Pro-Russian separatists may have made progress towards the center of the village of Pisky, near Donetsk airport, but Russian forces overall had made little territorial gains, the latest UK Ministry of Defense report said. Adds: There is a realistic possibility that Russia has increased its efforts in the Donbass in an attempt to attract or fix additional Ukrainian units, amid speculation that Ukraine is planning a major counteroffensive. Updated 08.01 BST Important events Show only key events Please enable JavaScript to use this feature Ukraine’s state nuclear company, Energoatom, claimed that Russian forces bombed the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant complex in southern Ukraine. In a statement, Energoatom said: Above the last one [24 hours], Russian troops again bombarded the territory of the Zaporizhia nuclear plant. The damage is currently being investigated. The Russian Defense Ministry earlier accused Ukrainian forces of shelling the nuclear plant three times in the past 24 hours. Neither side’s claims can be verified. On Friday, Energoatom said Ukrainian technicians had managed to partially reconnect the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant to its grid under the watchful eyes of occupation forces. The situation, however, remains fragile as fighting continues around the plant. Updated at 11.53 BST My colleague Shaun Walker reported on the propaganda in occupied Kherson, which Russia hopes will help strengthen its hold on the southern Ukrainian city. Russian authorities have resurrected the Soviet-era newspaper Naddnepryanskaya Pravda, which now claims to have a circulation of 250,000. The contents of the paper give a good picture of the propaganda priorities for the Russian administration, Shaun writes. There are repeated articles promising residents increased benefits, pensions and more job opportunities. There are repeated claims of the “overwhelming desire” of Kherson residents to hold a referendum on joining Russia, but there are also many threats. A front-page article warns of “harsh measures” against those who threaten public order, suggesting that speech against Russian rule is now considered against the law. And that just about sums it up: a happy headline about “new horizons”, but also a lot of threats: the “anti-terrorist” article on the right says that people who “defame Russian state institutions or spread false information about them” will be punished… pic .twitter.com/aicsc2TGMG — Shaun Walker (@shaunwalker7) August 27, 2022 Updated at 11.13 BST Here are some more details on the UK Ministry of Defense’s announcement that it is donating underwater mine-hunting drones to help Ukraine clear its coastline. Six autonomous mine hunting vehicles will be sent to the country to help detect Russian mines in the waters off its coast, the ministry said. Three of these drones will be supplied from UK stocks, while another three will be purchased from industry. In addition, dozens of Ukrainian navy personnel will be trained to use the drones in the coming months, the ministry said. The first batch has already started their training, he added. British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said in a statement: Russia’s cynical attempts to hold the world’s food supply to ransom must not be allowed to succeed. This vital equipment and training will help Ukraine make its waters safe, help smooth the flow of grain to the rest of the world and support Ukraine’s armed forces as they try to defend their coasts and ports. Updated at 10.58 BST Britain’s Ministry of Defense said it is giving six underwater drones to Ukraine to help clear its coast of mines and make grain shipments safer. Britain will also train dozens of Ukrainian navy personnel in the use of drones, the ministry said in a statement. Updated at 10.33 BST Civilians at Pokrovsk station during a mandatory evacuation from areas of Donetsk. Photo: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images People boarding a westbound train in Pokrovsk. Photo: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images An elderly woman waits to board a train in Pokrovsk. Photo: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Updated at 10.43 BST An American citizen recently died in Ukraine, according to a State Department spokesman. Officials are in contact with the family and are providing consular assistance, they added. The spokesperson added: We also reiterate once again that U.S. citizens should not travel to Ukraine due to the active armed conflict and blockade of U.S. citizens in Ukraine by Russian government security officials, and that U.S. citizens in Ukraine should depart immediately if it is safe to do so using any commercial or other privately available ground transportation options. Updated at 09.54 BST Two civilians were killed and 12 others wounded by Russian forces in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, officials said. Pavlo Kyrylenko, the governor, wrote on Facebook: On August 26, Russians killed two civilians in the Donetsk region – in Bakhmut. Twelve people were injured. Note: This information could not be independently verified. Updated 09.04 BST
Russia Blocks UN Nuclear Treaty Agreement on Zaporizhzhia Clause
Julian Borger Russia blocked a deal at the United Nations aimed at strengthening the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) because Moscow objected to a clause on control of the Zaporizhzhia power plant in Ukraine. The failure to agree on a joint statement after four weeks of talks and negotiations among 151 countries at the UN in New York is the latest blow to hopes of maintaining an arms control regime and keeping a lid on a rekindled arms race. The conclusion of the meeting was delayed for more than four hours by Russia’s refusal to agree to a lengthy statement of support for the NPT, which included a reference to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is occupied by Russian forces near the front line in the south Ukrainian. East. Alarms were raised on Thursday when the plant was temporarily cut off from Ukraine’s electricity grid, but the connection was restored. Russian forces are reportedly planning to cut the plant off the grid permanently, raising concerns of potential disaster. A paragraph in the final draft text on Friday stressed “the utmost importance of ensuring the control by the competent authorities of Ukraine of nuclear facilities … such as the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.” The Russian delegation was the only one to speak out against the agreed text, but blamed the collapse of the conference on Ukraine and its “protectors”, calling the negotiations a “one-sided game”. After her statement, the Russian delegation left the UN room. Read the full article here. Updated at 09.30 BST French energy company TotalEnergies says it is divesting its stake in a Russian gas field that was reported this week to provide fuel that ends up in Russian fighter jets. The company said it signed an agreement on Friday with its local Russian partner, Novatek, to sell its 49 percent stake in the Termokarstovoye gas field “on financial terms that will allow TotalEnergies to recover outstanding amounts invested in the field.” Agence France-Presse reported that Russian authorities approved the divestment on August 25. This was the day after an article appeared in French newspaper Le Monde reporting the alleged refining of natural gas condensate from Termokarstovoye into jet fuel for fighter-bombers involved in Russia’s attack on Ukraine since February. Updated 08.11 BST NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stressed the need to strengthen security along the alliance’s northern flank to counter Russia as he wrapped up a visit to Canada that included a tour of Arctic defences. “The high north is strategically important for Euro-Atlantic security,” Stoltenberg was quoted as saying by Agence France-Presse at a news conference at an air base in Alberta. With Finland and Sweden joining NATO, he noted, seven of the eight Arctic states will be members. Referring to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (Norad), a US-Canadian organization, Stoltenberg said: The shortest route to North America for Russian missiles and bombers would be over the North Pole. This makes Norad’s role vital to North America and thus to NATO. Stoltenberg said Russia’s capabilities in the far north “are a strategic challenge for the entire alliance,” citing the significant Russian military build-up in the region. This included reactivating “hundreds of new and former Soviet-era military sites in the Arctic” and using the high North “as a testing ground for the most advanced weapons, including hypersonic missiles.” The NATO chief also raised concerns about China’s reach into the Arctic for shipping and resource exploration, with plans to build the world’s largest fleet of icebreakers. Beijing and Moscow have pledged to step up practical cooperation in the Arctic. This is part of a deepening strategic partnership that challenges our values and interests. Jens Stoltenberg (left) and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at Cold Lake Air Force Base, Alberta, Canada. Photo: Adam Scotti/PMO/Reuters Updated at 08.05 BST The governor of Donetsk region said three-quarters of its population had been evacuated due to Russian attacks in eastern Ukraine. Pavlo Kyrylenko told Ukrainian TV: There is practically not a single large city or town that is not subject [Russian] bombardment. Reuters also reported that the Ukrainian military’s general staff said Russian jets had struck multiple locations and were targeting more than a dozen towns in the south, including Mykolaiv near the Black Sea. There were also airstrikes…
