| Ukrainian soldiers speak in front of a bunker after fighting against Russian and pro-Russian rebels in the Lugansk region of Ukraine on the 6th (local time). © AFP=News1 © News1 Reporter Dongmyeong Woo |
As the 11th day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on the 7th marks the 11th day, Russian troops are carrying out high-intensity airstrikes and artillery fire on various cities including the capital Kiiu.
According to the British Defense Intelligence Agency, Russian ground forces advanced only minimally due to resistance from Ukrainian forces over the weekend, but continued bombardment aiming to capture the second city of Kharkiv, Mykolayu, and Chernivu.
In the vicinity of Kiiu, a tragedy occurred in which the entire family was killed by Russian shelling while evacuating.
Ukrainian authorities said Russia had attacked the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology, where the experimental nuclear power plant is located. According to the New York Times (NYT), if nuclear facilities and nuclear material storage facilities are destroyed, it could escalate into a large-scale environmental disaster.
Russia, on the other hand, said it was planning to falsely claim that the Russians attacked after Ukraine bombed the nuclear reactor at the institute in Kharkiv.
The Zaporiza nuclear power plant, formerly occupied by the Russian military, is operational, but staff are said to be performing important tasks under the command of the Russian military. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said, “It has been reported that the operation of the Zaporiza power plant, including the technical operation of the six reactors, currently requires prior approval from the Russian commander.
Anti-war protests against Russia were held in several places outside Ukraine on the 6th. Protests took place in Spain, France, Germany, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Montenegro and even Russia.
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| Ukraine’s Zaporiza Nuclear Power Plant Source: Ukrainian Government © News1 |
◇ Ukrainian-Russian Workshop Over the Attack on the Kharkiv Experimental Nuclear Power Plant
On the 6th, Ukrainian authorities said that Russia had attacked the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology, where the experimental nuclear power plant is located.
Russia’s state-run Sputnik news agency claimed that Russia was working to “accuse the Russians of attacking the nuclear reactor with missiles” after Ukraine blew up the nuclear reactor at the institute.
The institute has a nuclear facility for scientific research and production of isotopes for medical use, and if destroyed, it is likely to escalate into a large-scale environmental disaster.
However, experts said it was difficult to predict the possibility of a radioactive material leak from a nuclear facility due to the lack of detailed information about the current attack, but the risk was low.
◇ Russian occupation of Japoriza nuclear power plant cuts off communication with outside… “extremely concerned”
Meanwhile, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the same day, Russian troops occupying the Zaporiza nuclear power plant in Ukraine have placed employees under their command and restricted communications with the outside world.
Citing information from Ukraine’s Nuclear Regulatory Agency, the IAEA said it was “extremely concerned” about the situation at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, Zaporiza.
“It has been reported that the operation of the Zaporiza power plant, including the technical operation of the six reactors, currently requires prior approval from the Russian commander,” they said in a statement.
“We believe that the Russian military has turned off some mobile networks and the Internet to block reliable information about nuclear power plants,” he added.
Earlier, Ukrainian authorities said Russian forces had set fire to a nearby nuclear power plant and seized the Zaporiza region.
Fortunately, the fire near the nuclear power plant was extinguished quickly and there was no damage or release of radioactive material from the reactor, but it has raised concerns that it could have catastrophic consequences if Russian bombardment caused damage to Zaporiza, one of Ukraine’s four nuclear power plants. .
IAEA Secretary-General Rafael Grossi said, “To ensure safe and reliable operation of a power plant, management and staff must be able to perform important tasks in a stable condition without undue external interference or pressure.” said
Meanwhile, the IAEA said that despite the UN’s request that the technicians be rotated for safety reasons, neither the technicians nor the security guards have left their positions since the 23rd of last month.
Grossi added, “We are continuing dialogue to resolve the situation.”
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| A woman holds up a sign reading ‘Stop Assassination of Putin’ in Toulouse, southern France, on the 6th (local time) during a protest against the Ukraine war. © AFP=News1 © News1 Reporter Jeong Yun-mi |
◇ Anti-war protests continue due to non-stop Russian bombardment
Anti-war protests against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine took place across Europe over the weekend.
In Spain, protests took place across the country, centering on the capital Madrid and Barcelona.
About 800 citizens gathered in Barcelona’s central square on the weekend and held up signs such as “NATO, protect the Ukraine sky” and “Putin, stop the war.”
This appears to have expressed support for the Ukraine government’s previous request for a no-fly zone from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to prevent Russian airstrikes.
In Toulouse, the largest city in southern France, which has a sisterhood relationship with the Ukrainian capital Kiiu, chants such as “Close airspace” and “Let’s protect the Ukrainian sky” rang out for NATO that day.
The protesters carried a blood-stained portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin and a large yellow and blue banner representing the Ukrainian national anthem.
About 5,000 people also gathered in Caen, northwestern France. The area was an important turning point in the battle between the Allied Forces and Nazi Germany during World War II.
Participants boasted yellow and blue colors and shouted, “People of Ukraine, we will not forsake you. Democracy, freedom, peace.”
In Brussels, Belgium, about 5,000 citizens gathered on the same day and shouted slogans such as “Russians go home,” “No war,” and “Act bravely in Europe.”
In addition, anti-war protests continued in Britain, Germany, Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Montenegro.
Meanwhile, according to Russian media, 1,700 out of about 2,500 people who took part in anti-war protests in Russia that day were arrested in the second city of Saint Petersburg, 750 out of 1,500 people were arrested.
Russian human rights watchdog group OVD-Info said that 2,575 protesters were arrested in 49 cities and counties across the country on the same day, and police officials said they used electric shocks.
It is known that about 10,000 protesters have been arrested since the outbreak of the war on the 24th of last month.
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| Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky poses in the dark with his aides near the Oval Office in Kyiv, Ukraine, on the 25th (local time). © AFP=News1 © News1 Reporter Jeong Yun-mi |
◇ U.S. Secretary of State: “Ukraine will maintain government continuity even if President Zelensky dies”
Ukraine’s government plans to assume the death of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the ongoing Russian attack.
US Secretary of State Tony Blincoln said in an interview with CBS ‘Face the Nation’ on the 6th, “Ukraine has plans to continue government continuity in some way even if President Zelensky is assassinated.” We plan to keep the same plan.”
“We continue to see Putin delve deeper into his aggression in Ukraine,” he said.
“Even with the sanctions of the West, the war in Ukraine caused by Russia can continue for a while, so we need to prepare for it,” he said.
He did not, however, specifically comment on the plans of the Ukrainian government.
Meanwhile, Zelensky remains at the forefront of Ukraine’s defenses against Russia, despite multiple attacks, including at least one assassination attempt, near the presidential residence.
According to the Ukrainian government, Russian-backed Wagner Group and Chechen special forces attempted to assassinate President Zelensky, but the operation was unsuccessful due to information leaked from inside the Russian Federal Security Service.
mine124@news1.kr