Ukraine accused Russia of a deadly rocket attack from a captured nuclear power plan, claiming 13 deaths. While the Russians are denying targeting civilians, China is blaming the US for the conflict.
The attack:
Russia targeted the town, Marhanets. Around 10 were wounded. According to Ukraine, it was risky to return fire. President Zelenskiy stated that the Ukrainian forces will respond to the Marhanets’ shelling. According to Ukraine’s military, Russia bombarded various places in the Zaporizhzhia region. Vuhledar, the coal-mining town was also attacked.
The mayor of Nikopol said that Russian shelling are hitting the communities nearby every night for the past one week. Nikopol is a town near Marhanets and is across the river Dnipro from the nuclear plant.
President Zelenskiy called the foreign allies for sending in more powerful weapons in a late-night video address. “Will not leave today’s Russian shelling of the Dnipropetrovsk region unanswered.” Said President Zelensky. He also said that the people of Ukraine and its allies must strategize about how to cause the greatest possible damage to the occupiers to shorten the war.
Russia and Ukraine are accusing each other of damaging the plants.
The reaction of G7 and China:
The Group of seven leading Industrialized countries (G7) told Russia to give back the plant to Ukraine. This was done after the United Nations Atomic Energy Watchdog raised alarm about a potential nuclear disaster.
Zhang Hanhui, China’s ambassador to Russia blamed the United States for backing Russia into a corner, repeatedly for expanding of Western-led NATO military grouping, and supporting Ukraine’s position using the European Union. “Ultimate goal is to exhaust and crush Russia with a protracted war and the cudgel of sanctions,” Zhang was quoted.Â
China is standing against the United States on the Taiwan issue. The visit of Nancy Pelosi, the US House Speaker, pushed China to conduct extensive military drills near Taiwan. China claims Taiwan as its own.
Ukraine’s Claims:
Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermark stated that Russia purposefully launched attacks from Zaporizhzhia because it knew that it would be risky for Ukraine to answer back. “The cowardly Russians can’t do anything more so they strike towns ignobly hiding at the Zaporizhzhia atomic power station,” he said on social media on Wednesday.
According to Ukraine, around 500 Russian troops with heavy vehicles and weapons were at the plant. The civilians and Ukrainian technicians continue to work at the plant. Russia wants to connect the plant’s facilities to its power grid.
Valentyn Reznychenko, Ukraine’s central Dnipropetrovsk region’s governor, said that around 20 buildings are damaged in the town. The officials from Ukraine are showing pictures of a rubble-strewn school corridor with windows blown out. They also showed an image of a residential building that was pierced with a rocket.
The military of Ukraine reported that Russian forces have shelled around 28 towns. It attacks spread in the northeast, southwest, and south in various regions including Donetsk, Kherson, and Kharkiv. They claim that their counter-attacks have forced Russians to retreat most of the attacks.
Dmytro Zhyvytsky, governor of the Sumy region (on the Russian border, northwest of Kharkiv) said that around five communities have faced Russian shelling. The war has crushed the Ukrainian economy. However, some relief came as the overseas creditors accepted Ukraine’s request for a two-year freeze on payments on almost $20 billion in international bonds.
Russia’s Reactions:
Russia did not comment on Ukraine’s allegations of Marhanets’ attacks. However, they said that they do not deliberately target civilians in their special military operations. This is because their operation aims at safeguarding security against the expansion of NATO.
Russia claims that its forces have been behaving responsibly and have ensured the safety of the complex.
