Ukraine: Hours after the last regular line supplying electricity to Ukraine's Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant was cut, President Volodymyr Zelensky said the world narrowly survived the radiation disaster .
Zelensky attributed the fire in the ash pits of a nearby coal power station, which cut the reactor complex, Europe's largest such facility, from the power grid on Thursday to shelling by the Russian military. He claimed that the standby diesel generator maintained the safety of the plant and ensured power supply.

"If our station staff had not responded after the blackout, we would have already dealt with the effects of the radiation accident," he said in an evening address. "Russia has put Ukraine and the whole of Europe in a position where a radiation disaster is just around the corner."
He suggested that IAEA representatives be granted access to the location as soon as possible, "before the occupiers move the position to the point of no return."

According to Ukraine's state-owned nuclear company Energoatom, it was the plant's first complete disconnect so far. The systems for cooling and protection are powered by electricity.

Although Ukrainian technicians continue to run the plant, it is now under the control of Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February.
Fears of a nuclear disaster have risen as Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of shelling the site.
Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-appointed official in the nearby occupied city of Enerhodar, claimed in a Telegram post that satellite images showed a nearby forest burning. On Thursday, he claimed that several towns in the region were out of power.

According to Rogov, as a result of provocation by Zelensky's fighters, power lines were cut from the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power station. "The actual disconnection occurred due to fire and short circuit on the power lines," the statement said.

The potential for damage to the plant's spent nuclear fuel pool or reactors has been highlighted by nuclear experts. A catastrophic slowdown could result from a power cut needed to cool the pool.

The area needed to be demilitarized, and the United Nations requested access to the plant. IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi said on Thursday that the organization is "very, very close" to allowing the authorities to visit Zaporizhzhya.
According to Ukraine's Energy Minister, agency representatives may visit the plant soon.
"Certainly no later than the beginning of September," said German Galushchenko.

Russia claimed its forces attacked a train station in eastern Ukraine on Wednesday, confirming an attack that Kyiv claimed killed 25 civilians as the country celebrated its independence day as the war entered its seventh month. was entering.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the eastern Donbass region of Ukraine was to receive weapons from a military train at Chaplin station.
In addition to the death of one boy when a missile struck a house near where he lived, Ukrainian officials reported that 21 people were killed when a station was struck and five train carriages caught fire. According to officials, three more bodies were retrieved from the rubble on Thursday, taking the total death toll to 25.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the attack claimed the lives of 200 Ukrainian military personnel. Moscow has insisted that rail infrastructure is a legitimate target because it helps Ukraine obtain Western weapons while denies it targets civilians.
The reports could not be independently verified by Reuters.
Concerns have been raised about weeks of fighting in the vicinity of the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhya.
More than 20% of Ukraine's electricity needs were met from the complex, so losing it would put additional pressure on the government.

Russia's ground operations have stalled in recent months, after driving its troops out of the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv in the first few weeks of the offensive.
While the conflict has turned into a casualty war in the Donbass, Russian forces control a large area of ​​territory south of Ukraine along the Black Sea and the Sea of ​​Azov coasts.
The Russian Defense Ministry said in its daily briefing that it attacked airfields in Ukraine's Poltava and Dnipropetrovsk regions and destroyed eight Ukrainian warplanes. This would be one of the biggest losses of the Ukrainian Air Force in recent weeks.

Kyiv has repeatedly called for more advanced Western military equipment, claiming it is necessary to deter Russian attacks.
President Joe Biden reiterated US support for Ukraine's stance against Russia during a phone conversation with Zelensky on Thursday, according to the White House.
President Vladimir Putin on Thursday signed a decree increasing the size of Russia's armed forces from 1.9 million to 2.04 million, a move that could backfire Western estimates of significant Russian losses during the war.

According to the Kremlin, its goal is to "reject" and demilitarize Ukraine To eliminate any potential security risk to Russia.
It has been dismissed as a justification for a conquest war in which thousands of civilians have been killed, millions displaced, and cities have been destroyed by Ukraine and the West. Additionally, it has rocked the world economy, leading to food shortages and rising energy prices.

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