Rescuers dig through rubble after deadly strike hits Ukraine school
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed Russian forces have mined the roof of several reactors at the Zaporizhia nuclear plant to make it appear Kyiv has attacked its own site.
Experts from the UN nuclear watchdog based at the plant, Europe’s largest, say they have seen no indications of explosives but that they need more access to be sure.
Troops had placed “objects resembling explosives on the roof of several power units”, Mr Zelensky said.
But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “There is a great threat of sabotage by the Kyiv regime, which can be catastrophic in its consequences.”
International Atomic Energy Agency director general Rafael Mariano Grossi said he was aware of both Kyiv’s and Moscow’s claims and reiterated that “nuclear power plants should never, under any circumstances, be attacked”.
Earlier, the Ministry of Defence said Vladimir Putin’s ‘General Armageddon’ has now been missing for 10 days.
General Sergei Surovikin, deputy commander of Russia’s forces in Ukraine, has not been seen in public since , since the Wagner Group mutiny, the ministry confirmed.
“Reports of Surovikin’s arrest cannot be confirmed, but authorities will likely be suspicious of his long association with Wagner,” it said.
Key Points
Show latest update
Man who detonated explosives in Kyiv court house dead -Ukrainian minister
A man who detonated explosives in a court house in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Wednesday has died, Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said.
Klymenko, in a statement at the site of the explosion at the Shevchenkivskyi court house said the man may have stepped inadvertently on explosives.
Martha Mchardy5 July 2023 19:02
Zelensky says Russia has planted explosives on Ukraine nuclear plant
Mr Zelensky said on Tuesday that Russian forces are planning to commit a “new evil” after their alleged attack on Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant last month, citing intelligence.
“Now we have information from our intelligence that the Russian military has placed objects resembling explosives on the roof of several power units of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant,” he said in his nightly video address.
Martha Mchardy5 July 2023 18:30
Ukraine and Russia trade accusations of imminent attack on Europe’s largest nuclear plant
Ukraine and Russia accused each other Wednesday of planning to attack one of the world’s largest nuclear power plants, which is located in southeastern Ukraine and occupied by Russian troops, but neither side provided evidence to support their claims.
Citing intelligence reports, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian troops had placed “objects resembling explosives on the roof of several power units” of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. The objects could be used to “simulate” an attack, he said, meaning a false flag attack.
A statement from the General Staff of Ukraine’s armed forces said the “foreign objects” were placed on the outer roof of the plant’s third and fourth power units.
Martha Mchardy5 July 2023 18:00
James Cleverly and Ben Wallace give update on support to Ukraine in Poland
Wednesday’s meeting comes after the head of Britain’s armed forces said that Vladimir Putin’s army has lost as many as 2,500 tanks in Ukraine.
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin told a committee in parliament that Ukraine’s main counter-offensive is yet to come.
“The question is, how do you take a front line that is more than a thousand kilometres long and turn it into more of a problem for Russia than for Ukraine?,” Admiral Sir Tony said.
Martha Mchardy5 July 2023 17:30
Ukrainian police investigate reported explosion in a Kyiv court
Ukrainian police said on Wednesday they were investigating a reported explosion in a district court in the capital Kyiv.
The Kyiv city military administration said the explosion took place at 5.20 p.m. (1420 GMT) in the Shevchenskivskyi court in the centre of the capital.
Police said on the Telegram messaging app that officers and other experts were at the site. It quoted preliminary information that a device had been detonated by a man who had been taken to a court hearing.
“An extraordinary event took place in the Shevchenkivskyi Court of the city of Kyiv. The police received a report about the explosion,” Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said.
“The details are being clarified. Stay calm and stay away from the scene.”
The minister made no mention of any link with Russia.
Martha Mchardy5 July 2023 16:57
Mock jail cell of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny unveiled before NATO summit
A mock prison cell imitating one in which prominent Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has spent months of solitary confinement was put on display in Vilnius on Wednesday, ahead of a NATO summit in the Lithuanian capital next week.
Oleg Navalny unveiled the display to highlight the case of his 47-year-old brother who has faced a string of court cases over the years that he says are politically motivated.
“His health is of serious concern to us,” Oleg Navalny, 40, said. “We are barred from passing him medicine, so the problems cannot be alleviated. And all this worsens the consequences of the poisoning … But he is still in a fighting mood.”
Alexei Navalny survived what he described as an attempt to poison him during a flight in Siberia in 2020, with what Western laboratory tests determined was a nerve agent. He was treated in Germany but voluntarily returned to Russia in 2021, where he was jailed.
The Kremlin denies accusations by the West and rights groups that Alexei Navalny is a political prisoner. It routinely refuses to comment on his case and refers questions about him to the courts and prison service.
The mock cell, measuring two metres by three metres, has a small window, a wooden chair, a decrepit mattress, sink and floor toilet, as well as a fold-down table and bed.
Describing his brother’s experience in solitary confinement, Oleg Navalny, who is himself on a Russian wanted list, said: “Time almost stops … All one does is wait for food to arrive.”
Alexei Navalny is serving 11-1/2 years for fraud and contempt of court on charges that he says were trumped up to silence him. He is now on trial on charges, which could jail him for decades, including creating an extremist organisation and making public appeals to commit extremist activity.
Martha Mchardy5 July 2023 16:56
UK and Poland sign agreement deepening foreign policy and defence co-operation
The UK has signed a new partnership with Poland aimed at deepening foreign policy and defence co-operation.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace alongside Polish national defence minister Mariusz Blaszczak agreed joint priorities on issues including Belarus and China.
The Ministry of Defence said the new 2030 Strategic Partnership signed at Lancaster House on Wednesday builds on the 2017 UK-Poland treaty, which provided a framework for enhanced co-operation between the two Nato allies.
At a meeting before the signing, the ministers discussed support for Ukraine and defence and security in the Euro-Atlantic area.
Martha Mchardy5 July 2023 16:05
No sign of explosives at Zaporizhzhia yet, but more access needed -IAEA
Experts from the U.N. nuclear watchdog based at the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine have yet to observe any indications of mines or explosives at the plant, but more access is needed to be sure, the agency said on Wednesday.
“The IAEA experts have requested additional access that is necessary to confirm the absence of mines or explosives,” the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement. “In particular, access to the rooftops of reactor units 3 and 4 is essential, as well as access to parts of the turbine halls and some parts of the cooling system at the plant.”
Martha Mchardy5 July 2023 15:25
Watch live: James Cleverly and Ben Wallace give update on support to Ukraine in Poland
Tara Cobham5 July 2023 14:55
Ukraine and Russia trade accusations of imminent attack on nuclear plant
Ukrainian and Russian officials have accused each other of planning to attack one of the world’s largest nuclear power plants.
Neither side provided evidence in support of the claim over Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in south-eastern Ukraine, which is occupied by Russian troops.
Citing intelligence reports, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian soldiers had placed “objects resembling explosives on the roof of several power units” of the plant.
The objects could be used to “simulate” an attack, he said, meaning a false flag attack.
A statement from the General Staff of Ukraine’s armed forces said the “foreign objects” were placed on the outer roof of the plant’s third and fourth power units.
“Their detonation should not damage power units but may create a picture of shelling from Ukraine,” the statement said.
In Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov raised the spectre of a potentially “catastrophic” provocation by the Ukrainian army at the nuclear plant, which is Europe’s largest but has its six reactors shut down.
“The situation is quite tense. There is a great threat of sabotage by the Kyiv regime, which can be catastrophic in its consequences,” Mr Peskov said in response to a reporter’s question.
He also claimed that Kremlin is taking “all measures” to counter the alleged Ukrainian threat.
His comments came after Renat Karchaa, an adviser to Russian state nuclear company Rosenergoatom, said there was “no basis” for Mr Zelensky’s claims of a plot to simulate an explosion.
The Ukrainian leader made the allegation in his nightly video address on Tuesday.
“Why would we need explosives there? This is nonsense, (aimed at) maintaining tension around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant,” Mr Karchaa said.
Russian media on Tuesday cited Mr Karchaa as saying that Ukraine’s military planned to strike the plant with ammunition laced with nuclear waste early on Wednesday. As of Wednesday afternoon, there was no indication of such an attack.
Ukraine has warned for months of Russian plans to cause a deliberate release of radiation from the plant, citing internal intelligence reports.
Officials have alleged that Moscow might try to sabotage the plant in an attempt to derail Kyiv’s ongoing counteroffensive in the surrounding Zaporizhzhia region.
Russia occupied the plant in the early stages of the war. Over the past year, Russia and Ukraine repeatedly accused each other of shelling the facility.
Tara Cobham5 July 2023 14:45