Explosions and a vast fire rocked the Russian town of Domodedovo, 37 km south of Moscow in the early hours of today: several Russian Telegram channels write it, quoting eyewitnesses, as reported by Ukrinform. Today’s explosions follow the shooting down by Russian air defense systems of two drones in the night between Tuesday and Wednesday: one in the Domodedovo area and another near the Minskoe highway, the mayor of the capital had announced yesterday morning, Sergey Sobyanin.
Ukraine: maxi attack with Russian drones in the west
Russian forces launched a “massive” drone strike overnight in the Rivne region of western Ukraine, destroying an oil depot in Dubno district; the head of the regional military administration, Vitaliy Koval, announced this on Telegram, as reported by the Kyiv Independent. Dubno is located about 125 km from the Polish border. “During the night, the Rivne region suffered a massive drone attack. Unfortunately, an oil depot in the Dubno district was destroyed. There were no casualties,” Koval wrote. At least 45 members of the rescue teams are at work on site.
Poland sends 10,000 soldiers to the border with Belarus
Poland will send up to 10,000 additional soldiers to the border with Belarus to strengthen the border guard, Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said today in an interview on public radio. The Reuters news agency reports it on its website. “Around 10,000 troops will be at the border, of which 4,000 will directly support the Border Guard and 6,000 will be in reserve,” the minister said. “We bring the army closer to the Belarusian border to scare the aggressor so that he doesn’t dare to attack us,” he added.
Kiev: ‘Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on the verge of blackout’
Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant lost its connection to its main high-voltage line last night and “is on the verge of another blackout,” Ukraine’s state-owned nuclear energy company Energoatom wrote on Telegram. “On August 10, the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant lost its connection to its main external power transmission line with a voltage of 750 kV. available kV, the disconnection of which threatens the loss of external energy (blackout),” reads a note.
“In this scenario, the main threat to nuclear and radioactive safety is that Unit 4 of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is in a ‘hot shutdown’ state,” Energoatom stressed. “The occupiers operate Unit 4 in violation of the operating conditions of the reactors of nuclear power plants”. According to Taras Tkach, interim executive director of Energoatom, in the event of a complete loss of external electricity, the main circulation pumps of the plant will be switched off and the power unit will switch to the so-called ‘natural circulation’ mode.
“In this case, there is an urgent need to cool the plant in the absence of cooling pumps,” Tkach said. This mode is demanding on the reactor, its lifetime is limited and can lead to failure of key reactor equipment, Energoatom added.
“The further occupation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant by Russia and the illegitimate and unprepared Russian management, which bears no responsibility for the nuclear and radioactive safety of the plant, are constantly bringing the plant closer to disaster,” the statement reads. For this reason, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant must immediately be brought under the full control of the rightful operator, Energoatom, resulting in the return to normal operation and the restoration of nuclear and radioactive safety of the plant.This requires action. by the entire international community”.
Meanwhile, the death toll from yesterday’s Russian bombing of Zaporizhzhia has risen to three dead and nine wounded, including a child: the head of the regional military administration, Yuriy Malashko, announced on Telegram, as reported by Ukrinform. “Three dead and nine injured, including an 11-month-old baby – the result of an attack on the regional center. A Russian missile killed a 43-year-old man and young women aged 19 and 21,” Malashko said. Yesterday evening the Ukrainian Interior Minister, Igor Klymenko, had revised downwards – from three to two – the death toll of the attack.