient and harmful to the economy.

25 Aug 2022 - 14:36
 (14:36 GMT)

After deadly attack, UN official calls on all actors to respect international law

The top United Nations official in Ukraine said she was shocked by military attacks that killed children and other civilians in Chaplyne in central Ukraine, and called on all parties to adhere to international law.

“I am truly shocked by the strikes that yesterday killed and injured civilians close to the rail station in Chaplyne, in central Ukraine. Children were killed in this attack and they died in places where they expected to be safe, in their homes or travelling with their families,” UN humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine Denise Brown said in a statement.

25 Aug 2022 - 14:34
 (14:34 GMT)

Latvia removes controversial Soviet monument

Latvia has dismantled a Soviet-era monument in its capital city Riga following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, despite protests from the Baltic state’s ethnic Russian minority to keep it.

Demolition machinery was used to remove the 79-metre (259-foot) World War II memorial, which has become a rallying point for the Kremlin’s supporters in Latvia, AFP news agency reported.

Built in 1985, the Monument to the Liberators of Soviet Latvia and Riga from the German Fascist Invaders had featured statues of soldiers and a woman surrounding a central obelisk.

Local officials were forced to take down the monument after Latvia’s parliament voted to remove all remaining Soviet statues, plaques and bas-reliefs by mid-November.

25 Aug 2022 - 13:47
 (13:47 GMT)

IAEA says it’s ‘very, very close’ to going to Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

The UN nuclear watchdog is “very, very close” to being able to go to the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, its chief Rafael Grossi told France 24 TV.

Asked if talks about gaining access to the facility had succeeded, in which case he has said his agency would go within days, Grossi said, “We are very, very close to that.”

Ukrainian staff are still operating the plant but the site has been controlled by Russian forces since early in the six-month war.

Each side has accused the other of shelling the site, creating international concern about the potential for a nuclear accident.

25 Aug 2022 - 13:38
 (13:38 GMT)

Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant disconnected from power grid: Operator

Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant under occupation by Russian troops was disconnected from the national power supply, the state energy operator has said.

“The actions of the invaders caused a complete disconnection of the [Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant] from the power grid – the first in the history of the plant,” Energoatom said on Telegram.

25 Aug 2022 - 12:02
 (12:02 GMT)

Putin signs decree to increase Russian armed forces’ strength

President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree to increase the strength of the Russian armed forces from 1.9 million to 2.04 million, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.

The figure, which includes an increase of 137,000 military personnel taking it to 1.15 million, comes into effect on January 1.

A picture taken during a media tour organised by the Russian army shows servicemen standing guard near the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant on the Dnieper River near Kherson, Ukraine, May 20, 2022 [File: Sergei Ilnitsky/EPA]
25 Aug 2022 - 11:47
 (11:47 GMT)

UK to support rebuilding of Ukrainian transport network

The United Kingdom will share technical expertise with Ukraine as part of a new package of support to help the country rebuild its infrastructure and transport network following Russia’s war which began earlier this year, the government has said.

British experts will offer technical knowledge in airport, runway and port reconstruction, and will help identify training opportunities for aviation staff, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said in a statement.

25 Aug 2022 - 11:29
 (11:29 GMT)

Safety systems activated at Zaporizhzhia plant after power outage: RIA

Safety systems at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine were activated, the RIA news agency reported, after power cuts were reported across swaths of Russian-controlled territory.

Outages were reported in parts of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, while Russia’s defence ministry said Ukraine shelled the plant, Europe’s largest nuclear power facility.

25 Aug 2022 - 11:07
 (11:07 GMT)

Russian ex-mayor accused of discrediting army

A former mayor of Russia’s fourth-largest city has been escorted by police to a Yekaterinburg court before the start of a hearing amid accusations of discrediting the country’s military.

On Wednesday, police arrested Yevgeny Roizman, 59, who served as the mayor of Yekaterinburg from 2013 to 2018, following searches at his apartment and office.

Roizman told reporters the case against him had been launched under a new law adopted after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

He faces up to three years in prison if convicted.

Then-Yekaterinburg Mayor Yevgeny Roizman in his office in 2018 [File: Nataliya Vasilyeva/AP Photo]
25 Aug 2022 - 10:33
 (10:33 GMT)

Russia says it killed Ukrainian troops in rail attack in Chaplyne

Russia’s defence ministry says it had killed Ukrainian troops in a railway station attack in central Ukraine that Kyiv said left 25 people, including children, dead.

“As a result of a direct hit by an Iskander missile on a military train at the Chaplyne railway station … more than 200 servicemen of the reserve of Ukraine’s Armed Forces and 10 units of military equipment en route to the combat zone in Donbas were destroyed,” the ministry said in its daily briefing.

Moscow also said it had destroyed eight Ukrainian fighter planes in raids against airbases in Ukraine’s Poltava and Dnipropetrovsk regions. That would be one of the heaviest losses for Ukraine’s air force in recent weeks.

25 Aug 2022 - 10:24
 (10:24 GMT)

EU warns Russia to be held to account for ‘rocket terror’

The European Union has condemned Russia’s deadly bombardment of a railway station in Ukraine and warned those “responsible for Russian rocket terror will be held accountable”.

“The EU strongly condemns another heinous attack by Russia on civilians,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell tweeted, as the death toll from the attack on Chaplyne rose to 25.

25 Aug 2022 - 10:04
 (10:04 GMT)

US says trial of Ukrainian POWs would be ‘mockery of justice’

The US State Department has condemned plans by Russian-backed authorities to put on trial Ukrainian prisoners of war in the southern port city of Mariupol, saying Russia would try to deflect responsibility for the war on its neighbour.

“The planned show trials are illegitimate and a mockery of justice, and we strongly condemn them,” department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

25 Aug 2022 - 09:45
 (09:45 GMT)

Russian and French defence ministers discuss Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has discussed the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant with his French counterpart by telephone, the ministry said.

Zaporizhzhia, Europe’s largest nuclear plant, was captured by Russian troops in March. It remains close to the front line, and has come under repeated fire in recent weeks, raising fears of a nuclear disaster. Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of shelling the plant.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron is due to meet the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, on Thursday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has given the green light to an IAEA inspection of the site of the Zaporizhzhia power plant.

A Russian serviceman patrols the territory of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station in Energodar [File: Andrey Borodulin/AFP]