In the dispute over the Russian-occupied Zaporizhia nuclear plant, Ukraine can count on the broad support of Western countries. 42 countries and the EU issued a statement in Vienna demanding the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from the plant and the return of control to Ukraine. In the town of Enerhodar, which is next to the nuclear power plant, artillery bombs fell again. For weeks, Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of bombing Europe’s biggest nuclear plant, thus causing a nuclear catastrophe.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on the people of Russia to raise their voices in support of Ukraine. “Evil occurs on such a scale that silence equates to complicity,” he said in his video speech on Sunday. Russia attacked Ukraine on February 24 and is still at war. There is currently no prospect of a negotiated solution. Ukraine defends itself against the invasion on Monday the 173rd.
42 countries demand withdrawal of Russian troops from nuclear plants
“The stationing of Russian military personnel and weapons at the nuclear facility is unacceptable,” the Vienna statement on Zaporizhia said on Sunday. It was signed on behalf of the European Union and its member states, but also by states such as the USA, Great Britain, Norway, Australia, Japan and New Zealand. Russia is violating the security principles that all member countries of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have committed to.
Control of the nuclear power plant must be handed over to the authorized Ukrainian authorities. Then, in turn, IAEA experts could promptly fulfill their duty of supervision over the work of Ukrainians. An IAEA mission to the nuclear plant has yet to materialize. One point of contention is whether the experts will arrive via territory controlled by Ukraine or Russia.
The 42 countries supported the IAEA and its director Rafael Grossi. He fights for the security of Ukrainian nuclear facilities and respects “Ukraine’s full sovereignty over its territory and infrastructure”. This can be understood as an indication of an arrival via Ukrainian territory.
After an artillery bombardment of unknown origin in a residential area of Enerhodar on Sunday, the Russian and Ukrainian sides unanimously reported that a civilian had been killed. The man was a nuclear plant employee, said the plant operator Enerhoatom. Two other townspeople were injured.
Zelenskyy to the Russians: those who remain silent are accomplices
“If you have Russian citizenship and you are silent, it means you are not fighting, which means you support,” Zelenskyy said in Kyiv. In contrast to previous appeals to the population of the belligerent neighboring country, the president did not address them in Russian, but in Ukrainian.
According to polls, the majority of Russians support President Vladimir Putin’s course. However, the validity is uncertain. Open criticism of the war is severely punished by the Russian power apparatus. In many EU countries, especially in the east, demand is getting higher for Russians to no longer receive visas to travel to the EU.
Russian army advances in Donbass
According to the Ukrainian General Staff, the Russian army has gained ground near the small Donbass town of Bakhmut, which has been under attack for days. Kiev’s situation report spoke of a “partial success” for the Russians. Attacks were repulsed elsewhere, such as in Pisky outside Donetsk. With strong positions near Pisky, the Ukrainian army has prevented pro-Russian Donetsk separatists from repairing the city’s devastated airfield and putting it into military use since 2014.
Nearly all locations along the eastern front line were under Russian fire. According to Western military observers, the attack on Donbass is progressing more slowly than it was a few weeks ago.
More grain ships on the way
The first grain freighter ordered by the United Nations has left the Ukrainian port of Pivdennyj and is on its way to Africa with wheat. The UN World Food Program (WFP) has chartered the freighter Brave Commander, Odessa Oblast officials said. According to the UN, the 23,000 tonnes of wheat are destined for Ethiopia.
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In late July, the UN and Turkey brokered deals so that Ukraine could again export grain through its Black Sea ports despite the Russian war of aggression. Since early August, more than a dozen freighters have transported Ukrainian grain. However, the first transports were commercial.
The UN fears food shortages and famine in poor parts of the world if Ukraine fails as the main grain supplier. Ships and their cargo are checked each time they pass through the Turkish Bosphorus Strait. On Sunday, two ships were given permission to travel to Ukraine and three more are due to be checked out on Monday.
This will be important on monday
Russian President Putin visits the International Army Games near Moscow. Competition between soldiers from Russia and friendly countries has grown significantly in recent years. According to the Kremlin, Putin will also visit the military-technical exhibition “Army-2022”.