08/10/2022
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 07:03 after the transition period: coal embargo against Russia begins +++
As of Thursday, EU countries will no longer be allowed to import coal from Russia. The transitional period for the coal embargo against Russia, which the EU states adopted in April as part of the fifth sanctions package, ends at midnight. At the time, the countries agreed on a transitional period of 120 days so that the industry could adapt to the import ban. The aim of the import ban is to further weaken the Russian economy against the background of the war in Ukraine. According to the EU Commission in April, the coal embargo could mean a minus of around eight billion euros per year for Russia.
+++ 06:22 Ukraine: Russians want to connect the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant to Crimea +++
According to Ukrainian information, Russia wants to connect the occupied Ukrainian nuclear power plant Zaporizhia to the annexed peninsula of Crimea. The president of the Ukrainian nuclear power plant operator Energoatom, Petro Kotin, says the Russian soldiers at the nuclear power plant would implement a plan by the Russian nuclear company Rosatom to connect the nuclear power plant “to the Crimean power grid”. “First of all, the power lines of the nuclear power plant, which are connected to the Ukrainian energy system, have to be damaged,” says Kotin on Ukrainian television. “Between August 7th and 9th, the Russians have already damaged three power lines. Currently, the plant is running on a single production line, which is an extremely dangerous mode of work.” As soon as the last line is cut, the nuclear power plant will depend on diesel generators, says Kotin. “Then everything will depend on their reliability and fuel reserves.”
+++ 05:53 Energy saving program started in Spain +++
In Spain, the government’s energy-saving plan has been in effect since midnight. From today, all public facilities as well as department stores, cinemas, offices, shops, hotels, train stations and airports in the country are allowed to cool their premises to no less than 27 degrees. However, shops with employees who are particularly physically demanding, such as bars and restaurants, can set the air conditioning to up to 25 degrees. In the coming winter, the interiors will be allowed to be heated to a maximum of 19 degrees. The left-wing government’s “urgent measures” royal decree are set to remain in effect until November 1, 2023.
+++ 04:44 Russia calls on IAEA to investigate Zaporizhia +++
Russia is urging the United Nations Security Council to consider the situation at Ukraine’s Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. The government in Moscow has asked that the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, inform the UN Security Council about “attacks by the Ukrainian armed forces on the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant and their possible catastrophic consequences,” according to diplomatic sources. IAEA technicians are to check the condition of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant. Ukraine had already demanded an inspection of the facility occupied by Russian soldiers on Monday. Both sides accuse each other of shelling the nuclear power plant site.
+++ 03:55 USA provide 89 million dollars for demining +++
The US is supporting the clearance of anti-personnel mines in Ukraine with $89 million. Among other things, this is intended to finance the work of 100 mine clearance teams from non-governmental organizations or specialized private companies, explains a representative of the US State Department. He accuses the Russian armed forces of having left numerous mines and booby traps in washing machines, hospital beds and corpses after their withdrawal from parts of Ukraine. The procedure is comparable to that of the jihadist militia Islamic State (IS) in Syria and Iraq.
+++ 02:57 Latvia extends state of emergency at Belarusian border +++
The government of Latvia decides to extend the state of emergency on the border with Belarus until November 10. This means that the Latvian border guard remains authorized to send back migrants who have entered Belarus illegally. The state of emergency was decided in August 2021 because thousands of migrants wanted to cross the EU’s external borders to Poland or the Baltic States. The European Union accuses the Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko of bringing migrants from crisis regions to the EU’s external border in an organized manner. According to the government, another important factor behind the renewed extension of the state of emergency is Russia’s war in Ukraine. Latvia borders Russia and Belarus.
+++ 01:17 Kyiv: Have nothing to do with explosions in Crimea +++
Ukraine does not accept responsibility for the explosions at a Russian airbase in Crimea on Tuesday, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak said. When asked by the independent Russian television channel Dozhd whether Kyiv was responsible, he replied: “Of course not. What do we have to do with it?” He hinted that partisans might have been involved. The cause of the explosions on the peninsula annexed by Russia is not yet clear. The New York Times, citing a senior Ukrainian military officer, reported that the airfield had been attacked with a weapon developed in Ukraine.
Read more about this here.
+++ 00:40 For Interior Minister Faeser, Putin is a war criminal +++
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser considers Russian President Vladimir Putin a war criminal for attacking Ukraine. That’s what the SPD politician said at an event organized by the editorial network in Germany. “Of course, that’s subject to the preservation of evidence and the rule of law,” explains Faeser. But in view of the suffering that Putin has caused in Ukraine, one can probably call him a war criminal. At the end of July, Faeser visited the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and the war-ravaged city of Irpin together with Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil.
+++ 23:38 Zelenskyj: “Will never give up Crimea” +++
After the explosions at a Russian military base in Crimea, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy again promised his compatriots a liberation of the Russian-annexed peninsula in the Black Sea. “Crimea is Ukrainian and we will never give it up,” he says in his evening video address. With the annexation in 2014, Russia turned Crimea into one of the most dangerous places. “The Black Sea region cannot be safe as long as Crimea is occupied,” Zelensky said. “This Russian war against Ukraine, against all of free Europe, started with Crimea and must end with Crimea, with its liberation.” The cause of the massive explosions on the peninsula is unclear. The government in Kyiv does not claim responsibility for the attack.
+++ 22:43 IAEA: The situation at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant is currently not threatening +++
After the shelling of the Ukrainian nuclear power plant Zaporizhia at the weekend, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) sees no immediate threat to nuclear safety. Ukrainian authorities informed the IAEA that although there was damage, the radiation measurements were still at normal levels, said IAEA boss Rafael Mariano Grossi. The Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in the city of Enerhodar was shot at several times last weekend and some were damaged. However, the critical infrastructure should remain intact. Russia and Ukraine blame each other.
+++ 21:55 Biden: NATO more united and stronger than ever +++
US President Joe Biden emphasizes the strength of the alliance in view of the planned NATO accession of Finland and Sweden. “Our alliance is closer than ever. It is more united than ever. And when Finland and Sweden increase the number of allies to 32, we will be stronger than ever before,” said Biden at the signing of the US instruments of ratification for accession. “At a time when Putin’s Russia has shattered peace and security in Europe, when autocrats are questioning the very foundations of a rules-based order, the strength of the transatlantic alliance and America’s commitment to NATO are more important than ever.”
+++ 21:15 Ukrainian secret service exposed suspected mole +++
According to the Ukrainian secret service SBU, it has uncovered and arrested a mole in its own ranks. Accordingly, an employee of a branch in the Kharkiv region is accused of spying for Russia. According to investigators, the man passed sensitive information, including plans of the Ukrainian military and intelligence data, to Russia. He joined the SBU shortly after the Russian invasion began.
+++ 20:44 Kremlin: Violation of fire safety regulations reason for explosions in Crimea +++
The Russian Ministry of Defense cites violations of fire safety regulations as the cause of the explosions at the Saki airbase on the Crimean peninsula. “There is no indication or evidence that this was done intentionally,” an official told the TASS news agency. According to Moscow, aircraft ammunition detonated at the base. The information cannot be independently verified. However, observers suspect a sabotage action or a Ukrainian rocket attack.
Read more about this here.
You can read earlier developments of the Ukraine war here.