Ukraine news – live: Nuclear power ‘must not be instrument of war’, Macron warns
‘Radiation disaster’ narrowly avoided, says Zelensky, as one of six reactors ‘reconnected to grid’
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Nuclear power must not be used “as an instrument of war”, French president Emmanuel Macron has warned, after the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant – Europe’s largest – was disconnected from the Ukrainian grid due to shelling nearby.
The United States accused Moscow of turning the plant into an “active war zone” as part of “its strategy to create an energy crisis in Europe”, with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky warning that the world narrowly avoided a “radiation disaster” after electricity to the plant was cut.
Ukraine’s state nuclear firm Energoatom said one of the plant’s six reactors had been reconnected to the grid on Friday afternoon, as hopes were raised for International Atomic Energy Agency officials to be permitted to visit the plant, which was captured by Russia in the early days of Vladimir Putin’s war.
In a sign that he expects the war to grind on for months to come, Mr Putin this week signed a decree to expand the Russian army by 137,000 troops, following widespread claims that the Kremlin’s forces have suffered severe casualties over the past six months.
Ukraine: At least 22 killed as Russia attacks rail station on Independence Day
Russia ‘in very fragile position’ and bracing for ‘major’ Ukrainian counterattack, say UK
Zelensky says Ukraine was ‘reborn’ when Russia invaded in emotional Independence Day speech
Boris Johnson in Ukraine to tell Zelensky he ‘can and will win the war’
Moscow scrambles as Russian military falters
My colleague Maryam Zakir-Hussain has more on the news that the Russian army will grow by 137,000:
Putin orders another 137,000 Russia troops amid reports of heavy casualties
Western and Kyiv officials predict Russia’s losses in the thousands
Soviet-era statue taken down in Latvian capital
An obelisk topped with Soviet stars has been taken down in Riga, six months after Russia invaded Ukraine.
The concrete monument, which was built in 1985 when the Soviet Union ruled Latvia, commemorates the Red Army’s victory over the Nazis.
Latvia, a member of both the EU and Nato, has been fiercely critical of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
In response to Moscow’s aggression, it has backed a proposed EU-wide ban on Russian tourists.
Russian-held nuclear plant disconnects from Ukraine grid for first time
Ukraine’s Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was completely disconnected from the Ukrainian grid for the first time ever on Thursday after nearby fires interfered with power lines, state nuclear company Energoatom said.
It said that fires broke out in the ash pits of a coal power station near the Zaporizhzhia reactor complex – Europe’s largest nuclear facility – and interfered with power lines connecting the plant to the grid.
“As a result, the station’s two working power units were disconnected from the network,” Energoatom said in a statement.
“Thus, the actions of the invaders caused a complete disconnection of the (nuclear power plant) from the power grid - the first in the history of the plant,” it said.
The vast nuclear power plant supplied more than 20 per cent of Ukraine’s electricity needs and its loss would pile new strain on the government, which is already bracing for a difficult wartime winter of potentially crippling energy shortages.
Russia captured the Zaporizhzhia plant in March and has controlled it since, although it continues to be operated by Ukrainian technicians from Energoatom.
Energoatom said the nuclear plant was still being supplied with power from Ukraine’s energy system through a final power line between the plant and the coal power station.
But an energy official said that the two reactors that had been disconnected were being powered by diesel generators.
Each power unit, which includes a reactor, a cooling system and other equipment, has three Soviet-era diesel generators that “are not able to work for weeks”, the source said.
A spokesperson for Energoatom denied the diesel generators had been switched on.
Energoatom said the plant’s security systems were working normally and work was under way to reconnect one of the reactor blocks to the grid. The power plant has six reactors in total.
Truss accused of abandoning foreign secretary duties during Tory race
Liz Truss has been accused of abandoning her duties as Britain’s foreign secretary since she joined the Conservatives’ leadership contest almost 50 days ago.
According to the Liberal Democrats, she has been absent from “nearly all” of her ministerial duties for the past 46 days. Since Johnson’s resignation, the Foreign Office has made public two bilateral phone calls held by Ms Truss, once with the Ukrainian foreign minister on 15 July and another with her French counterpart on border delays in Kent on 23 July.
Lib Dems’ foreign affairs spokesperson Layla Moran said the Tory frontrunner has neglected her duties at a time of crisis – highlighting the Russia-Ukraine war and rising tensions between the West and China over Taiwan.
Adam Forrest has the full story:
Liz Truss accused of abandoning foreign secretary duties for almost 50 days
Truss has made ‘mockery’ of office, say Lib Dems – pointing to two bilateral calls in 46 days
Russian ex-mayor banned from internet, public events after being charged with discrediting military
Russian opposition politician Yevgeny Roizman has been banned by a court from attending public events or using the internet for five weeks after he was charged with discrediting the armed forces, Interfax news agency reported.
Mr Roizman, an outspoken supporter of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny and opponent of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine, was also barred until 29 September from communicating without permission with anyone except his lawyer and relatives.
The court declined prosecutors’ request to place him under house arrest and ordered him released from detention. Mr Roizman denies all the charges.
He told reporters that he was being investigated for using the words "war" and "invasion" to describe Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
The offence of discrediting the military, newly introduced after Russia invaded Ukraine, carries a prison sentence of up to five years.
Zelensky says he and Biden discussed next steps in war against Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he had “a great conversation” with US President Joe Biden on Thursday and thanked him for his support in the war against Russia.
“We discussed Ukraine’s further steps on our path to the victory over the aggressor and (the) importance of holding Russia accountable for war crimes,” he tweeted in English.
The Hague seeks exemption from EU sanctions against Russia
The Dutch city of The Hague is seeking a temporary exemption of EU sanctions against Russia, as it struggles to find a replacement for its contract with Russian gas supplier Gazprom in time.
EU sanctions against Russia order governments and other public bodies to end existing contracts with Russian companies by 10 October.
The city said it held an EU-wide tender in June and July, but failed to attract any bids from potential suppliers.
Individual talks with suppliers were certain to lead to an agreement, alderman Saskia Bruines wrote in a letter to the city council, but not before the October deadline.
"We will ask for an exemption for our current arrangement until 1 January 2023 to guarantee the safety of supply and to facilitate negotiations," she said.
Ms Bruines said she was confident the delay would be granted, as The Hague had fulfilled the condition of holding a timely tender without a positive result.
However, she added that any new contract set to enter into effect on 1 January would be significantly costlier than the city’s current arrangement with Gazprom.
UN official urges respect for international law after Chaplyne attack
The top UNofficial in Ukraine said she was shocked by military strikes that killed children and other civilians in Chaplyne in central Ukraine on Wednesday, and called on all parties to adhere to international law.
Russia’s defense ministry said its forces had hit a military train at Chaplyne railway station. Kyiv says 25 civilians died in the Russian strike.
“I am truly shocked by the strikes that yesterday killed and injured civilians close to the rail station in Chaplyne, in central Ukraine,” Denise Brown, UN humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, said in a statement.
“Children were killed in this attack and they died in places where they expected to be safe, in their homes or traveling with their families.”
Ms Brown said the human toll of the attack was “just one more example of the level of suffering that this war is causing the people of Ukraine.”
She added: “All actors, without exception, must respect their obligations under international humanitarian law and take constant care to spare civilians and civilian infrastructure so that they are protected, their houses preserved, and essential services remain.”
Around 500 bodies of Mariupol defenders have been returned
The bodies have been retrieved from occupied Mariupol and its suburbs as part of a continuous process of exchange since June, according to Olena Tolkachova, head of the Azov regiment’s patronage service, The Kyiv Independent reported.
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