It is becoming increasingly uncomfortable for the Russians in Crimea, and Moscow reports that drones have been shot down. At the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, Moscow is warning of a catastrophe that it has conjured up itself. The news at a glance.
Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, is becoming increasingly unsafe as a deployment area for Russian troops attacking in southern Ukraine. After the devastating explosions in the past few days on the peninsula, the Russians allegedly shot down drones at two strategically important locations.
Observers did not rule out that the Ukrainians wanted to use it to test Russian air defenses before launching new attacks. An ammunition depot burned down in the Belgorod region of Russia, north of Ukraine. Ukraine also did not provide any information about the attacks, leaving the Russian side in the dark.
Local governor Mikhail Rasvozhayev announced on Thursday that the Russian air defense had become active at Crimea’s largest military airfield, Belbek near Sevastopol. Anti-aircraft fire and explosions could also be heard over the city of Kerch. A drone was also shot down there. Near Kerch, a road and rail bridge that only opened in 2019 connects Crimea with mainland Russia.
Russia has announced that it will suspend gas supplies via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline in the Baltic Sea for three days at the end of August. The state-owned company Gazprom announced that no gas would flow to Germany from August 31 to September 2 due to maintenance work. In the three days, the only functioning turbine at the Portovaya compressor station had to be checked and overhauled. This should be done in cooperation with specialists from Siemens Energy. Because repairs are said to be necessary, Gazprom has long since throttled the gas flow to 33 million cubic meters.
Explosive situation at Ukrainian nuclear power plant
Despite mediation efforts by UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, among others, the situation in and around the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, which was occupied by Russian troops, continued to deteriorate. Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of planning an attack there today. Guterres again advocated demilitarization of the power plant and its surroundings. Ukraine again demanded the withdrawal of the Russians. Moscow rejects both.
Russia again warned of a disaster around the nuclear power plant. The Ukrainian military is firing at the nuclear power plant with weapons supplied by the United States, said Secretary of the Russian National Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, according to the Interfax agency in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent. “If there is a disaster, the consequences will be felt in all corners of the world,” he said. Patrushev did not say that without the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine there would be no danger at all for Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.
Putin and Macron support inspection of nuclear power plants
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French colleague Emmanuel Macron have spoken out in favor of an inspection of the nuclear power plant by international experts. In a telephone call, the two heads of state confirmed that representatives of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) should assess the situation on site, the Kremlin said. Recently there had been disagreements about the travel arrangements. After the phone call, the French side said that the journey should take place via Ukraine under the control of the government there. A ceasefire is necessary for the safety of the experts, even if it is not easy to negotiate.
The Green politician Jürgen Trittin urgently demanded access for the IAEA. “The mixture of truths, half-truths and war propaganda can only be clarified if there is an independent on-site control,” said the foreign policy spokesman for the Greens parliamentary group of the German Press Agency. “Only then is there a realistic assessment of the danger on site.” However, Ukraine and Russia cannot agree on how international experts could get to the work.
US sends drones and other military aid to Ukraine
The US government has announced that it will provide additional military aid of around 775 million US dollars (around 772 million euros) to Ukraine, which has been attacked by Russia. The planned aid package will include 15 ScanEagle surveillance drones, 40 mine-protected vehicles and 16 self-propelled howitzers, according to the US Department of Defense. This increases US military aid to Ukraine since the beginning of US President Joe Biden’s term in office to a total of 10.6 billion US dollars (around 10.56 billion euros). According to the Pentagon, this is the 19th time that the US Department of Defense has delivered equipment from its own stocks to Ukraine since August 2021.
UN Secretary General in Odessa
Guterres came to the port city of Odessa as part of a trip to Ukraine to get an idea of the recently resumed grain exports there. “It is very unfortunate that the significant capacities of this large port are not being fully utilised,” said the 73-year-old after a report by Ukrainian public television. At the same time, he emphasized that not only Ukrainian, but also Russian food exports should be possible. “Getting more food and fertilizer from Ukraine and Russia is important for commodity markets and prices,” the UN chief said.
Kubicki meets resistance with advance to Nord Stream 2
In Germany, meanwhile, a debate about the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea pipeline, which had already been considered over, flared up again. FDP Vice Wolfgang Kubicki called for the pipe to be opened to improve the gas supply in Germany, but was met with sharp opposition. The initiative was rejected by leading liberals and the coalition partners SPD and Greens. FDP boss and finance minister Christian Lindner also kept his distance. He thinks the proposal is “wrong and absurd,” said a spokeswoman for his ministry in Berlin. After the Russian attack on Ukraine, the federal government had ruled out the commissioning of the completed Nord Stream 2 line.
Heavy attacks on Kharkiv in Ukraine: the death toll rises to 21
About a day after heavy Russian rocket attacks on the eastern Ukrainian metropolis of Kharkiv, the number of dead has risen to 21, according to information from Kyiv. The city was shaken by massive attacks on Thursday night. Two dormitories and the railway culture center were destroyed. Several dozen people were also injured. Russia only confirmed attacks on towns outside of Kharkiv, which would only have been military targets.
Estonia is sending more weapons to Ukraine
Estonia wants to supply Ukraine with more weapons, including mortars and anti-tank weapons. That was decided by the government in Tallinn. The Baltic EU and NATO country also wants to support Great Britain’s initiative to train Ukrainian soldiers. Estonia also wants to send another field hospital to Ukraine with Germany. The small country says it has given Ukraine military aid worth 250 million euros since the Russian attack. Large European countries such as Germany, France or Italy no longer announced any significant military or financial aid in July.
Source: Stern
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