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☆ Exclusive: Ukraine nuclear chief says Zaporizhzhia plant does not need Russian fuel
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Jonathan Landay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A Russian all-terrain armoured vehicle is parked outside the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant during the visit of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) expert mission in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict outside Enerhodar in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, September 1, 2022. REUTERS/Alexander ErmochenkoKYIV, Oct 13 (Reuters) - The head of Ukraine's state nuclear energy company on Thursday decried as "fake news" Russian assertions that the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant will need Russian fuel. Energoatom chief Petro Kotin, speaking in a Reuters interview, said there are fresh fuel supplies in storage at the six-reactor plant, the largest in Europe. His comments came after an official of Rosenergoatom, Russia's nuclear power operator, was quoted by Russia's TASS state news agency as saying that the Zaporizhzhia plant would be switched to Russian fuel once its reserves are exhausted. Russian forces seized the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in March, the month after they launched their full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

☆ Explainer: What are the risks to Ukraine's nuclear reactors in war
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Guy Faulconbridge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

What nuclear material is at Europe's largest nuclear power plant, what are the risks and why are Russia and Ukraine fighting over it? The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has six Soviet-designed VVER-1000 V-320 water-cooled and water-moderated reactors containing Uranium 235, which has a half-life of more than 700 million years. The biggest risk is from overheating nuclear fuel, which could happen if the power that drives the cooling systems was cut. Besides the reactors, there is also a dry spent fuel storage facility at the site for used nuclear fuel assemblies, and spent fuel pools at each reactor site that are used to cool down the used nuclear fuel. Special Russian military units guard the facility and Russian nuclear specialists are on site.

☆ Putin likely to announce accession of occupied regions of Ukraine on Sept. 30, UK says
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterA young man walks past banners informing about a referendum on the joining of Russian-controlled regions of Ukraine to Russia, in the Russian-controlled city of Melitopol in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine September 26, 2022. REUTERS/Alexander ErmochenkoSept 27 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely to announce the accession of occupied regions of Ukraine to the Russian Federation during his address to parliament on Sept. 30, the British Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday. The referendums currently underway within these territories are scheduled to conclude on Sept. 27, the Defence Ministry said in its daily briefing on Twitter. loading"Russia's leaders almost certainly hope that any accession announcement will be seen as a vindication of the special military operation and will consolidate patriotic support for the conflict", it said. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Jose Joseph in Bengaluru; Editing by Andrew HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

A service member of pro-Russian troops fires a mortar in the direction of Avdiivka during Russia-Ukraine conflict, outside Donetsk, Ukraine September 17, 2022. REUTERS/Alexander ErmochenkoLONDON, Sept 27 (Reuters) - First partial voting results from four Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine showed majorities of more than 96% in favour of becoming part of Russia after so-called referendums that Kyiv and the West have denounced as a sham. Russian-installed officials took ballot boxes from house to house in what Ukraine and the West said was an illegitimate, coercive exercise to create a legal pretext for Russia to annex the four regions. The scale of the pro-Moscow vote came as no surprise, after voting that Ukraine said was carried out at gunpoint in many cases. It mirrored a referendum in Crimea after Russia's seizure of the region from Ukraine in 2014, when Crimea's leaders declared a 97% vote to secede from Ukraine and join Russia.

☆ U.S. Congress negotiators set $12 bln for new Ukraine aid
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterA local resident walks past an apartment block damaged in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict in Mariupol, Ukraine September 25, 2022. The source, who asked not to be identified, said the measure will also include resettlement funding for Afghan refugees. Earlier this month, U.S. President Joe Biden asked Congress to provide $11.7 billion in new emergency military and economic aid for Ukraine. Congress is facing a midnight Friday deadline to pass the spending bill that also would temporarily fund a wide range of U.S. government programs. (This story corrects third paragraph to say "earlier this month", not "last month")Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Richard CowanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Kazakhstan says it won't recognise referendums in eastern Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Alexander ErmochenkoALMATY, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Kazakhstan, one of Russia's close ex-Soviet partners, will not recognise the possible annexation of Ukraine's eastern regions by Russia through referendums held there, the Central Asian nation's foreign ministry said on Monday. read more"As for the holding of referendums ... Kazakhstan proceeds from the principles of territorial integrity of states, their sovereign equivalence and peaceful coexistence," ministry spokesman Aibek Smadiyarov said. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has repeatedly called for the resolution of the Ukrainian conflict in line with the United Nations charter. "We reconfirm our readiness to provide all possible assistance to the establishment of a political dialogue," Smadiyarov said. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Olzhas Auyezov; Editing by Kenneth MaxwellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ukraine annexation votes to end amid Russian mobilisation exodus
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Tom Balmforth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

A man walks with his bicycle past banners informing about a referendum on the joining of Russian-controlled regions of Ukraine to Russia, in the Russian-controlled city of Melitopol in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine September 26, 2022. The mobilisation has also seen the first sustained criticism of the authorities within state-controlled media since the war began. Over the weekend, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia would defend any territory it annexes using any weapons in its arsenal. Even traditional Russian allies such as Serbia and Kazakhstan have said they will not recognise the annexation votes. When it held a referendum in Crimea after seizing that peninsula in 2014, it declared 97% of people had voted for annexation.

☆ Russia parliament may study annexation of occupied Ukraine on Thursday, TASS reports
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Alexander ErmochenkoLONDON, Sept 24 (Reuters) - The Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, may debate bills incorporating Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine into Russia on Sept. 29, the state-run TASS news agency said on Saturday, citing an unnamed source. Moscow launched referendums on joining Russia in the four occupied regions of Ukraine on Friday, drawing condemnation from Kyiv and Western nations, who dismissed the votes as a sham and pledged not to recognise their results. read morePro-Moscow authorities have made clear they consider the votes to be a foregone conclusion. An official in Luhansk region announced the turnout after two days of voting was 45.9% while in Zaporizhzhia it was 35.5%, Russian agencies said. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Reuters; Editing by Kevin Liffey and David LjunggrenOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Poland distributes iodine pills as fears grow over Ukraine nuclear plant
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko/File PhotoWARSAW, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Poland, concerned about fighting around Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, has distributed iodine tablets to regional fire departments to give to people in the event of radioactive exposure, a deputy minister said on Thursday. Iodine is considered a way of protecting the body against conditions such as thyroid cancer in case of radioactive exposure. Shelling at the site of Zaporizhzhia - Europe's biggest nuclear power plant - has damaged buildings close to its six reactors and cut power cables, risking a nuclear catastrophe that would affect neighbouring countries. Zaporizhzhia is about 50 kms (31 miles) from the nuclear plant of the same name. read moreRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Alan Charlish and Pawel Florkiewicz; Editing by Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Russia to begin annexation votes in Ukrainian regions
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Russia will on Friday begin its plan to annex around 15% of Ukrainian territory via referendums in four regions controlled by Russian forces, a move the West says is a gross violation of international law that significantly escalates the war. Putin, Russia's paramount leader since 1999, said Russia would never abandon those in the regions it controls and whom he said wanted to secede from Kyiv. In a direct nuclear warning to the West, Putin said he would defend Russian territory - and these regions of Ukraine will be considered Russian territory by Moscow shortly - with all means at his disposal. 'SHAM VOTES'It is unclear exactly how the votes will work in a war zone when so many people have been displaced. "As of next week, Russia will consider these Ukrainian territories as being part of Russia, and they will claim any Ukrainian attempts to retake their own sovereign territory as an 'invasion of Russia'," Britain's Cleverly said.

☆ Russian-backed separatists in Donetsk to hold vote on joining Russia on Sept. 23-27
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A firefighter extinguishes a vehicle that caught fire during recent shelling in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict in Donetsk, Ukraine September 17, 2022. REUTERS/Alexander ErmochenkoSept 20 (Reuters) - Russian-installed separatists in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk regionsaid on Tuesday they will stage a referendum on Sept 23-27 on joining Russia, and called on President Vladimir Putin to admit their territory to Russia as soon as possible after the vote. The separatist Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) also said on Tuesday it intends to hold a referendum on joining Russia on the same dates, and Russian-installed officials in occupied parts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia provinces have made similar calls. read moreRussia recognised Luhansk and Donetsk as independent countries at the start of its invasion in February, and now says securing their territory is the main purpose of its "special military operation". Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Reuters; Editing by Jon Boyle and Peter GraffOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine's Luhansk region to hold Sept. 23-27 referendum on joining Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A man rides a bicycle past the ruins of a building destroyed by recent shelling during Russia-Ukraine conflict in the city of Kadiivka (Stakhanov) in the Luhansk region, Ukraine September 19, 2022. REUTERS/Alexander ErmochenkoSept 20 (Reuters) - Russian-backed separatists in the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) will hold a referendum on joining Russia between Sept. 23-27, the TASS news agency reported on Tuesday, citing the separatist deputy speaker of the region's parliament. The Russian-backed separatist parliament passed a law earlier on Tuesday outlining the details of the proposed vote, though the document made no mention of a date for the vote. Russian-appointed officials in several regions of Ukraine that have been seized by Russian forces have stepped up their efforts to stage votes on joining Russia in coordinated moves. The Kremlin has yet to comment on the prospect of votes to incorporate these regions into Russia.

Russia does not fully control any of the four regions, with only around 60% of Donetsk region in Russian hands. With Crimea and the territory in the four other regions, Russia would gain an area about the same size as the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. If Russia goes ahead with the referendums and joins all four regions to Russia then Ukraine - and potentially its Western backers too - would, from a Russian perspective, be fighting against Russia itself. "All this talk about immediate referendums is an absolutely unequivocal ultimatum from Russia to Ukraine and the West." The conflict in eastern Ukraine began in 2014 after a pro-Russian president was toppled in Ukraine's Maidan Revolution and Russia annexed Crimea.

☆ Donbas separatist leader urges referendum on joining Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterFILE PHOTO -Head of the separatist self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic Denis Pushilin speaks to the media outside the prison, which was damaged by shelling in July in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict, in the settlement of Olenivka in the Donetsk Region, Ukraine August 10, 2022, in this picture taken during a media tour organised by the Russian Defence Ministry. REUTERS/Alexander ErmochenkoMOSCOW, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Denis Pushilin, head of the Russia-backed separatist Donetsk region of Ukraine, called on his fellow separatist leader of Luhansk province on Monday to combine efforts aimed at preparing a referendum on joining Russia. In a video posted on social media, he told Luhansk People's Republic leader Leonid Pasechnik in a phone call that "our actions should be synchronised". Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Reuters; editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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