liveLIVE. War in Ukraine: NATO considers “irresponsible” firing on a nuclear power plant



The essential :

  • The Zaporizhia nuclear power plant was bombed by the Russians, but the premises were secured. Radioactivity levels remain unchanged around the plant, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said. For Volodymyr Zelensky, Moscow tried to “repeat” the Chernobyl disaster.
  • Boris Johnson has called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council “in the next few hours”.
  • Ukraine and Russia agreed on Thursday, after a second session of talks, to organize “humanitarian corridors” for the evacuation of civilians from combat zones.
  • During a new telephone discussion with Emmanuel Macron, Vladimir Putin affirmed that the Russian army operation was developing “according to the plan” foreseen by Moscow and that it would “get worse” if the Ukrainians did not did not accept its conditions, indicated the presidency. Friday morning, Étienne de Poncins, French ambassador to Ukraine, for his part explained on France Info that 800 French people were still in Ukraine, but that 300 of them were “on the roads to get out”.
  • The Ukrainian president on Thursday called on Westerners to increase their support, hammering that if his country were defeated by Russia, it would attack the rest of Eastern Europe, starting with the Baltic countries, to arrive “as far as ‘at the Berlin Wall’. He said he was ready to speak with Vladimir Putin.
  • Russian deputies adopted a text which provides for various penalties of up to fifteen years in prison if “false information” leads to “serious consequences” for the armed forces.


12:04 p.m. – Massive vote at the UN in favor of an investigation into the violations in Ukraine

The UN Human Rights Council on Friday overwhelmingly approved a resolution in favor of an international commission of inquiry into violations of human rights and humanitarian law in Ukraine after the Russian invasion.

After the United Nations General Assembly’s massive vote earlier in the week demanding that Moscow end the conflict, Russia suffered yet another bitter defeat at the Human Rights Council, with the resolution passed by 32 votes for, 2 against (Russia and Eritrea) and 13 abstentions.

11:43 a.m. – A Spanish journalist suspected of spying for Moscow arrested in Poland

Freelance Spanish journalist Pablo Gonzalez was arrested at the Polish-Ukrainian border in Poland on suspicion of spying for Russian military intelligence GRU, the Polish security agency ABW and the journalist’s lawyer announced on Friday.

Pablo Gonzalez worked in particular for the online media Publico and the television channel La Sexta.

11:15 a.m. – Attack on the Zaporijia power plant: Zelensky calls for an “immediate reinforcement of sanctions”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for tougher Western sanctions against Moscow after a Russian attack on Ukraine’s first nuclear power plant. “An immediate tightening of sanctions against the nuclear terrorist state is necessary,” he said in a video address Friday morning, also calling on Russians to “take to the streets” to stop their country’s attacks on sites. nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

10:48 a.m. – NATO condemns the “irresponsible” bombings against the nuclear power plant

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Friday condemned the “irresponsible” bombardments by Russian forces that hit the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia, southern Ukraine, and called for an end to the war. “The attack on a nuclear power plant demonstrates the irresponsibility of this war and the need to end it,” he said.

10:23 a.m. – France authorizes heavy truck convoys of humanitarian aid to drive on weekends

Heavy goods vehicles carrying humanitarian aid for Ukraine will be allowed to circulate on the weekends of March 5-6 and 12-13, according to a decree published Friday in the Official Journal. However, heavy goods vehicles bound for Russia and Belarus will not be authorized.

“The empty return of vehicles […] is authorized for these days of lifting bans on the national territory”, adds the text dated March 3, the introduction of which considers that “the situation in Ukraine requires the sending of humanitarian material by road”.

10:07 a.m. – “There are about 800 French people left in Ukraine, 300 of whom are on the way out”

Étienne de Poncins, French ambassador to Ukraine, explained on France Info on Friday morning that there were “about 800 French people, maybe a little more” on the spot. He also indicated that 300 of them were on the road to leave the country, but that several French people, contacted from the embassy relocated to Lviv, remained unreachable.

09:51 – The UN close to excluding Russia from its Security Council?

With the threat of sanctions against “any false information”, the suspension of Russian opposition media (such as Echo of Moscow and Dojd), Moscow is tightening its control of information on the reality of the war and its plan for Ukraine. On the channels acquired to the cause of the Kremlin, the government poses as the victim of an “information war” intended, according to him, to do everything to justify that Russia is in the sights of the UN Security Council. But, for the time being, such a measure has not been put on the table, because it would amount to removing a permanent member and rewriting the United Nations charter.
Read also: War in Ukraine: the UN, “a system out of breath”

09:10 – Intel and Airbnb suspend operations in Russia and Belarus

The Intel microprocessor group and the Airbnb tourist rental platform announced Thursday evening that they had suspended their activities in Russia and Belarus, in the wake of several giants of the American economy, from ExxonMobil to Apple via Boeing and Ford. “Intel condemns Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and we have suspended all deliveries to Russia and Belarus. Our hearts go out to all those impacted by this war,” the group said in a statement.

Brian Chesky, co-founder and general manager of the Airbnb platform, which now displays the Ukrainian flag on his Twitter account, announces that his group “suspends all its activities in Russia and Belarus”, without further details. The tourist rental platform announced on Monday that it would offer free short-term accommodation to up to 100,000 Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion. These stays will be funded by the company, donors to an Airbnb fund for refugees and hosts.

09:06 – Moscow locks down all communication on its military offensive

Russian MPs have adopted a new text providing for heavy prison sentences and fines for anyone publishing “false information” about the army, in the midst of an invasion of Ukraine by Moscow forces. This amendment, adopted at third reading by the Duma, provides for various prison sentences of up to 15 years if this “false information” entails “serious consequences” for the armed forces. An amendment adopted on Friday also provides for sanctions for “calls to impose sanctions on Russia”.

8:50 a.m. – Zaporizhia nuclear power plant attacked, no radioactive leak detected

The Ukrainian regulator has confirmed that no radioactive leak had been detected after Russian fire at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, it was indeed Russian tanks that opened fire on the plant. “These tanks are equipped with thermal sights, so they know what they are doing, they were prepared,” he said in a video released by the Ukrainian presidency.

08:15 – Russian forces occupy the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia

Russian forces now occupy the territory of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the nuclear site inspection agency said, assuring that the personnel ensured the operation of the site. “The territory of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant is occupied by the armed forces of the Russian Federation. Operational personnel control the energy blocks and ensure their operation in accordance with the requirements of technical regulations for operational safety,” the official said. Ukrainian state body.

07:56 – Russia restricts access to BBC, Deutsche Welle, Meduza and Svoboda media

Russian authorities on Friday restricted access to the sites of four independent media outlets, including the BBC, tightening their already tight control of information as Moscow leads an invasion of Ukraine. According to the register of the Russian media regulator (Roskomnadzor), access to the sites of the Russian-language editions of the BBC and German international radio and television Deutsche Welle, the independent site Meduza and Radio Svoboda, the Russian branch of RFE/RL, media funded by the US Congress, has indeed been “limited” at the request of the prosecution.

At the same time, the opposition channel Dozhd, considered a “foreign agent” by the Russian authorities, was forced to suspend its broadcast due to new restrictions imposed by Moscow.






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