Key occasions
The top of Ukraine’s state nuclear energy firm Energoatom known as this morning for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear energy plant to be made a military-free zone, and mentioned there must be a group of peacekeepers current on the web site.
Reuters stories he made the feedback on tv after Ukraine and Russia accused every of shelling the nuclear energy plant – Europe’s largest – which lies in Russian-occupied southern Ukraine.
On the similar time Energoatom has posted on its official Telegram channel accusing Russia of mining the plant. They declare to be quoting “the top of the radiation, chemical and organic defence forces of the Russian Federation, main common Valeriy Vasyliev”, accusing him of claiming “We now have planted mines in all of the vital services of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear energy plant. And we don’t cover this from the enemy. We warned them. The enemy is aware of that the plant will likely be both Russian – or nobody’s.”
AFP stories Finland has registered a file variety of asylum seekers following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, beating a earlier excessive set in the course of the 2015 migrant disaster.
“By 4 August, these fleeing Ukraine because of the Russian army assault had submitted 35,074 purposes for momentary safety,” the Finnish immigration service mentioned in an announcement.
Greater than 37,000 individuals are presently registered within the reception system, “which is greater than ever earlier than”.
“One third of these fleeing Ukraine are kids,” the immigration service mentioned.
The newest figures from UNHCR, the UN’s refugee company, present that over 6.3 million refugees from Ukraine have been recorded throughout Europe.
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear energy station is working usually in line with stories from Yevgeniy Balitsky, the top of the Russian-installed administration of the occupied Zaporizhzhia area.
Reuters stories he instructed Interfax: “We now have data from the army and representatives of Russia’s Rosatom, who’re right here, simply watching the scenario. We now have data from them that the whole lot is working in regular mode.”
Ukraine carried out long-range strikes on Russian troop bases and two key bridges throughout the Dnieper River in a single day, Ukrainian officers have mentioned.
The strikes hit the one two crossings Russia has within the pocket of southern Ukrainian territory it has occupied on the western financial institution of the river, mentioned Natalia Humeniuk, spokesperson for Ukraine’s southern army command.
“The outcomes are slightly respectable, hits on the Antonivskyi and Kakhovskyi bridges,” Reuters stories she mentioned on tv.
The claims haven’t been independently verified, however earlier Kirill Stremousov, the deputy head of the pro-Russian administration imposed on occupied Kherson, instructed the Interfax information company that the Antonivskyi bridge had been struck once more.
Here’s a choice of photographs which have been despatched to us right now over the newswires from Sloviansk, in Ukraine’s Donetsk area.
Oleh Synyehubov, governor of Kharkiv, seems to have confirmed on Telegram that a minimum of one individual has been killed in a strike this morning, posting “Sadly, because of the morning shelling, one individual died, one other one was injured. Info is being up to date. Emergency medical personnel are on web site.”
In the previous few minutes the mayor of Kharkiv, Ihor Terekhov has posted to Telegram to say:
Now Pavlovo Pole is being shelled already within the morning … minutes in the past there was an explosion. There’s positively no army infrastructure on this peaceable and densely populated space. I ask everybody to be in shelters – the shelling might be repeated.
Right here is a picture that has been despatched to us from Turkey of the ship Polarnet arriving at Derince port. It’s carrying 12,000 tons of Ukrainian corn.
Oleh Synyehubov, the governor of Kharkiv, has mentioned that two individuals had been killed in shelling on the area within the final 24 hours. He claimed that in a single day the roof of the executive constructing in Kharkiv’s Kyiv district had caught hearth because of the shelling. His message ended:
As you possibly can see, the Russians, due to their lack of success on the entrance, are hanging peaceable cities and villages within the area. However we’re stronger than their pathetic makes an attempt to intimidate us. Victory is ours!
In the previous few minutes he has issued a broad warning to residents in Kharkiv, posting to Telegram to say: “Residents of Kharkiv and the area, keep in shelters as a lot as attainable. The Russian occupiers strike Kharkiv. Don’t go away secure locations.”
In his each day standing replace, Maksym Kozytskyi, governor of Lviv, has cautioned residents concerning the data sources they use, saying in a single day rumours had been unfold a couple of failure of the air alert system. He wrote on Telegram:
On 8 August, at 2.57am, one of many Telegram channels unfold data that there was an air alert in Lviv, however resulting from technical causes, town and cellphone purposes didn’t activate the notification. This data is just not true! There was no risk. Comply with and belief solely official sources of data.
The declare has not been independently verified.
Elsewhere in his each day replace, Kozytskyi mentioned there had been one real air alert in a single day, however that “the hazard didn’t materialise”, and that 270 individuals arrived in his area on two evacuation trains from the east of the nation. Seven hundred and 68 individuals departed from the Lviv oblast to Przemyśl in Poland on 4 trains.
My colleague Shaun Walker not too long ago wrote a prolonged profile of Dmitry Medvedev on the previous Russian chief’s journey from liberal to anti-western hawk.
Medvedev has given an interview to Tass, which it has revealed this morning, which incorporates loads of Medvedev’s anti-western rhetoric. The interview is timed to coincide with the anniversary of Russia’s assault on Georgia in 2008. which occurred when he was in energy. In right now’s interview, Medvedev says:
The prison coverage of the US is being aggressively pursued in Ukraine. True, with rather more lively help from the European Union, which has lastly misplaced its independence.
The purpose is similar – to destroy Russia. That is the basis reason for the extraordinarily aggressive, Russophobic geopolitical course of initiated by the west. Our reply is hard, however rigorously thought out.
If there is a chance to resolve the issue peacefully, on the negotiating desk, this must be finished. However when there isn’t any method out, you must react by pressure. Sadly, each in Georgia and Ukraine, the authorities of those nations left Russia no selection, disrupting the processes of political settlement of those conflicts. And we intentionally went for army intervention.
So far as Nato is anxious, its relentless want to increase alongside Russia’s borders, like a cancerous tumour, has develop into a world downside. It makes all affordable individuals sick.
You may learn the complete Medvedev interview with Tass right here.
Learn Shaun Walker’s profile of Medvedev right here: ‘I hate them’: Dmitry Medvedev’s journey from liberal to anti-western hawk
The self-proclaimed Luhansk Folks’s Republic, an entity recognised as legit and official by solely three UN member states, has issued a briefing for the day wherein they are saying within the final 24 hours they’ve killed “as much as 53 personnel” from Ukrainian forces, and destroyed 4 armoured personnel carriers and “seven items of particular autos”.
The announcement on Telegram additionally claims that because of shelling by Ukrainian forces on town of Alchevsk in occupied Luhansk, one civilian was killed and 19 individuals had been injured, together with 5 kids. They declare that 13 house buildings, 4 kindergartens and a faculty had been broken.
They declare that “peaceable life is being restored within the territories of the Luhansk Folks’s Republic liberated from Ukrainian nationalists” and cite greater than 5 hectares being cleared of explosive units. Additionally they declare to be delivering humanitarian help.
Not one of the claims have been independently verified.
Professional-Russian forces say Ukraine has once more struck Antonivskiy bridge in occupied Kherson
A key Russian-held bridge into the occupied southern metropolis of Kherson has been hit once more in a single day by Ukrainian forces, in line with stories from the Russian-imposed administration there.
Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the pro-Russian administration imposed on occupied Kherson, instructed the Interfax information company:
The blow was struck on the Antonivskiy bridge. The gear of the builders who’re repairing the bridge burned down, there aren’t any vital damages. However the opening of the bridge is barely delayed.
Ukrainian forces have repeatedly focused the bridge with high-precision weapons as it’s one in all solely two everlasting re-supply routes over the Dnieper River, linking the occupied metropolis with the remainder of Kherson area and right down to annexed Crimea within the south.
The claims haven’t been independently verified.
Ivan Fedorov, Ukraine’s elected mayor of Melitopol, has posted to Telegram in a single day concerning the scenario within the occupied metropolis, which he’s in exile from. He instructed his supporters on Telegram:
Right now, high-precision Himars missiles fired on the factors of momentary deployment of the occupying forces at industrial websites in numerous districts of town of Melitopol.
Final week, the occupiers redeployed a major a part of air defence from Melitopol to Kherson. Tonight is the best and exhibits that the present enemy air defence items are now not in a position to withstand Himars. The weakening of the air defence system creates the required stipulations for a profitable counteroffensive within the path of Melitopol.
The claims haven’t been independently verified.
{Photograph}: Anadolu Company/Getty Pictures
Two extra grain carrying ships have sailed from Ukraine’s Black sea ports, Reuters stories.
The Sacura, which departed from Yuzni, is carrying 11,000 tonnes of soybeans to Italy, whereas the Arizona, which left Chernomorsk, is carrying 48,458 tonnes of corn to Iskenderun in southern Turkey.
It’s extremely probably Russia is deploying anti-personnel mines to guard and deter freedom of motion alongside its defensive strains in Donetsk and Kramatorsk in jap Ukraine’s Donbas area, in line with the UK Ministry of Defence.
The PFM-1 and PFM-1S mines, often known as “butterfly mines”, have the potential to inflict widespread casualties amongst each the army and the native civilian inhabitants.
The ministry calls the PFM-1 mines “deeply controversial and indiscriminate weapons”, pointing to the devastating affect the mines had within the Soviet-Afghan conflict the place they allegedly maimed quite a lot of kids who mistook them for toys.
Battle for Donbas
Russian forces try to achieve full management of jap Ukraine’s Donbas area because it stepped up assaults north and north-west of Donetsk metropolis on Sunday, Reuters stories
The Russians attacked Ukrainian positions close to the closely fortified settlements of Piski and Avdiivka, in addition to shelling different areas within the Donetsk area, in line with Ukraine’s army.
Along with tightening its grip over the Donbas, Russia is entrenching its place in southern Ukraine, the place it has gathered troops in a bid to forestall a possible counter-offensive close to Kherson.
Abstract and welcome
Whats up, it’s Jordyn Beazley again with you on the Guardian’s reside weblog as we cowl all the newest developments from Ukraine.
UN secretary common António Guterres has known as for worldwide inspectors to be given entry to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant after Ukraine and Russia traded accusations over the shelling of Europe’s largest atomic plant on the weekend.
“Any assault to a nuclear plant is a suicidal factor,” Guterres instructed a information convention in Japan on Monday, two days after attending the Hiroshima peace memorial ceremony to commemorate the 77th anniversary of the world’s first atomic bombing.
Right here’s a abstract of the details you may need missed:
- Russia is strengthening its positions and numbers on Ukraine’s southern entrance to prepared itself for a Ukrainian counteroffensive and is more likely to be getting ready the bottom to assault, in line with British and Ukrainian army authorities.
- Ukraine and Russia have blamed one another for renewed shelling of Europe’s largest nuclear energy plant, the Zaporizhzhia. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy known as for brand spanking new worldwide sanctions on Moscow for “nuclear terror”.
- Russian shelling was recorded on Saturday in dozens of cities alongside the jap and southern frontlines, in line with the Ukrainian army. It additionally mentioned Russian forces tried to conduct assault in six completely different areas within the jap Donetsk area, all of which did not achieve any territory and had been held again by Ukrainian forces.
- Zelenskiy mentioned on Sunday that there could possibly be no talks with Russia if it proceeds with referendums in occupied areas of Ukraine on becoming a member of Russia. Russian forces now maintain giant areas of territory in jap Ukraine’s Donbas area and in southern areas, the place officers have raised the potential for holding referendums.
- UK defence secretary Ben Wallace welcomed a choice by Sweden to hitch nations contributing to the UK-led programme to coach Ukrainian personnel within the UK.
- 4 ships carrying Ukrainian foodstuffs sailed from Ukrainian Black Sea ports on Sunday. Pope Francis welcomed the departure of the ships carrying grain from Ukrainian Black Sea ports saying this could possibly be a mannequin for dialogue to convey an finish to the conflict in Ukraine.
