The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) met a Russian delegation in Istanbul on Wednesday to discuss safety at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine. They also held consultations on "urgently establishing a nuclear safety and security protection zone", the IAEA said in a tweet on Wednesday.
The statement comes days after a top
Russian official warned of a possible nuclear accident at
Russia-held Zaporizhzhia. The repeated shelling of the plant, which flared again last weekend, raised concern about the potential for a serious accident.
Reuters reported that a meltdown of a reactor at the plant or a fire of spent nuclear fuel could send a plume of radionuclides into the air, potentially spreading over a large area of Europe.
Here's a look at the recent developments:
On Monday, Russia blamed Ukrainian forces for "unleashing a grave nuclear accident at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The Kremlin called on "all countries of the world" to pressure Kyiv into ceasing the attacks, for which Ukraine says Russia is responsible. IAEA, the UN nuclear watchdog, condemned heavy shelling that rocked the power plant on Saturday and Sunday. The organisation said such attacks risked a major disaster. Meanwhile, Alexei Likhachev, the director general of Russia's Rosatom state nuclear corporation, was quoted as saying: "We were in negotiations with the IAEA all night."
As Ukraine braces for a harsh winter, authorities there have promised shelters with heat and water to citizens. They also encouraged its people to save energy. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said special "invincibility centres" will be set up around Ukraine to provide electricity, heat, water, internet, mobile phone connections and a pharmacy, free of charge and around the clock. Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet the mothers of reservists called up to fight in Ukraine in the coming days, the Kremlin said on Tuesday. Hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers have been sent to fight in Ukraine - including some of the more than 300,000 reservists who were called up as part of a mobilisation announced by Putin in September. Russia celebrates Mother's Day on November 27.
Britain's Ministry of Defence claimed on Wednesday that Russia likely launched a number of Iranian-manufactured un-crewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) against Ukraine since September. It's also likely that Russia has nearly exhausted its current stock of Iran-made weapons and will seek resupply, the ministry said in its daily intelligence update posted on Twitter.
Ukraine received a new 2.5 billion euro ($2.57 billion) tranche of macro-financial assistance from the European Union (EU), Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said. "The total amount (of macro-financial assistance) provided to Ukraine from February 24 (by the EU) reaches €6.7 bln," Marchenko wrote on Twitter.
Meanwhile, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that the disbursement of $4.5 billion in economic aid for Ukraine will begin in the coming weeks.
Ukrainian authorities said they were investigating the conduct of Russian troops who appeared in a purported video. Moscow alleges that the video shows Ukrainian forces killing Russian troops who may have been trying to surrender after one of the men seemingly refused to lay down his weapon and opened fire. Russian authorities said they are already carrying out their own criminal investigation and also demanded an international probe.
Meanwhile, in Kherson, workers are tearing down posters expressing love for Russia and the benefits of receiving Russian passports and pensions. Now, placards featuring simple slogans like "Kherson - hero city" and "Compatriots, you are free" printed on a yellow background have been put up. This happened after pro-Russia forces abandoned the southern Ukrainian city.
On Tuesday, Russian air defences repelled two drone attacks in Crimea, annexed from Ukraine in 2014, including one attack targeting a power station, the regional governor said in a statement. Russian-installed Governor Mikhail Razvozhaev said the second attack was repelled over the sea off the peninsula. "The Ukrainian Nazis have again tried to attack our thermal power station at Balaklava," Razvozhaev said on Telegram, referring to a facility near Sevastopol, the home port of Russia's Black Sea naval fleet.(With inputs from agencies)
First Published: Nov 23, 2022 4:49 PM IST
