The Ukrainian military claimed to have struck a Russian base near the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in Energodar (Ukraine) on Friday September 2, while the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, expressed concern about a “increasing military activity” around the central. Franceinfo returns to the highlights of Friday September 2 on the front of the war in Ukraine.
Ukraine claims to hit Russian base near Zaporizhia
The Ukrainian army, in its daily briefing, announced on Friday that “in the localities of Kherson and Energodar, precise strikes of our troops destroyed three artillery systems of the enemy, as well as an ammunition depot” killing many Russian soldiers.
On Thursday morning, before the arrival of the IAEA mission in Zaporizhia, the Ukrainian authorities had accused the Russians of having themselves bombed Energodar, a city they control, with the intention of denying responsibility on Kyiv.
Towards a “permanent presence” of the IAEA in Zaporizhia
After the visit of an IAEA mission to the Zaporijjia plant on Thursday, the agency’s director, Rafael Grossi, held a press conference on Friday evening. “It’s important for the agency to be there all the time. The difference between being there or not is night and day.” he defended, announcing that six members of the mission were still there. Two of them will stay longer for a “permanent presence” on the site.
During this press point, the director of the plant explained that “most” plant security systems “work”, “but there were interruptions”. The website “continues to operate and there is a professional modus vivendi. Two units are still in operation to date.” However, “military activity is increasing and that worries me a lot”he also pointed out.
G7 caps Russian oil price
The G7 countries decided on Friday to cap “urgently” the price of Russian oil, a mechanism that is complex to put in place. “Today the G7 has taken a vital step in achieving our twin goals of putting downward pressure on global energy prices while depriving (Vladimir) Putin’s revenue to fund his brutal war in Ukraine”, immediately greeted US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. A “broad coalition” of countries is invited to implement this decision.
The French Ministry of the Economy has tempered this enthusiasm. “The technical work is still in progress, and for us, it is clear that no final decision can be taken before having consulted and obtained a unanimous opinion among the 27 Member States of the European Union”the ministry said.
For its part, Russia denounced a measure “completely absurd”.