FEARS of a nuclear accident are growing after a Russian missile hit a residential area of a southern Ukrainian town not far from a power station wounding 12.
Ukrainian officials have said that this is "another act of Russian nuclear terrorism".
State-run Energoatom manages all four Ukrainian nuclear energy generators.
They said that "it's possible that this missile was aimed specifically at the Pivdennoukrainsk Nuclear Power Plant."
Vitaliy Kim, governor of the Mykolaiv region, said on the Telegram messaging app that four children were among those wounded in an attack that damaged several private houses and a five-store apartment building in Voznesensk.
The town is about 30 km from the Pivdennoukrainsk Nuclear Power Plant, the second largest in Ukraine.
Read our Ukraine-Russia blog below for the latest updates…
- Louis Allwood
Russia trying to bypass Western sanctions via Turkey, US claim
US Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo told Turkey's Deputy Finance Minister Yunus Elitas that Russian entities and individuals were attempting to use Turkey to bypass Western sanctions imposed over Moscow's war in Ukraine, the Treasury Department said.
In a phone call, the two also discussed ongoing efforts to implement and enforce sanctions against Russia, the department said in a statement.
- Louis Allwood
Putin's troops met by Ukrainian resistance
Putin had been hoping for a swift victory in Ukraine – but his troops have been met by Ukrainian resistance with huge amounts of hardware rendered useless by hero defenders.
It comes after a Ukrainian official claimed Putin left 20,000 Russian troops stranded in a tactical withdrawal after Kyiv blew up key bridges in the country's southern city of Kherson.
The soldiers are believed to be cut off from their battalion and key supply lines following a Ukrainian missile strike in the region.
But in the face of humiliation, the tyrant unveiled Russia's deadly military toybox this week as he showed off tanks, missiles and "super soldier" brain tests.
- Louis Allwood
Russia accuses Kyiv of poisoning some of its soldiers
Russia's defence ministry has accused Ukraine of poisoning some of its servicemen in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine's southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia in late July.
An adviser to Ukraine's interior ministry said in response that the alleged poisoning could have been caused by Russian forces eating expired canned meat.
The Russian defence ministry said a number of servicemen had been taken to a military hospital with signs of serious poisoning on July 31.
Tests showed a toxic substance, botulinum toxin type B, in their bodies, it said.
- Louis Allwood
US announce £655 million security assistance package for Ukrainian army
The United States has announced another security assistance package for Ukraine totalling over £655m.
The package includes more High Speed Anti Radiation Missiles, along with early warning radar facilities.
- Louis Allwood
Russia ‘moves military equipment into Europe’s biggest nuke power plant’
Russia is believed to have moved military equipment into Europe's biggest nuclear station sparking fears of a false flag attack, according to Canadian intelligence.
Authorities in Ukraine are preparing for a Chernobyl-like disaster at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia site as the station lies on a knife-edge.
According to analysis from Canadian Forces Intelligence Command, Moscow has pumped military equipment into the site, including close to reactor buildings and other key plots.
It comes after separate video emerged online showing Russian military vehicles, including one marked up with the pro-war "Z" symbol, inside a turbine hall connected to a nuke reactor.
A number of pallets could also be seen close to the trucks, though it is unclear when the footage, verified by CNN, was taken.
- Louis Allwood
Kamikaze drone strike
A KAMIKAZE drone strike devastated Russia’s Navy headquarters in Crimea and triggered a massive explosion on Saturday, in another anticipated Ukrainian raid.
Smoke was caught rising through the air this morning following the attack, which came despite desperate attempts from Putin’s forces to take down the UAV, as witnessed in a video where repetitive gunfire is heard, Mail Online reports.
Governor of Sevastopol Mikhail Razvozhaev confirmed the attack, writing on Telegram: “Unfortunately, [the drone] was not shot down, although they worked on the bay with small arms. [It] went low. There were no victims.”
- Louis Allwood
Russia faces huge losses
According to data from Ukraine's military, Putin has suffered huge losses since launching his calamitous invasion on February 24 – with more than 44,000 Russian troops killed and at least 1,800 tanks destroyed.
This week the UK's Ministry of Defence pointed at Russia's "poor performance" in a stinging update.
British officials said: "It is highly likely that many Russian tank crews lack the training to maintain Explosive Reactive Armour (ERA), leading to either poor fitting of the explosive elements, or it being left off entirely.
"The war has seen numerous failures by Russian commanders to enforce low-level battle discipline – such as the use of ERA.
"The cumulative effect of these failures is likely a significant factor behind the poor performance of Russia's forces."
- Louis Allwood
Kyiv puts Putin’s captured burnt-out tanks on display
Dramatic pictures lay bare Vladimir Putin's embarrassment at not being able to capture Kyiv as its streets have been filled with burnt-out tanks.
The Russian tyrant arrogantly thought he could sweep in and seize Ukraine's capital within days – but almost six months on the city remains tightly in Volodymyr Zelensky's grip.
Powerful footage shows locals walking through a maze of destroyed and captured military vehicles that are being displayed in the streets of Kyiv as Putin's invasion continues to falter.
- Matt Snape
UN Secretary General praises ‘moving’ site of Ukrainian wheat going to Africa
António Guterres, the UN Secretary General, has commended the “moving” site of Ukrainian wheat headed for eastern Africa.
You can view his tweet here:
- Matt Snape
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz praises Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has complimented Alexei Navalny during the second anniversary of the imprisoned Russian opposition politician’s poisoning.
“The war that Russia started against Ukraine is a war that also has consequences for Russia,” Scholz stated in an audio on Saturday, reports The Guardian.
“Freedom and democracy were already endangered before. But now, freedom of expression is much more endangered and many fear to say their own opinion.”
He claims Navalny was fighting for the principle that “one lives in a democracy and state governed by the rule of law”.
- Matt Snape
US to purchase about 150,000 metric tonnes of grain from Ukraine soon
Washington is planning to purchase roughly 150,000 metric tonnes of grain from Ukraine in the next few weeks, the World Food Programme chief has told the Associated Press.
Talks will proceed until the ultimate destinations for the grain are confirmed, WFP’s chief David Beasley said.
- Matt Snape
Zelenskyy: Ukraine will react against every Russian attack
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has vowed that he will react to every Russian attack against his nation.
Al-Jazeera reports that during a video address to Ukraine, Zelenskyy said: “We will not leave any of these [Russian] strikes unanswered. We will establish the identity of every occupier who gives orders and executes these strikes at cities. And we will bring them all to justice in one way or another. No murderer will hide.”
- Matt Snape
Beijing’s imports of Russian coal jumps to highest in 5 years
China’s imports of Russian coal leaped by 14 percent in July from a year earlier to their highest in roughly five years.
This is despite a forthcoming EU ban over the conflict which forced Moscow to sell at a discount to buyers like China and India, Al-Jazeera reports.
- Matt Snape
Kamikaze drone strike devastates Russia's Navy HQ in Crimea
A kamikaze drone strike devastated Russia's Navy headquarters in Crimea and triggered a massive explosion on Saturday, in another anticipated Ukrainian raid.
Smoke was caught rising through the air this morning following the attack, which came despite desperate attempts from Putin's forces to take down the UAV, as witnessed in a video where repetitive gunfire is heard, Mail Online reports.
Governor of Sevastopol Mikhail Razvozhaev confirmed the attack, writing on Telegram: “Unfortunately, [the drone] was not shot down, although they worked on the bay with small arms. [It] went low. There were no victims.”
- Matt Snape
Ukraine ‘would rather face nuclear attack’ than be part of Russia
A frontline volunteer in Ukraine has told a Sky News podcast many Ukrainians would rather face a nuclear attack than be part of Russia.
Speaking as part of a special edition of Sky News' Ukraine War Diaries podcast, to commemorate six months since the beginning of the war, Seva explains.
"Everyone is tired of war, but [on the] other hand, I'd say 99.9 percent of Ukrainians do understand that no peaceful negotiation with such a country as Russia is possible. It's just war, war 'til the end.
"I was talking to many people and they [said], 'we don't want to live in occupied territories, we don't want to live in new so-called Russia'."
- Matt Snape
Blasts, fresh drone attacks rock Russian-held parts of Ukraine
Moscow confirmed fresh Ukrainian drone attacks on Friday evening, one day after explosions were heard near military bases in Russian-held areas of Ukraine and Russia itself, Reuters reports.
The latest incidents followed massive blasts last week at an air base in Russian-annexed Crimea. A Western official said that incident had rendered half of Russia's Black Sea naval aviation force ineffective in a stroke.
Russia's RIA and Tass news agencies, quoting a local official in Crimea, said it seemed Russian anti-aircraft forces had been operating near the western Crimean port of Yevpatoriya on Friday night.
A video posted by a Russian website revealed what appeared to be a ground-to-air missile hitting a target. Reuters was unable immediately to confirm the video's veracity.
Tass cited a local official as saying Russian anti-aircraft forces took down six Ukrainian drones sent to attack the town of Nova Kakhovka, east of the city of Kherson.
Ukraine says retaking Kherson is one of its main priorities.
- Matt Snape
Putin: Russia to allow inspectors at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
Vladimir Putin has confirmed UN officials will be allowed permission to visit and inspect the Zaporizhzhia nuclear complex.
The Kremlin declared the news after a call between Mr Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron, BBC News reports.
The Kremlin confirmed Mr Putin had agreed to provide UN investigators with "the necessary assistance" to enter the Zaporizhzhia nuclear site.
The plant has been under Russian control since early March but Ukrainian technicians still manage it under Russian direction.
- Matt Snape
Britain claims Russia has 'no moral right' to sit at G20
The Foreign Office has lambasted Russia after it emerged that Vladimir Putin will attend the G20 summit in November, reports Sky News.
"Russia has no moral right to sit at the G20 while its aggression in Ukraine persists," a spokesperson said.
"We welcome Indonesia's efforts to ensure that the impacts of Russia's war are considered in G20 meetings, as well as indications that Ukraine may be represented by President [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy at the G20 Leaders Summit."
Indonesia is set to host the summit and has confirmed that both Mr Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will attend.
- Matt Snape
Russian airplanes activated over Crimea
Air defences were activated over the city of Yevpatoria in western Crimea on Friday, according to a Russian official.
Sky News reports that Oleg Kryuchkov, an adviser to the head of the Russian occupation government in Ukraine's Crimea, stated on Telegram that Moscow attacked a target over the city.
"Presumably, the air defence system was activated. Crimea is safely protected," he said, according to Russian news agency TASS.
An eyewitness informed the news agency that roughly two missiles were launched into the sky over the occupied territory.
"I saw from my balcony two dark strips and flashes in the sky," he said.
- Louis Allwood
Explosions rock Russian-held areas
Explosions erupted overnight near military bases deep in Russian-held areas of Ukraine and Russia itself, an apparent display of Kyiv's rapidly growing ability to wreak havoc on Moscow's logistics far from front lines.
The explosions follow huge blasts last week at an air base in Russian-annexed Crimea.
In a new assessment, a Western official said that incident had wiped out half of Russia's Black Sea naval aviation force in a stroke.
- Louis Allwood
Global humanitarian crisis
VLADIMIR Putin's brutal war is creating a global humanitarian crisis – leaving nearly 50 MILLION people "one step from famine".
The UN recently warned 44 million people were marching towards starvation due to drought and Russia’s invasion, which halted Ukraine’s grain exports.
According to the Foreign Office, a humanitarian crisis in Somalia, Ethiopia and Sudan are being exacerbated as the war in Ukraine rages on.
Africa minister Vicky Ford said: “The Horn of Africa situation is the worst humanitarian disaster currently happening in the world.
“Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, and the impact on food, fuel, fertiliser prices, has made what is already a dreadful situation even worse.
“He has put more people at risk of death.”
Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a major grain producer, has had a massive impact on global food supplies.
She continued: "In the Horn of Africa, around 700,000 people are experiencing famine conditions – and in Somalia over 386,000 children are projected to be severely malnourished and at risk of death by the end of the year.
"UK aid in East Africa is providing life-saving support to the most vulnerable people in the hardest-hit countries."
- Louis Allwood
Russia's watchdog imposes measures against media platforms
Russia's state communications watchdog Roskomnadzor said on Friday that it was taking punitive measures against a string of foreign IT companies, including TikTok, Telegram, Zoom, Discord and Pinterest.
In a statement, Roskomnadzor said that the measures were in response to the companies' failure to remove content that it had flagged as illegal, and would remain in place until they complied.
It did not specify what measures would be taken.
- Louis Allwood
Map shows how Chernobyl-style fallout would spread across Europe
Radiation leaks from Europe's biggest nuclear power station could spread hundreds of miles and affect 13 different countries, a terrifying new map has revealed.
Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine lies on a knife-edge, over fears that Russian forces will stage a false flag attack on the site.
In a map created by the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Institute and shared by Ukrainian BBC journalist Myroslava Petsa, the cloud of radiation from a potential leak at the plant can be seen spreading across Eastern Europe in the space of three days, reaching as far as the Austrian border.
A total of 13 countries could be affected by radiation leaks from Zaporizhzhia, including Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Russia.
Russia's own Ministry of Defence warned this week of a potential accident which could send radioactive waste as far as Germany.
- Louis Allwood
UN ask Russia not to cut nuclear plant off from grid
Antonio Guterres the UN chief said on Friday that the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station should not be cut off from Ukraine's grid.
It comes after Ukrainian reports that Moscow is planning to do so.
The UN Secretary General said during a visit to the port of Odesa in southern Ukraine: "Obviously the electricity from Zaporizhzhia is Ukrainian electricity… This principle must be fully respected."
- Louis Allwood
Incredible pictures show destruction in ‘Ukrainian sabotage attack’
New jaw-dropping pictures show the destruction of one of Putin's ammunition depots after an 'attack' by 'Ukrainian saboteurs'.
Huge red and yellow flames were seen for miles after the Russian ammo dump in Belgorod went up in smoke – just 30 miles from the Ukraine border.
Despite the explosion sparking tremors and sending a huge fireball into the night sky Russia claims the military base was not damaged and there were no casualties.
Authorities ordered a mass evacuation of thousands of residents living in proximity to the exploded arms depot in the region that erupted last night.
There were also reports of new Ukrainian attacks at Belbek airbase near military city Sevastopol, and also in the port of Kerch, both in Crimea.
It is currently unconfirmed if the depot, around 400 miles south of Moscow, was hit by a missile, drone, or in a special cross-border operation by Ukrainian special services.
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