President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned over the weekend that Russia could do “something particularly bad” on the 31st anniversary of independence from the Soviet Union on August 24, which this time also marks the start of the Russian invasion six months ago.
Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city in the northeast of the country, has extended the nighttime curfew imposed due to ongoing Russian attacks to 4 pm to 7 am (local time), according to local authorities. The rule initially applies from Tuesday to Thursday. In Mykolaiv, in southern Ukraine, which is close to Russian-occupied territory, Governor Vitaly Kim has ordered people to work from home on Tuesday and Wednesday if possible. Large crowds of people should also be avoided.
Fighting also continued in the area of the largest European nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia. Ukraine again accused Russia of being responsible for the bombing. At least four people were injured overnight by Russian rocket salvoes in the city of Nikopol and nearby Krivji Rih and Synelnykovsky districts, region governor Valentin Resnichenko said on Telegram. Nikopol is across the Dnipro River from the Russian-controlled Enerhodar, where the nuclear power plant is located.
Russia and Ukraine have repeatedly accused each other of bombing the nuclear plant area. The nuclear plant has been occupied by Russian troops since March, but remains operated by Ukrainian technicians. Ukraine accuses Russia of using the site as a base to store weapons and prepare for attacks. The government in Moscow rejects this. This cannot be independently verified at this time. Ukraine also reported a Russian missile attack in southwest Voznesenk, not far from the country’s second-largest nuclear plant.
On Sunday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson exchanged views on the situation in Ukraine. The four heads of state and government agreed that support for Ukraine to defend itself against Russian aggression would continue for the long term, German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said. They also discussed the situation at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine and called for military containment in its vicinity and a quick site visit by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The Ukrainian military said there had also been other Russian attacks in the east of the country. The area around the industrial city of Bakhmut, in the northern Donetsk region, was attacked with artillery and rocket launchers, the General Staff said. Russian forces continued to try to take full control of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. They also focused on holding captured areas in Kherson, Kharkiv, Zaporizhia and Mykolaiv.
Since the war began on February 24, nearly a third of the 44 million Ukrainians have been displaced from their homes, according to the United Nations. This is the “largest movement of refugees since the end of the Second World War”, the UN refugee agency said. In view of the war’s uncertain progress and winter concerns, people now face an “enormous challenge”.