NU.nl regularly gives you an overview of the situation in Ukraine. This time: the Ukrainian army is gaining ground against the Russians in a counterattack in the south of the country. Moreover, the last reactor of the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia was disconnected from the Ukrainian power grid.

The Army Command in southern Ukraine reported that several areas had been retaken and a Russian arms depot and a Russian bridge had been destroyed. American Institute for the Study of War Confirms Ukrainian allegations say that the army is making clear progress.

The local Russian authorities inform the state news agency tast An important bridge over the Dnipro River is no longer accessible to cars. The bridge is an essential link between the city of Kherson and the east bank of the river, where supplies for the Russian forces would come.

The authorities also postponed the referendum on the accession of Kherson to Russia. Preparations for this could have been completed, but it was decided to wait due to the “security situation”.

The last nuclear power plant in the reactor has been separated

The last operating reactor block at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was cut off from the Ukrainian power grid. This came after the bombing on Monday disrupted the electricity supply. Reports Ukrainian state energy company Energoatom. According to the company, it involved Russian bombing, but this has not been independently confirmed.

Russia occupied the Ukrainian nuclear power plant at Zaporizhzhia, the largest in Europe, in March. However, the plant is still staffed by Energoatom employees. Since there is a backup line, power can still be supplied to the nuclear power plant via a nearby thermal power plant.

The nuclear complex has been bombed regularly over the past month, with Kyiv and Moscow blaming each other. Ukraine has also repeatedly accused Russia of deploying military forces and equipment to the nuclear power plant.

Russian soldier at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

Gas prices soar as Russia shuts down gas pipeline for longer

Gas prices rose significantly on Monday morning. Merchants paid 31 percent more, because Russia decided on Friday to keep the important Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline closed for maintenance for a longer period. The price has risen about 280 euros, a year ago it was less than 30 euros.

The pipeline is the main gas link between Russia and Western Europe. According to the Russians, additional maintenance is required, but according to Germany, the Kremlin uses the pipeline for political purposes.

Nord Stream 1 was closed Wednesday for a three-day overhaul. However, Russia says that it encountered additional problems during the work, and therefore the pipeline should remain closed for a longer time. How long this will take is not clear.

Russian oil price ceiling

The news of Nord Stream 1 came just hours after a group of major countries, including Germany, decided to impose a cap on the price of Russian oil. The countries, united in the Group of Seven, want to ensure that Russia gets less money to finance the war in Ukraine.

The price cap must be applied from December 5th. That was when Europe also banned Russian oil.

Countries will cut production by 100,000 barrels per day in October in order to support oil prices.