The city said Ukrainian troops launched a strike against the plant using the 220-mm Uragan multiple launch rocket system on Saturday night. The storage facility for spent nuclear fuel was in the affected area…reports Asian Lite News
Ukraine and Russia exchanged accusations over a fresh strike on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine.
Zaporizhzhia is one of the largest atomic power complexes in Europe and generates a quarter of Ukraine’s total electricity. It has been under the control of Russian forces since March and has been the scene of military strikes in recent days.
Ukraine’s state-run nuclear energy operator Energoatom on Sunday accused Russian forces of shelling the power plant, saying the latest rocket attacks on Saturday hit the area next to the plant’s dry storage facility, where 174 containers with spent nuclear fuel were stored in the open air.
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Energoatom said it is impossible to properly monitor the radiation situation at the site because three radiation monitoring detectors around the facility were damaged.
On Sunday, the TASS news agency reported that the administration of Energodar city, which is home to the nuclear power plant, blamed the Ukrainian army for the overnight attacks.
The city said Ukrainian troops launched a strike against the plant using the 220-mm Uragan multiple launch rocket system on Saturday night. The storage facility for spent nuclear fuel was in the affected area.
It added that the submunitions and the rocket engine fell within 400 meters of the operating power unit.
Second caravan of Ukrainian grain ships inspected
Efforts to bring Ukrainian grain to international markets via the Black Sea have gone into a higher gear as the inspections of the second caravan of ships off Istanbul were concluded on Sunday.
A team of representatives of the Joint Coordination Center (JCC) inspected the three newly arrived ships carrying a total of 58,000 tons of grain.
The Malta-flagged vessel Rojen passed through the Bosphorus Strait for Britain on Sunday after it had received the clearance to go. The passages of the Turkish-flagged Polarnet to a Turkey’s north-western port and the Panama-flagged Navistar to Ireland are expected to be held later.
Also on Sunday, four more ships were given the authorisation to leave the Ukrainian ports of Chornomorsk and Odesa, announced the JCC, the organisation responsible for the whole shipment process.
The vessel named Star Helena is heading to China, Mustafa Necati is sailing to Italy, while Glory and Riva Wind are on the way to Turkey. The inspections of these vessels will be performed by JCC upon their arrival at the Black Sea entrance of the Bosphorus Strait.
With over 26,000 tons of load, the first grain-laden ship Razoni passed through Istanbul’s Bosphorus Strait on August 3 for Lebanon, marking the first export of Ukrainian grain to international markets after Turkey, Russia, and Ukraine signed a landmark UN-backed deal on July 22.
Ukraine still has some 20 million tons of grain in silos waiting for shipment, according to Turkish state-run Anadolu agency.
In order to make room for the new harvests and avoid the possibility of grain rotting, the sides have been working to increase the transfer volume to greater levels.
Experts are hoping that the soaring food inflation around the globe might lose some of its momenta if the shipments continue successfully.
ALSO READ-Four more ships with grain depart Ukraine port
