The day of the war at a glance
Ukraine fires on Russian artillery near Shoigu nuclear power plant: Kiev’s offensive failed
9/2/2022 9:56 p.m
After the visit to the Ukrainian Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, IAEA boss Rafael Grossi draws a positive conclusion. Meanwhile, Kyiv reports the shelling of Russian positions near the nuclear power plant. In the embattled south, Ukraine has reported individual successes – Moscow, on the other hand, describes the offensive as a failure. Meanwhile, the energy war rages on: Gazprom, contrary to what it has announced, intends to keep the gas tap closed. And the G7 are looking for a way to impose an oil price cap on Russia. The 191st day of the war at a glance:
IAEA boss after nuclear power plant visit: “We saw everything”
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi draws a partly positive conclusion after the visit to the Ukrainian nuclear power plant (NPP) Zaporizhia. Although damage caused by the shelling of the power plant is obvious and unacceptable, important safety elements such as the power supply to the power plant are working, Grossi said after returning from Ukraine at Vienna Airport. He announced a report on the inspection of the nuclear power plant for early next week.
The cooperation between the Russian occupiers and the Ukrainian personnel works to some extent on a professional level, said Grossi. Two IAEA employees are now to stay longer at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. Six IAEA employees are currently in the facility, four of whom will return next week, according to the IAEA boss. He doesn’t have the impression that the Russian occupiers have hidden anything. “We saw everything I wanted to see,” he says.
Ukrainian power plant operator doubts IAEA mission
While the IAEA employees were still on duty at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant and looking for possible damage from the weeks of shelling, the power plant operator Enerhoatom expressed doubts about the success of the mission. “The occupiers lie, falsify facts and evidence,” Enerhoatom wrote on Telegram, referring to Russia. The delegation was denied access to the crisis center of the plant. Russian military personnel are currently stationed there. Russia wanted no facts about the nuclear power plant to be known.
Ukraine shells Russian artillery near nuclear power plant
According to the Ukraine, it shelled Russian artillery positions not far from the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. “It is confirmed that our troops in the area of Kherson and Enerhodar destroyed three enemy artillery systems with precise hits,” said the report of the Ukrainian General Staff.
However, according to Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, Russia is not stationing any heavy weapons at the Zaporizhia nuclear plant. “I responsibly declare that we have no heavy weapons on the site of the nuclear power plant or in the adjacent areas,” he said in Moscow. He hopes the IAEA experts can see for themselves. Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of attacking the power plant in the war.
Different information on the progress of the fighting
From Shoigu’s point of view, the counter-offensive launched by Ukraine in the south of the country has largely failed. “The Ukrainian armed forces continue to attempt attacks in the area between Mykolayiv and Kryvyi Rih and in other directions, the enemy is suffering heavy casualties,” he said. Kiev’s only goal in the offensive is “to create the illusion among Western curators that the Ukrainian army is capable of attacking.”
Kyiv reported that it had destroyed five Russian ammunition depots near Cherson. At least one company of the Russian army was also destroyed. The information cannot be independently verified. According to the coordination staff responsible for prisoners of war, Ukraine and Russia exchanged prisoners in the Donetsk region. 14 Ukrainians were released, including an officer.
Gazprom suspends Nord Stream 1 indefinitely
Contrary to what has been announced, no gas will flow through the Nord Stream 1 Baltic Sea pipeline from this Saturday. This was announced by the state-owned company Gazprom. The reason is an oil leak in the Portovaya compressor station. The gas flow remains stopped until it is eliminated. It had been expected that gas would flow through the line again from Saturday morning after the announced three-day maintenance work had been completed. A spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry of Economics said they had taken note of Gazprom’s reports.
Merz: Germany should also help Kyiv with Leopard 2 tanks
Union faction leader Friedrich Merz has spoken out in favor of a delivery of German Leopard 2 battle tanks to support Ukraine in the fight against the Russian war of aggression. “We should also help Ukraine in this respect, so that they are able to push back Russian aggression,” said the CDU chairman on the sidelines of a meeting with the leaders of the Union faction in Murnau, Upper Bavaria. The Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Schmyhal, had previously called for such a delivery.
G7 finance ministers want to push through price caps on Russian oil
The finance ministers of the G7 of economically strong democracies want to push through a price cap on Russian oil. In a joint statement, they called on all countries importing Russian oil to join this measure. “We are aiming for a broad coalition to maximize effectiveness,” the paper says. In essence, the aim is to force Russia to sell oil to large buyers such as India at a significantly lower price in the future. This should ease the oil markets and cushion the effects of the war on energy prices. At the same time, Russia would not be able to fill its war chest any further.
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