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On the eve of Ukraine’s Independence Day, there have been warnings that Russia may plan to mark the event by attacking key government and civilian targets.
The U.S. embassy in Kyiv has urged U.S. citizens still in Ukraine to leave the country immediately, adding to concerns.
The U.S. State Department issued a security alert, saying it had “information that Russia is stepping up its efforts to launch attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure and government facilities in the coming days.”
The U.S. warning comes on the heels of Russia’s claim that Ukrainian intelligence was responsible for a weekend car bombing outside Moscow that killed the daughter of a Russian right-wing political theorist. Ukraine denies involvement.
Hundreds line up for a memorial service to pay tribute to Darya Dugina, 29, the daughter of nationalist author Alexander Dugin, for his alleged love affair with Russian President Vladimir Had an impact, the media dubbed her “Putin’s brain” and “Putin’s Rasputin” Putin.
Ms Dugina, a commentator on a Russian TV channel, died when the SUV she was driving exploded while driving home from the Patriotic Traditions festival on Saturday night.
Her father, a staunch supporter of Putin’s decision to send troops into Ukraine, is widely believed to be the intended target.
At the memorial service at the Moscow Broadcasting Center, Mr. Dugin recalled the last words his daughter said to him at the festival on Saturday: “Father, I feel like a soldier, I feel like a hero. I want to be One, I don’t want any different fate. I want to be with my people, with my country.”
Russia has accused Ukraine of being behind Ms Dugina’s killing, fueling Ukrainian concerns. The Kyiv regional government banned mass events in the capital from Aug. 22 to 25 because it said there was a “high probability of Russian missiles hitting the city during the week of Independence Day,” said spokeswoman Katerina Datsenko. Big”.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s intelligence service also warned Kyiv residents to be careful, especially on Independence Day, not to ignore air raid alerts.
Kyiv resident Vlad Mudrak said he agreed to ban mass gatherings while visiting destroyed Russian tanks and artillery on display near the capital’s main square.
“Our country is going through very difficult times and we need to be careful,” Mr. Mudrak, 26, said on Tuesday, which was Ukraine’s Flag Day.
“Look how many weapons they have,” he said, standing next to a burned-out tank and multiple rocket launchers. “It’s nothing, not even 1 percent.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky alluded to the potential threat in an evening speech over the weekend, in which he said: “We should be aware that this week Russia may try to do something particularly vile and cruel”.
On Tuesday, however, Mr Zelensky emphasized contempt rather than concern as he raised the flag at the memorial.
“Ukraine’s blue-yellow flag will again fly where it should. In all Ukrainian cities and villages temporarily occupied,” he said, including the Crimean peninsula that Russia annexed in 2014.
One potential target that could be ominous is Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine, where continued shelling and fighting have raised fears of a nuclear catastrophe.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has generally warned about the nuclear threat, especially since Russia mentioned its vast nuclear arsenal early in the war.
Mr. Guterres called for an end to the “nuclear threat”, saying the world was at “the moment of greatest danger” and that all nuclear-armed nations must commit to “no first use of nuclear weapons”.
That did not stop the shelling near the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant earlier on Tuesday.
Regional Governor Valentin Reznichenko said Russian troops opened fire on nearby Mahanec and Nikopol on the right bank of the Dnieper in a relentless overnight shelling that continued for weeks.
Another worry is the fate of Ukrainian prisoners of war. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said she was “concerned by reports that armed groups affiliated with the Russian Federation and Donetsk are planning – possibly in the coming days – to try Ukrainian prisoners of war”.
She said it was labelled an “international court” but did not guarantee due process and fair trial.
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