An the recent disruption of gas supplies through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Europe, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of an energy war and called for more unity in Europe. “Russia is trying to increase the energy pressure on Europe even more these days,” said Zelenskyy in his daily video message on Saturday evening. “Russia wants to destroy the normal life of every European – in all countries of our continent.”
Moscow is about weakening and intimidating the states in Europe, said Zelenskyj. In addition to tanks and missiles, Russia also uses energy as a weapon. This winter it is preparing the “decisive blow” in the energy sector. Only greater cohesion and coordinated countermeasures by the Europeans would help. In addition, the pressure on Russia must be increased in order to limit the country’s oil and gas revenues.
Earlier, Gazprom had not restarted gas supplies through the pipeline after three days of maintenance work on the last operating turbine of Nord Stream 1. The turbine cannot be used because oil is leaking, the company said. The Federal Network Agency expressed doubts about the reasoning. There were ambiguities on Saturday about a possible repair. Gazprom announced via Telegram that Siemens Energy would take part in the repair work. There was no confirmation of this from Siemens Energy.
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The energy supply in the Ukrainian nuclear power plant Zaporizhia is also a source of concern: according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the power connection via the main lines has been cut. The system is only connected to the grid via a spare cable. The electricity connection to the power plant was torn down a week ago. At that time, the lines had been damaged by a previous shelling.
Alleged fighting near Zaporizhia nuclear plant
The Russian Defense Ministry on Saturday accused the Ukrainian army of wanting to recapture the nuclear power plant despite the presence of international nuclear experts. 250 soldiers and “foreign mercenaries” were involved in the operation. The Russian army claims to have repelled the attack and destroyed several boats. The information could not be independently verified.
The Ukrainian military in turn accused Russia of carrying out attacks in the direction of Zaporizhia on Saturday night. Details were not given in the management report. According to the Russian news agency Interfax, a power line was damaged in the shelling. Therefore, the power supply to the area not occupied by Russia was interrupted.
Artillery battle near Cherson
After media reports of explosions in the city of Cherson occupied by the Russian military, the Ukrainian general staff announced that they had destroyed the base of a special unit of troops loyal to Moscow. In addition, Ukrainian media transported images that another bridge over the Dnipro near Nowa Kakhovka was said to have been disabled. The information cannot be verified independently. In the region in southern Ukraine, pro-government troops are attempting a counter-offensive to drive the Russians back behind the Dnipro River.
Meanwhile, the Russian army was trying to advance in Donbass, the general staff said. Attacks have come in several directions. However, they were all repelled. However, several impacts with civilian casualties were registered in the hinterland.
Missile attacks kill children
Two children died in rocket attacks on Saturday. “In Zelenodolsk, the Russians killed a nine-year-old boy,” military governor of the central Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk, Valentyn Resnichenko, told Telegram on Saturday. A total of about ten people were injured by the rocket attacks, most of them seriously. Here, too, an independent verification of the information was not possible.
There were also rocket attacks in the Mykolayiv region in southern Ukraine. There, an eight-year-old child is said to have been killed by the impacts, two other children and four adults were injured.
Meanwhile, an accident at a weapons show in northern Ukraine has sparked outrage. Five people, including four children between the ages of two and 12, were injured when a grenade launcher accidentally fired in the city of Chernihiv. President Zelenskyy called the use of edged weapons at an event involving children “unacceptable” and called for those responsible to be punished.
200 million euros from Germany
Federal Development Minister Schulze promised Ukraine further financial aid. “The majority of our new aid, 200 million euros, is to flow into a program of the Ukrainian government to support internally displaced persons,” said the SPD politician to the newspapers of the Funke media group. “The money is intended to help the displaced people in Ukraine continue to provide themselves with the essentials.”
The Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Schmyhal will be received by Chancellor Olaf Scholz in the Chancellery this Sunday and will then also meet Schulze.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin is flying to the Far East of the country. He wants to take part in an eco-forum on the Kamchatka Peninsula. In the days that follow, he plans to inspect a military maneuver in the region, among other things.