This is yet another warning. In a press release published on Friday 21 April, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the regulatory authority for cooperation and nuclear safety, once again pointed to “serious risks to nuclear safety and security faced by “The Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. This plant, the largest in Europe, has been occupied for more than a year by Russian soldiers. It has six reactors, which reinforces the fears of a nuclear accident of the head of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi.
According to him, the bombardments on the site are increasing: “I saw clear indications of military preparations in the region when I visited the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia a little over three weeks ago. Since then, our Experts at the site have frequently reported hearing detonations, sometimes suggesting intense shelling not far from the site. I am deeply concerned about the situation at the plant.”
Abrams tanks: the United States will train Ukrainians
Meeting at the US base in Ramstein on Friday, Ukraine’s allies reviewed military aid to regain ground from the Russians. “I am confident that they (the Ukrainians) will now be able to clear even more ground,” said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
At the same time, the American Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, announced the delivery in the next few weeks of American Abrams heavy tanks to Germany, to train Ukrainian soldiers there, before their deployment on the battlefield. However, the West did not accede to all the demands of the Ukrainian authorities. Requests for fighter jets went unheeded, with allies divided on the issue.
Ukrainian, Polish and German representatives have also agreed in Ramstein to set up a “joint repair center in Poland” for Leopard 2 tanks, announced German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius. The latter also specified the details of the extent of Western aid: more than 150 billion dollars in aid to Ukraine have been provided since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022, including 65 billion in the military field.
Russia denies preparing a new mobilization campaign
While Russian media have been reporting for several weeks on the summoning of several young soldiers to the front, the Kremlin assured Friday that no new mobilization campaign is underway. “There are no discussions in the Kremlin about any wave of mobilization,” presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters about the alleged letters received by students called by the ‘army. “[…] Honestly, this is the first I’ve heard of this.”
In September 2022, the Kremlin announced the mobilization of several hundred thousand men of fighting age to give new impetus to its struggling offensive in Ukraine.
Transit of grain and other agricultural products from Ukraine to Poland resumed on Friday
The transit of cereals and other agricultural products through Poland, suspended through Warsaw for almost a week, officially resumed on Friday. The government of Mateusz Morawiecki had imposed temporary bans on Ukrainian grain imports following protests by farmers.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, grain stocks have accumulated in Poland, driving down local prices, leading to protests and the resignation of Poland’s previous agriculture minister.