Ukraine-Russia battle – newest: Putin ‘plans nuclear radioactive leak to postpone counteroffensive’

Ukraine‘s army intelligence says Russia is plotting a “large-scale provocation” at a nuclear energy station it occupies within the south-east of the nation to disrupt a looming counteroffensive.

A press release from the intelligence directorate of Ukraine‘s Defence Ministry claimed Russian forces will strike the Zaporizhzhia nuclear energy plant, the most important in Europe, and report a radioactive leak to be able to set off a world probe that will pause the hostilities and provides them the respite they should regroup.

So as to make that occur, Russia “disrupted the rotation of personnel of the everlasting monitoring mission” of the UN’s Worldwide Atomic Vitality Company (IAEA) that was scheduled for Saturday, the assertion stated.

It didn’t supply proof to again up any of the claims.

The IAEA stated it didn’t have any rapid touch upon the allegations and Russian officers didn’t instantly touch upon the Ukrainian claims.

The declare mirrors comparable statements Moscow recurrently makes, alleging with out proof that Kyiv is plotting provocations involving numerous harmful weapons or substances to be able to then accuse Russia of battle crimes.

It comes as Moscow’s army in Ukraine braces for a looming counteroffensive by Kyiv’s forces, which has not began but however might start “tomorrow, the day after tomorrow or in per week”, the secretary of Ukraine‘s Nationwide Safety and Defence Council, Oleksiy Danilov, instructed the BBC.

The Zaporizhzhia station is likely one of the 10 largest nuclear vegetation on the planet.

It’s within the partially occupied Zaporizhzhia area in south-eastern Ukraine.

The plant’s six reactors have been shut down for months however it nonetheless wants energy and certified workers to function essential cooling techniques and different security options.

Preventing close to it repeatedly disrupted energy provides and has fuelled fears of a possible disaster just like the one at Chernobyl, in northern Ukraine, the place a reactor exploded in 1986 and spewed lethal radiation, contaminating an unlimited space on the planet’s worst nuclear catastrophe.

From nuclear threats to raids on Russian territory, Russia’s president has a lot on his thoughts, writes Chris Stevenson.

Two soccer groups exiled from cities in war-battered japanese Ukraine play one another Sunday within the safer western a part of the nation with the league title at stake.

The showdown between competitors chief Shakhtar Donetsk and second-place Dnipro-1 at Area Lviv could be decisive in a soccer season that’s ending on schedule in exceptional circumstances. The stadium was one among 4 in Ukraine, together with Shakhtar’s dwelling in Donetsk, safe sufficient in 2012 from Russian aggression to co-host that yr’s European Championship with Poland.

Shakhtar leads by 5 factors and desires only a draw this weekend to safe the title forward of the final scheduled spherical on June 4.

Russia is able to provide Somalia’s military with army tools in its battle towards terrorism, Russia’s overseas minister stated Friday.

Russian Overseas Minister Sergey Lavrov made the supply after talks along with his Somali counterpart Abshir Omar Jama in Moscow.

Russia’s prime diplomat stated Moscow reaffirmed its readiness to satisfy the fabric wants of the Somalian military in its struggle towards extremists that stay on Somalian territory together with al-Shabaab and al-Qaeda.”

Anastasia Domini and spouse Anna Domini walked hand in hand on a latest sunny day in Argentina’s capital whereas their 4 stressed kids performed close by.

It’s a standard sight in a rustic the place same-sex marriage has been authorized for greater than a decade. However the couple, who obtained married shortly after arriving in Buenos Aires early final yr, nonetheless keep in mind the worry they felt after they first determined to carry fingers in public after leaving Russia, which explicitly outlawed same-sex marriages in 2020.

“It was actually scary,” Anastasia Domini stated, however “we have been trying round and actually, actually no person was trying.”

Ukraine is able to launch its long-expected counter-offensive towards Russian forces and will start “tomorrow, the day after tomorrow or in per week”, in response to one of many nation’s prime safety officers.

Nevertheless, Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the Nationwide Safety and Defence Council of Ukraine, instructed the BBC he wouldn’t identify a date.

He stated the federal government in Kyiv had “no proper to make a mistake” on the choice as a result of it is a “historic alternative” that “we can not lose”.

Russian forces intercepted two long-range Storm Shadow cruise missiles provided to Ukraine by Britain, the RIA information company cited the Defence Ministry as saying on Saturday.

The ministry additionally stated it had intercepted shorter-range U.S.-built HIMARS-launched and HARM missiles, and shot down 12 drones within the final 24 hours, RIA reported.

Tehran on Saturday accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy of anti-Iranian propaganda in his name for Iran to halt the availability of drones to Russia, saying his feedback have been designed to draw extra arms and monetary assist from the West.

Zelenskiy in a video tackle on Wednesday known as on Iranians to cease their slide into “the darkish facet of historical past” by supplying Moscow with drones.

Iran initially denied supplying Shahed drones to Russia however later stated it had offered a small quantity earlier than the battle started. Ukraine says the drones have performed a serious function in Russia’s assaults on cities and infrastructure.

“The Ukrainian president’s repeat of delusional claims towards the Islamic Republic of Iran is consistent with the anti-Iranian propaganda and media battle aimed toward attracting as many arms and monetary assist as doable from Western international locations,” Iranian overseas ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani stated in a press release carried by Iranian media.

Ukraine, Kanaani stated, has been refusing to permit an impartial investigation into these claims.

Russia has boosted its army cooperation with Iran because the launch of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. It has admitted utilizing Iranian-made drones, however it’s now searching for to spice up its personal manufacturing.

In his Wednesday tackle, Zelenskiy stated: “The straightforward query is that this: what’s your curiosity in being an confederate to Russian terror?”

“Your Shaheds, which terrorise Ukraine each night time, imply solely that the folks of Iran are being pushed deeper and deeper into the darkish facet of historical past,” he stated.

Ukraine is able to launch its long-expected counter-offensive towards Russian forces and will start “tomorrow, the day after tomorrow or in per week”, in response to one of many nation’s prime safety officers.

Nevertheless, Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the Nationwide Safety and Defence Council of Ukraine, instructed the BBC he wouldn’t identify a date.

He stated the federal government in Kyiv had “no proper to make a mistake” on the choice as a result of it is a “historic alternative” that “we can not lose”.