NU.nl regularly gives you an overview of the situation in Ukraine. This time: a fire at the nuclear power plant site near Zaporizhia as a result of the bombing. Grain exports from Ukraine are also underway.
The high-voltage cables at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant were damaged by the bombing. This also caused a fire to break out at the site. Ukraine and Russia blame each other for the damage.
According to the Ukrainian State Energy Corporation, the plant is still operating. The company also states that the level of radiation has not been increased. The city’s pro-Russian government says the power needed to safely operate the plant has been cut.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, warned this week that the situation at the nuclear power plant was “totally out of control”. The attacks around the plant “violate all principles of nuclear safety”.
Grain exports started again
Since the conclusion of the international “grain deal” on July 22, grain exports from Ukraine have begun to recover again. On Monday, the first cargo ship sailed from the port of Odessa. On Friday, three more cargo ships set sail from Ukrainian ports. They are the Panamanian Navi Star flag, the Turkish Polarnet flag and the Maltese Rojen flag.
Because of the war between Russia and Ukraine, the Ukrainian ports were closed. At least 20 million tons of grain are waiting to be shipped.
To date, Ukraine has harvested 17.5 million tons of grain. This is almost half less than in the same period last year. The Ukrainian Ministry of Agriculture said that the harvest in the Odessa and Mykolaiv regions is almost ready for this year.
Zelensky criticizes Amnesty International’s report
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized Amnesty International’s report on Thursday. The human rights organization stated that Ukraine is endangering its people through certain combat techniques.
It is said that Ukrainian soldiers, for example, resided in hospitals and apartment buildings. In doing so, they made these places targets for the Russians.
According to Zelensky, the report “justifies Russian terrorism.” He stressed that the Russian aggression was not provoked. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba also said he saw the report as “unfair”.
Amnesty wrote in the report that the Russian attacks “cannot be justified in any way”.
EU hospitals have already received 1,000 Ukrainian patients
Since the start of the invasion of Ukraine, hospitals in European countries have received a thousand Ukrainian patients. It concerns chronically ill and war-wounded persons. The Netherlands also seized Ukrainian patients.
Because of the war, hospitals in Ukraine cannot take care of all patients. In addition to helping injured or sick Ukrainians, the European Union is also helping to return recovered patients. In addition, the European Union sends medicines and medical supplies to the war-affected country.