Ukraine Nuclear Plant Loses External Power Again; Fresh Russian Airstrikes Kill 13
HAVANA TIMES – In Ukraine, Russia is continuing a stepped-up campaign of bomb and missile attacks following Saturday’s explosion that damaged a key bridge linking Russia with the Russian-annexed Ukrainian territory of Crimea. Ukraine’s government says at least 13 people were killed and 37 wounded by Russian strikes over the past 24 hours. Among the latest attacks, they say, are Iranian-made drones piloted by Russia that have blown up critical infrastructure facilities near the capital, Kyiv.
Meanwhile, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant lost external power on Wednesday for the second time in five days, after fighting knocked an electrical substation offline. Workers activated emergency diesel generators needed to keep critical cooling systems online in order to prevent a radiation disaster. Power was restored after about eight hours. This comes after the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, met with Vladimir Putin Tuesday in St. Petersburg, where he urged the Russian president to agree to establish a security protection zone around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.