Thousands of Ukrainian troops have crossed the border into Russia as part of the major Ukrainian offensive that has surprised the Russians.
Russian forces allegedly set fire to “a large number of tires in the cooling towers” of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, according to the head of the Ukrainian military administration in Nikopol, Yevhen Yevtushenko, citing sources from the occupied Energodar.
“Perhaps it is a provocation or an attempt to sow panic,” he said. According to Yevtoshenko, radiation levels at the plant are normal. The Ukrainian president, Volodímir Zelenskiasked the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to hold Russia responsible for the provocation.
“As long as Russian terrorists maintain control of the nuclear power plant, the situation is not and cannot be normal,” Zelensky said in an X post on Sunday. “We are waiting for the world’s reaction“waiting for the IAEA’s reaction.”
According to the agency, “no reports have been made no impact in nuclear security” for now. Captured by Moscow shortly after its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the nuclear power plant has been often caught in the crossfirebecoming a continuing source of concern for international observers.
Ukraine surprised Moscow with an “unprecedented” attack
With the Ukrainian offensive entering its sixth day, kyiv is gaining ground as they take place fighting in the Russian territory of Kursk. What it has become the most important raid of Ukrainian troops Since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, thousands of Ukrainian troops have advanced up to 30 km into Russia.
The Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday that its troops They are fighting against Ukrainian soldiers near the villages of Tolpino and Obschy Kolodez. Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, has accused Kiev of “intimidating the peaceful population of Russia.”
Zelensky directly acknowledged the raid for the first time in a speech Saturday night, saying that Russia had launched 2,000 cross-border attacks from Kursk this summer. “Every attack deserves a fair response,” Zelensky told Ukrainians in his late-night address from kyiv.
Images released on Sunday by the Russian Defense Ministry showed Russian forces fighting against Ukrainian troops in the Kursk border region. Military vehicles and tanks were seen hit by artillery and Su-25 fighters.
The largest Ukrainian offensive since the beginning of the invasion
Ukraine’s unprecedented incursion is the largest since the beginning of the Russian invasion in 2022. It caught Moscow off guard and Russian military leaders have rushed to contain the Ukrainian offensive. The exact objectives of the operation remain unclear and the Ukrainian military has adopted a policy of secrecypresumably to ensure its success.
Military experts have stated that its target was probably is to move Russian reserves away from the intense fighting in the region eastern Ukraine of Donetsk and strengthen kyiv’s position in future negotiations with Russia.
About 76,000 residents of Russian territory have been evacuated since the fighting began, according to a spokesman for the Russian Emergencies Ministry. Thousands of people have also received help from the Russian Red Cross, the humanitarian organization reported on Sunday.
Workers visited temporary accommodation centers and opened a hotline for those who lost contact with family in the region. According to a report on Russian state television, more than 20 temporary accommodation centers have been established in the region.
Belarus sends tanks to its border with Ukraine
As fighting inside the Russian perimeter intensified, Belarus was preparing to send tanks to its border with Ukraine. The Belarusian Defense Ministry released images on Sunday of the deployment of tanks along the country’s border, an operation that occurred a day after the Russian ally ordered combat readiness after alleged airspace violations.
The Belarusian president, Aleksandr Lukashenkowho this year celebrated three decades in power, allowed Russian troops to use the territory of Belarus to invade Ukraine in 2022 and let Moscow deploy some tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.
