The renewed bombing is “grossly irresponsible,” International Atomic Energy Agency director-general Rafael Grossi said in a press release on Saturday. The last power line connecting the plant to Ukraine’s power grid was damaged and disconnected on Saturday due to attacks by Russian forces, according to Ukrainian nuclear power company Energoatom. The plant now relies on diesel generators. “Resuming the bombing, which strikes the factory’s only source of external power, is terribly irresponsible. The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant must be protected,” Grossi said on Saturday. “All safety systems at the plant continue to receive power and operate normally, IAEA experts were informed by senior Ukrainian personnel at the scene,” the statement added. “Although the six reactors are in cold shutdown, they still require electricity for vital nuclear safety and security functions. The plant’s diesel generators have sufficient fuel for at least ten days. ZNPP engineers have started work to repair the damaged 750 kV power line,” according to the announcement. Grossi stressed that the plant “must be protected” and added that he “will soon travel to the Russian Federation and then return to Ukraine, to agree on a nuclear safety and protection zone around the plant. This is an absolute and urgent imperative.” What Russian officials say: The plant can be put back into operation, said Vladimir Rogov, who is a senior pro-Russian official in the Zaporizhia regional government. “Now the nuclear plant is back in emergency mode. The last power line that connected it to the right bank, the lands controlled by [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky’s regime has been cut. At the moment, the nuclear power plant can only be powered by diesel generators, and this is an unusual means,” Rogov said speaking on the pro-Kremlin program “Soloviev Live” on Saturday. “We have every possibility to restore the nuclear plant and put it into operation,” he added.
title: “Live Updates Russia S War In Ukraine " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-18” author: “Alma Walker”
Kremlin-appointed leaders of the occupied Kherson region in southern Ukraine say they have begun evacuating civilians further from the front lines.
Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-backed governor of Kherson, said on Russian television late Tuesday that they plan to move up to 60,000 people to the left bank of the Dnipro River.
Ukraine has previously said that Russia is forcibly expelling Ukrainian civilians. Human rights groups and international bodies have warned that the practice could amount to a crime against humanity.
Saldo had announced the “organized relocation” of civilians on Telegram on Tuesday.
“Our main task is to save human lives and allow the troops of the Russian Federation to effectively perform their functions to protect the Kherson region,” he said.
“We will move the civilian population to the left bank in an organized, gradual manner.”
All ministries of public administration installed by Russia in the Kherson region will also be moved to the left bank of the Dnipro, Saldo said, adding that entry to the region will be closed to citizens for seven days.
Residents in Kherson received a text message asking them to leave the city due to the threat of shelling by the Ukrainian military on Wednesday morning, Russian state media RIA Novosti reported.
Russia’s “mass expulsion of civilians” could, along with other alleged abuses, amount to crimes against humanity, according to a July report by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
In September, Ukraine’s deputy ambassador to the United Nations, Khrystyna Hayovyshyn, told the UN Security Council that Russia had forcibly expelled 2.5 million people from Ukraine – including 38,000 children – saying it was a violation of human rights.
The Kremlin’s mass evacuation of civilians from Kherson comes amid Kiev’s efforts to recapture territory in the south.
A Russian official warned of a possible new Ukrainian counterattack in Kherson on Wednesday.
Saldo’s deputy, Kirill Stremousov, said the situation was “stable” but claimed the Ukrainian army could strike “at any moment” and asked people to cross to the left bank of the Dnipro River.
“On the morning of October 19, the situation on the fronts and approaches in the Kherson region is stable,” he said.
“The enemy is gathering its forces and at any moment it can launch strikes on the civilian population of Kherson and the Kherson region. No one is going to back down, but we want to save your lives. Please cross to the left bank (of the Dnipro River) as soon as possible.”
Ukrainian deputy head of the Kherson region, Yury Sobolevsky, described Russia’s “evictions” as a “semi-voluntary deportation of the Ukrainian population.”
Sobolevsky confirmed to CNN that evacuations were underway.
“People do leave. Now there are a lot of people in the port of Hersona,” he said.
“Today they started mass SMSing people about the evacuation. They also started handing out leaflets about evacuation actions. At the same time, the message is spreading to the population that if they go to Russia, they will receive certificates for housing.”
Sobolevskyi, who spoke to CNN from Kyiv, blamed the Russian-backed authorities for “escalating the hysteria.”
“On the one hand, we understand that the Armed Forces of Ukraine will liberate Kherson and the region, as a result, there may be active hostilities and this poses a danger to the local population.
“On the other hand, there are no guarantees that evacuees will be safe (where they go) and away from the front lines. People will make their own decisions – to leave or to stay. It is difficult to say what decision they will make.”
title: “Live Updates Russia S War In Ukraine " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-10” author: “Suzanne Vollmar”
Ukraine has a key highway in the Luhansk region under “fire control,” according to a local military commander, meaning it is shelling the road with artillery to the point where it cannot be crossed.
Serhiy Hayday, head of the military command of the Luhansk region, told CNN on Saturday that Russia cannot use the critical route connecting the critical towns of Svatove and Kreminna.
Hayday posted on social media late Friday that the road was “practically under Ukrainian control.”
The cities are prime targets for the Ukrainian Armed Forces trying to push east into Luhansk, which is largely under Russian control.
CNN cannot independently verify Ukraine’s claim about the highway running between the cities, but keeping the road would deny Russia access to Luhansk from the north.
In a separate post on Saturday morning, Headey said Ukraine had carried out airstrikes on Russian positions and air defense systems.
“Missile and artillery units hit enemy positions where batteries of self-propelled artillery systems and other important military targets were located,” Headey said.
Some background: Local officials said earlier this week that Ukraine’s advance in the eastern region has been slowed by weather, “thousands” of mobilized reserves and fierce Russian resistance.
Luhansk is one of four Ukrainian regions that Russian President Vladimir Putin annexed last month.
title: “Live Updates Russia S War In Ukraine " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-19” author: “Pedro Molina”
Russia launched a new round of missile strikes across Ukraine on Monday, leaving many residents in Kyiv without access to water and electricity.
As Ukrainians brace for a harsh winter ahead, CNN’s team on the ground spoke to residents of the capital about how they are coping after eight grueling months of war.
Halashan Viktor, 70, lives on the fifth floor of an apartment building where heavy shelling has cut off access to water.
“Not having water is good, we can handle that. (The) main idea (is) that our troops will bring us closer to victory soon,” he said.
Victor said he was “really worried” about the bombings during the first weeks of Russia’s invasion in February and March.
“I was a little worried in the early days of the war, but my military service made me stronger.
“I was really worried about my children and the bombings in the first month, but now I’m fine,” he added.
Halashan Viktor hopes that Ukraine’s military will “bring us closer to victory soon.”
Oleksandr Nechepuriak, a local office worker, said it was the first time the water had run out recently, adding that “it’s a bit worrying for us, because we have to operate (the office).
Another resident, Yana Lysenko, said Monday morning “started horribly” after her water was cut off following the Russian attacks.
“I have a 4-year-old child, so of course I feel anxious,” said the 31-year-old mother.
“We don’t have water right now, but we do have electricity. We hope that the services will restore everything very quickly.
Our spirit is very high and we expect victory.
“Such acts of terrorism targeting water and electricity supply, I believe, no longer scare people,” Lysenko added.
title: “Live Updates Russia S War In Ukraine " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-18” author: “John Oliver”
Russia launched a new round of missile strikes across Ukraine on Monday, leaving many residents in Kyiv without access to water and electricity.
As Ukrainians brace for a harsh winter ahead, CNN’s team on the ground spoke to residents of the capital about how they are coping after eight grueling months of war.
Halashan Viktor, 70, lives on the fifth floor of an apartment building where heavy shelling has cut off access to water.
“Not having water is good, we can handle that. (The) main idea (is) that our troops will bring us closer to victory soon,” he said.
Victor said he was “really worried” about the bombings during the first weeks of Russia’s invasion in February and March.
“I was a little worried in the early days of the war, but my military service made me stronger.
“I was really worried about my children and the bombings in the first month, but now I’m fine,” he added.
Halashan Viktor hopes that Ukraine’s military will “bring us closer to victory soon.”
Oleksandr Nechepuriak, a local office worker, said it was the first time the water had run out recently, adding that “it’s a bit worrying for us, because we have to operate (the office).
Another resident, Yana Lysenko, said Monday morning “started horribly” after her water was cut off following the Russian attacks.
“I have a 4-year-old child, so of course I feel anxious,” said the 31-year-old mother.
“We don’t have water right now, but we do have electricity. We hope that the services will restore everything very quickly.
Our spirit is very high and we expect victory.
“Such acts of terrorism targeting water and electricity supply, I believe, no longer scare people,” Lysenko added.
title: “Live Updates Russia S War In Ukraine " ShowToc: true date: “2022-10-27” author: “Robert Perryman”
Hannibak Hanschke/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
The battle for the southern city of Kherson is intensifying as Ukrainian forces try to break through Russian defenses and occupation forces step up pressure on residents to flee their homes.
Both sides reported heavy fighting in the Beryslav district of the Russian-held city, where Kiev forces are trying to break through.
Kirill Stremousov, the Russian-backed deputy head of the military command of the Kherson region, said on Telegram that the Ukrainians are “trying in every possible way, with a reconnaissance battle, to break through the Beryslav direction” but that “all attempts are being repelled” . He added that about 70 were killed and several pieces of equipment were destroyed.
Ukrainian officials in the southern region said Russian forces shelled several communities in the region. “The enemy continues to defend and tries to hold the occupied lines,” said the Operational Command of Ukraine South. It also claimed that a Russian attack helicopter was shot down in the Kherson region.
Much of the fighting takes place in open, flat countryside west of the Dnipro River.
Amid the fighting, civilians are still fleeing Kherson. According to the Ukrainian side, people are being driven from their homes and forced to cross to the eastern bank of the Dnipro River.
“The occupiers are evicting people en masse from their homes,” according to Vitaly Kim, head of the Mykolayiv regional administration.
“The bottom line is that they settle their people only in houses where there are good conditions – water, natural gas, electricity. What does he look like? First, that it will be there for a long time. Second, they provide better conditions for their mobilisers than they have at home,” Kim said on Telegram.
“The Russians, at the expense of the civilian population of the Kherson region, create living conditions for their mobilized people so that they like living there. They are going to create a quasi-militarized zone on the eastern bank of the Dnipro, a kind of isolation near Crimea.”
Some background: Russian forces have been evacuating civilians from Kherson while bolstering defenses in the region, a move that some humanitarian agencies have said amounts to human rights violations.
title: “Live Updates Russia S War In Ukraine " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-20” author: “Cheryl Schwarz”
Iranian Army/WANA/Reuters
Ukraine’s military intelligence service said on Tuesday that Iran plans to send more than 200 combat drones to Russia, including the Arash-2 touted by the Iranian military as one of the longest-range attack drones in the world.
The Defense Intelligence Service of Ukraine, part of the Ministry of Defense, said “a batch of more than 200 Shahed-136, Mohajer-6 and Arash-2 combat drones is planned to be sent from Iran to the Russian Federation in early November.”
The intelligence agency said in a Telegram post that the unmanned aerial vehicles “will be delivered via the Caspian Sea to the port of Astrakhan.”
The agency said the drones are being shipped in a disassembled state and once they enter Russian territory, “they will be collected, repainted and applied with Russian markings.”
The intelligence agency did not say how it obtained the information about the missions, and CNN could not independently verify the details.
But it echoes a CNN report on Tuesday, citing officials from a Western country that closely monitors Iran’s weapons program, that Tehran was preparing a large shipment of drones and ballistic missiles to Russia.
Any Russian deployment of the Arash-2 drone in the war in Ukraine could put further pressure on the country’s already challenged air defenses.
Since September 13, Ukraine’s air defense forces say they have shot down more than 300 attack drones — but dozens have managed to hit their targets and destroy vital energy infrastructure.
Some background: CNN’s Clarissa Ward said the development of the Arash-2 has the potential to be a “major game changer” in the war in Ukraine, as it “can carry five times the explosives of the Shahed.”
Unlike the noisy propeller of the Shahed-136, it has been claimed that the Arash-2 uses jet propulsion, not only making it much faster and harder to shoot down, but also giving it a longer range. However, photos of what is described as the Arash-2 by Iranian state media clearly show that it has a propeller on the back.
Speaking on Iranian television at a military event in Tehran in late September, Iran’s Brig.-Gen. General Kioomars Heidari suggested that the Arash-2 had a range of 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles), which would make it one of the longest-range attack drones in the world. However, Iranian military leaders have a history of exaggerating the capabilities of Iranian-made weapons systems.
title: “Live Updates Russia S War In Ukraine " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-05” author: “John Irizarry”
The Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, is preparing for worst-case scenarios in the event of further Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure that could potentially leave the city without electricity or water, according to its mayor Vitali Klitschko.
“Our enemies are doing everything to keep the city without heat, electricity and water, and generally want us all to die. This is their duty. And how well we hold up depends on how well we are prepared for different scenarios … so we have to be prepared,” Klitschko said on Sunday.
“It’s not war, it’s terrorism, it’s genocide,” the mayor said of Russian attacks on energy infrastructure.
The city’s mayor encouraged some residents to consider staying with family and friends outside of Kyiv if the city is left without power or water.
“If you have a large family — if we think about the worst case, if we were left without electricity and water — or friends outside Kiev, where there is an autonomous water supply, an oven, heating, keep in mind the possibility that I will stay there for a certain period of time,” he said The Mayor.
“His goal is to make us die, freeze, or make us leave our land so he can have it. That’s what the attacker wants to achieve,” Klitschko said of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Some background: Russian forces have hammered Ukraine’s critical infrastructure in recent weeks, severely damaging its power grid and forcing many cities across the country to impose scheduled blackouts.
Emergency preparedness: The director of the city’s Department of Municipal Security, Roman Tkachuk, relayed fears later Sunday afternoon that all possible emergency action plans were being considered, but there were no plans to evacuate the city, according to a statement from City Council of Kyiv.
Tkachuk said each district within the city will have about 100 heating centers that will operate in the event of a winter emergency. These warming centers will be equipped with heating, lighting, toilets, canteens, rest areas, warm clothes, blankets and an ambulance crew will be on duty near such centers, the statement said.
“The civil protection system must be ready for various scenarios, but this does not mean that we are now preparing for evacuation. To respond effectively, we must have a plan for all possible scenarios,” Tkachuk said.
