The site of Ukraine’s Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, was the target of strikes for the second time in just over 24 hours this weekend, while four new cargo ships loaded with grain, crucial for global food security, left Ukrainian ports.
Zaporizhia nuclear power plant site bombed again
As following Friday’s previous bombardments on these nuclear facilities located in southern Ukraine and which fell into the hands of Russian soldiers in early March, the two belligerents accused each other on Sunday of having attacked them. “The shrapnel and the rocket engine fell 400 meters from a working reactor”touching “a spent nuclear fuel storage area”mentioned the occupation authorities of the city of Energodar.
>> War in Ukraine: four questions about the attacks around the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant
“Three radiation monitoring detectors around the plant site have been damaged (…). Therefore, it is currently impossible to detect” a possible increase in radioactivity and therefore‘”intervene in good time”specified the Ukrainian state company Energoatom. One of the employees on site had to be hospitalized for “wounds caused by the explosion”.
Four grain-laden ships left Ukrainian ports
Departures of foodstuffs are accelerating from Ukraine. Four ships loaded with grain left the ports of Odessa in the southwest of the country and Chornomorsk, 40 kilometers from Odessa on Sunday, authorities said.
These cargo ships, named Mustafa Necati, Star Helena, Glory and Riva Wind, contain “about 170,000 tons of agriculture-related goods”said the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine on Telegram.
The “Razoni”, the very first cargo ship to leave on Monday for Lebanon and which was due to arrive on Sunday, was delayed. His new arrival date, or the reasons for this delay, have not been communicated.
Amnesty regrets the “anger” provoked by its report on Ukraine
Amnesty international regrets the “anger” triggered by the publication of his report on Ukrainian military tactics. “While we fully stand by our conclusions, we regret the pain caused”expressed the NGO on Sunday, recalling that Russia was “solely responsible for the violations it has committed against Ukrainian civilians”.
Strongly criticized by President Volodymyr Zelensky, this four-month investigation accusing the Ukrainian armed forces of endangering civilians led to the resignation of the head of Amnesty’s office in Ukraine on Saturday.
Symbolic victory at the head of the International Chess Federation
The Kremlin welcomed a small symbolic “victory”. Former Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovitch has been re-elected as head of the International Chess Federation after a vote in the context of the conflict in Ukraine.