In front of a recently inaugurated memorial in Boucha, Ukraine, containing 501 plaques with the names of civilians killed by Russian forces during the occupation of this Kiev suburb, July 3, 2023 (AFP / Sergei SUPINSKY)
Russia announced on Tuesday that it shot down five drones over the region of its capital, an attack blamed on Ukraine, while Kyiv and Moscow accuse each other of ‘provocation’ and ‘attack’ respectively on the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant to plan .
On the ground, Ukraine reported several Russian attacks, including a particularly bloody one in the Kharkiv region (northeast) that injured at least 40 people, including 12 children.
The attack in Russia targeted locations in the Moscow region and on the outskirts of the capital, areas that have only been attacked a few times since the offensive began in Ukraine, although such attacks have been multiplied elsewhere in Russia.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, four drones were destroyed by anti-aircraft defenses near the capital, and the fifth was neutralized by “means of electronic warfare” before crashing in the Moscow region.
The attack did not cause any casualties or damage, the ministry said.
Map of the situation in Ukraine as of July 4 at 7am GMT (AFP / Cléa PÉCULIER)
“All attacks were repelled by anti-aircraft defenses, all detected drones were neutralized,” Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in the Telegram.
However, the attack disrupted operations at Vnukovo Airport, one of Moscow’s three major international airports, for three hours.
“These attacks would not have been possible for the Kiev regime without the help of the United States and its NATO allies,” the Russian Foreign Ministry accused.
Westerners “train drone operators and provide the information needed to commit such crimes,” he added.
After the attack, the spokeswoman for Russian diplomacy, Maria Zakharova, denounced a “terrorist act” on Telegram.
– Threats to Zaporizhia? –
In Ukraine, the Zaporijia (South) nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe and in Russian hands since March 2022, was the focus of mutual accusations between Kiev and Moscow late Tuesday afternoon.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had warned his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in a telephone conversation that the Russians were “preparing dangerous provocations” at the facility.
“We have agreed with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) to control the situation as much as possible,” he added.
For his part, the French President reiterated his “full support” for the IAEA director on the safety of the facility.
Earlier, the Ukrainian army had claimed that “explosive-like objects were placed on the outer roof of reactors 3 and 4”.
“Their designation should not damage the generators, but give the impression of shelling from the Ukrainian side,” the army continued, warning that Moscow “will spread false information about it.”
At the same time, Renat Karchaa, an adviser to Russian nuclear giant Rosatom, accused Kiev of preparing an “attack” on the nuclear power plant.
“Today we received information that I have the authority to disclose. On July 5, in complete darkness at night, the Ukrainian army will try to attack the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia,” Karchaa said on Russian television.
He assures that Kiev plans to use “long-range precision weapons” and drones.
– injured children –
Attacks continue on the ground.
Two people were killed in the Kherson region (south) by Russian artillery fire, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said in the telegram.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a virtual summit of the Shanghai Organization (CSO) at the Kremlin in Moscow, July 4, 2023 (SPUTNIK/Alexander Kazakov)
At least 40 people, including 12 children, were injured in a Russian attack with an Iskander missile in the Kharkiv region, according to a new report by Mr Zelenskyy. A three-month-old infant had to seek medical attention at the scene.
The death toll from the Russian drone strike that hit an apartment building in Sumy in the northeast on Monday rose to three dead and 21 wounded.
Residents in front of a building partially destroyed by a deadly drone strike in Sumy, Ukraine, on July 3, 2023 (AFP/SERGEY BOBOK)
Fighting is also continuing on the front lines, almost a month after the counter-offensive by Ukrainian forces, which has so far brought only modest territorial gains to Kiev.
A few days ahead of a NATO summit in Vilnius, which was set to host the first session of the NATO-Ukraine Council, Mr Zelenskyy on Tuesday congratulated the alliance’s leader Jens Stoltenberg, whose mandate was extended by a year, and hailed his “personal efforts.” “. in favor of Ukraine.
“I am confident that our cooperation will continue to bear fruit,” he said.