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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the actions of Russian forces at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant as “nuclear blackmail” that could fuel malign actors around the world.
He reiterated his call for new sanctions on Moscow and its nuclear industry to deal with the situation.
On Monday, Russian and Ukrainian officials filed additional charges over the renewed shelling of the plant, with each claiming the other was responsible for the disaster-triggering attack.
The Kremlin-backed government press office in the Russian-controlled city of Enerhodar, where the plant is located, told Interfax that Ukrainian forces were carrying out “massive shelling” of the facility and Enerhodar’s residential and industrial areas.
According to the statement, the shelling came from nearby Nikopol, a Ukrainian-controlled city across the Dnieper River from the factory.
The mayor of Nikopol later said that the Russians were shelling Enejodar.
Nikopol Mayor Yevtushenko and other municipalities have repeatedly accused Russian troops stationed at the factory of shelling the city, knowing that Ukrainian troops there are unlikely to fire back.
At least three Ukrainian civilians were killed and 20 wounded as Russian troops continued shelling around Ukraine, Ukrainian officials said.
Regional officials said the deaths and injuries were blamed on Russian shelling of towns and villages in the Donetsk region.
In Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city, seven civilians were injured in Russian shelling that hit residential buildings and an area near a bus station. Kharkiv Governor Ole Sinyehubov said the injured included an 80-year-old woman.
Russian fighter jets attacked Ukrainian military positions in the southern Kherson and Donetsk regions, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Monday.
He added that the Russian air force also attacked a facility in the Kharkiv region, killing at least 100 people and wounding 50 “mercenaries” from Poland and Germany. His claims could not be independently verified.
Speaking at the opening of an arms exhibition outside Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin praised the army as “gradually liberating Donbass”.
He also vowed to expand arms sales to Russian allies, whom he praised for continuing to provide Moscow with unwavering support despite Western pressure.
For its part, the Ukrainian military claims to have destroyed more than 10 Russian warehouses containing ammunition and military equipment in the past week.
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