October 26, 2023
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 03:56 Zelenskyj: Russia probably attacked nuclear power plant with drones +++
Ukrainian President Zelensky accuses Russia of probably targeting the Khmelnytsky nuclear power plant with a drone attack. Last night, a strong explosion shattered windows in the plant, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Operations were not interrupted, although the power supply to radioactivity measuring stations temporarily failed. “The fact that numerous windows at the facility were destroyed shows how close it was. Next time we may not be so lucky,” said IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi.
+++ 23:15 Russia claims to have shot down Ukrainian ATACMS +++
According to information from Moscow, Russian air defense shot down two longer-range ATACM missiles fired by Ukraine at Russian targets. The Russian Defense Ministry reported the shootdown in one of its regular reports on the war in Ukraine, which Moscow still describes as a “special military operation.” No further details are given. According to state media, it was the first launch of its kind. Ukraine had requested the missiles from the USA because of their longer range.
+++ 21:53 Ukrainian GDP increases despite war +++
Ukraine’s gross domestic product rose around 9.1 percent in September compared to a year earlier, as the battered country’s economy slowly recovers from the devastation caused by Russia’s invasion last year. However, ongoing fighting, disrupted logistics and attacks on the energy system remain major obstacles to growth. According to the Ministry of Economy, GDP rose 5.3 percent in the first nine months of the year compared to last year, when Russia launched its attack. “In addition to the low statistical basis for comparison, this is also explained by the economy’s high ability to adapt to new challenges as well as the support from the state and international partners,” it says.
+++ 21:13 Europe continues to import Russian raw materials worth almost 14 billion euros +++
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the European Union has continued to import “critical” raw materials worth billions of euros from Russia, research group Investigate Europe reports. Statistics show that between March 2022 and July 2023, European countries imported raw materials worth 13.7 billion euros from Russia. While certain raw materials such as oil, coal and steel are covered by EU sanctions, there are 34 minerals that are classified as “critical” by the EU and are therefore not subject to restrictions, the report said.
+++ 20:41 G7 wants to ban Russian diamonds +++
The G7 is expected to announce a ban on imports of Russian diamonds by the end of the month. The ban would be followed by a proposal for the European Union’s 12th sanctions package against Moscow, diplomatic sources told Reuters. “We now need the final blessing of the G7 before we can implement this in legal texts at the European level,” says an EU diplomat. A second source said the statement was expected to be ready within a week.
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