The largest nuclear power plant in Europe has been targeted several times by shots since the start of the conflict, raising fears of a disaster. The Zaporijia power plant, controlled by the Russian army since March 2022, is located on the banks of the Dnieper river which, in this area, separates the two camps.
Experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), who are on site, continue to hear the sound of bombardments in the area, the last dating from Friday evening. They are closely monitoring the situation to “detect any potential impact on nuclear safety and security”, said the head of the Agency, Rafael Grossi.
Evacuations around the Zaporizhia power plant
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned on Saturday May 6 of the risk of a “serious nuclear accident” at the Zaporizhia power plant, in full evacuation of a neighboring town where most of the employees live. , and on the “potentially dangerous” situation around the site.
“The situation in the area near the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant is becoming increasingly unpredictable and potentially dangerous,” warned the head of the Agency, Rafael Grossi, quoted in an IAEA press release. “This great nuclear facility must be protected. I will continue to press for all parties to commit to this vital goal, and the IAEA will continue to do everything in its power to help ensure the safety and nuclear safety of the plant,” he said.
The concern is shared by Ivan Fedorov, mayor of Melitopol, who estimated on Telegram that the “evacuation” announced by the Russian authorities was being done too quickly. Huge queues formed at the Chongar checkpoint on the road from Melitopol to Crimea, he said. An evacuation of employees of the nuclear power plant, under Russian occupation and whose six reactors are shut down, is not currently planned, announced Saturday Yuri Tchernichuk, director of the site appointed by the Russian authorities.
Moscow blames Washington for attack on nationalist writer Prilepin
Russia on Saturday accused the Western “godfathers” of Ukraine, and primarily the United States, of sharing responsibility for “terrorist attacks” committed on its soil – according to it – by Kiev, after the attack in the explosive that hit nationalist writer Zakhar Prilepin.
Fierce support for the military offensive against Ukraine in which he claimed to be taking part, a successful writer translated to the West and then a champion of an ultra-nationalist line, Zakhar Prilepin was seriously injured in the explosion which practically destroyed his car Saturday near Nizhny Novgorod, Russia’s third largest city, 400 km east of Moscow.
This attack, which killed the driver and comrade in arms of Zakhar Prilepin, comes as drone strikes, sabotage and alleged attacks have multiplied in recent weeks on Russian territory, without their perpetrators being clearly identified.
Polish plane intercepted by Russia in the Black Sea
A Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighter intercepted a Polish plane on a mission for Frontex over the Black Sea on Friday, causing the pilots to “temporarily lose control” of the aircraft, according to a press release published on Sunday May 7 at Warsaw. On Saturday evening, Romania, which was the first to mention the incident, denounced “totally unacceptable aggressive behavior” from Moscow.
According to the Polish border guards, the Russian plane “entered without any radio contact on the area of operations designated by Romania”, carried out “aggressive and dangerous maneuvers, approaching the border guard plane three times Poles without the necessary safety distance”.
As a result, the aircraft “experienced significant turbulence” and the crew, comprising five officials, including two pilots, “lost control of the aircraft and lost altitude”. Polish border guards said the Russian fighter flew “just in front of the nose of the aircraft”, crossing its trajectory at a distance estimated at “about 5 meters”.
Six Ukrainian deminers killed by Russian fire
Six Ukrainians were killed by Russian fire on Saturday while taking part in a mine-clearing operation in the southern Kherson region, Ukrainian officials said. “Six of our specialists were killed,” the country’s Emergency Relief Service said, adding that they had been “victims of fire while carrying out mine clearance operations in the Kherson region.”
Russia says it shot down Ukrainian ballistic missile over Crimea
A senior Russian official said on Saturday that a Ukrainian ballistic missile was shot down over annexed Crimea, a rare occurrence as an upcoming offensive by Ukrainian forces looms. “The anti-aircraft defenses shot down over the Republic of Crimea a ballistic missile fired from a Ukrainian Grom-2 system. No destruction or casualties,” Sergei Aksionov, head of Crimea installed by Moscow, said on Telegram. .
One of his advisers, Oleg Krioutchkov, later claimed that two Grom-2 missiles had been shot down, according to updated information. AFP was unable to confirm these statements from an independent source.
According to the Russian state news agency Tass, this is only the second time that the use of Ukrainian Grom ballistic missiles has been reported by authorities over Crimea. The first report dated back to last month. Since the summer of 2022, Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014, has been regularly hit by explosions and attacks by aerial drones, and sometimes surface (naval) drones.