Concern after emergency shutdown of Zaporizhia nuclear power plant – IAEA mission required

Kyiv After the emergency shutdown of two reactors in the Russian-occupied Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for more vigorous international intervention. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and other organizations would have to act much faster than before, Zelensky said in his evening video address in Kyiv on Thursday.

“Every minute that the Russian military stays at the nuclear power plant means the risk of a global radiation catastrophe,” he said. Because the power supply failed twice, two of the plant’s reactor blocks shut down on Thursday. A Russian diplomat announced that an expert mission from the IAEA would visit the plant in late August or early September.

Friday marks the 184th day of Ukraine’s defense against Russian invasion. It is dependent on armaments supplies from abroad. Germany wants to continue to act “prudently and carefully considered” with its aid, said Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) in Magdeburg.

Atomic Energy Agency: Could be driving in a few days

The IAEA in Vienna, citing information from Kyiv, said the safety system at the power plant in Zaporizhia had shut down two reactors that were running. The nuclear power plant was further supplied via the power line of a nearby thermal power plant. It is now reconnected to the Ukrainian power grid.

According to Ukrainian information, all six reactors are currently idle, it said. The Russian occupation administration, on the other hand, had announced that a reactor block had been started up again.

IAEA Director Rafael Grossi confirmed his willingness to go to Zaporizhia with experts within a few days. A Russian diplomat at the United Nations put late August or early September as the time to travel. He is optimistic about the preparations, he said on Russian television. However, the delegation’s itinerary and the necessary security guarantees on both sides have been the subject of arguments for weeks.

The situation in Europe’s largest nuclear power plant and its surroundings has been opaque for weeks. Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of shelling the nuclear power plant. The UK Ministry of Defense released satellite photos purportedly showing Russian military trucks next to a reactor. Last week, unverified video also showed military vehicles in one of the large machine shops.

According to the Ukrainian operator Enerhoatom, Zaporizhia was cut off from the Ukrainian grid for the first time in its history due to the power outage. There are also fears that Russia could feed the nuclear power plant’s electricity production into its grid. This would be unacceptable, it said from the United States. “To be clear, the nuclear power plant and the electricity it produces belong to Ukraine,” a US State Department official said.

Scholz: We only give so much that the war doesn’t escalate

Germany supports Ukraine, but at the same time wants to prevent the war from escalating so that it does not spread, Chancellor Scholz said on Thursday in a conversation with citizens in Magdeburg. “And you can rest assured that we will always have the prudence, clarity and firmness to make decisions based on this principle.”

Scholz quoted US President Joe Biden as saying that no weapons would be delivered that could be used to fire on Russian territory. “And I think that’s a principle that everyone else adhered to equally,” said Scholz.

Germany is repeatedly criticized by the Ukraine, but also by the Eastern European NATO countries, because it is rather hesitant to help compared to its possibilities. Berlin recently pledged a package of state-of-the-art weapons for half a billion euros; Ukraine, however, had asked for battle tanks and armored personnel carriers.

Kyiv renames 95 streets and squares

As a cultural departure from the former supremacy of Russia, the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv is renaming 95 streets and squares whose names are reminiscent of Russia or the Soviet Union. This was announced by Mayor Vitali Klitschko.

In addition to the German communist pioneers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, the Russian writers Alexander Puschkin, Lev Tolstoy, Anton Chekhov, Ivan Turgenev and Mikhail Lermontov are also to disappear from the streets.

This is how the Handelsblatt reports on the Ukraine war and the consequences:

The names of Soviet marshals of the Second World War are also erased, as are street names reminiscent of Russian cities such as Moscow, Rostov-on-Don or Magnitogorsk. In the future, the streets will be named after people and cities from Ukraine. The renaming in the city of three million is not complete, said Klitschko.

Prominent Russian war critic has to be placed under house arrest

The prominent Russian opposition politician Yevgeny Roisman was released the day after his arrest – but under strict restrictions. A court in the city of Yekaterinburg in the Urals decided that the 59-year-old was not allowed to visit public places and events until the end of September. He is also not allowed to receive mail, make phone calls or use the Internet.

Roisman was mayor of Yekaterinburg until 2018. The war opponent is accused of spreading false news about the Russian army. In Russia, there is a risk of many years in prison.

That will be important on Friday

Representatives of Turkey, Sweden and Finland meet in Helsinki to talk about NATO’s northern expansion. Because of the Russian attack on Ukraine, Sweden and Finland have given up their decades of neutrality and decided to join the defense alliance. However, Turkey has made its approval as an alliance state conditional. There was a basic agreement on this before the NATO summit in June, but the talks are to be continued.

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