© Leonhard Foeger/ReutersIAEA chief Rafael Grossi is scheduled to brief the UN Security Council on the situation of nuclear plants in Ukraine.
The United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency has called for the establishment of a protection zone around Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) in southern Ukraine, so long as Russia's invasion continues.
In a report issued after visiting the nuclear plant — Europe's largest — the IAEA said shelling presented a major risk to nuclear safety. The report said:
"The IAEA is still gravely concerned about the situation at the ZNPP — this hasn't changed.It said the best course of action would be for the conflict to end, but failing that, a security area should be established. It also called for the removal of the Russian armored vehicles that the delegation observed at the plant.
"While the ongoing shelling has not yet triggered a nuclear emergency, it continues to represent a constant threat to nuclear safety and security with potential impact on critical safety functions that may lead to radiological consequences with great safety significance."
"Shelling on site and in its vicinity should be stopped immediately to avoid any further damages to the plant and associated facilities, for the safety of the operating staff and to maintain the physical integrity to support safe and secure operation.It said it was ready to offer guidance on establishing such a zone.
"This requires agreement by all relevant parties to the establishment of a nuclear safety and security protection zone around the ZNPP."
What damages did the IAEA delegation observe?
During the visit, the IAEA said it saw numerous cases of damage, and at one point the delegation was forced to seek shelter from incoming shell fire.
The damaged infrastructure included:
A turbine lubrication oil tank; the roofs of several buildings including the one housing the spent fuel transporter vehicle; the building that houses fresh nuclear fuel and the solid radioactive waste storage facility; the new training building; the building with the central alarm system for the physical protection system; and the container holding radiation monitoring system which is near the dry spent fuel storage facility.It heaped praise on the staff manning the plant, but said working and living conditions needed to improve for them to avoid the risk of a nuclear accident.
"The staff at all of Ukraine's nuclear facilities have continued to show endurance and resilience in keeping the sites running in a safe and secure way amid the conflict, and the IAEA salutes them."Kyiv and Moscow have repeatedly accused each other of shelling the plant. The Zaporizhzhia plant, along with most of the rest of the region, has been under Russian occupation since March, but is run by Ukrainian staff.
It said they were "under constant high stress and pressure, especially with the limited staff available. This is not sustainable and could lead to increased human error with implications for nuclear safety."
Ukraine's nuclear agency Energoatom said on Monday that shelling disrupted power lines and took the plant's last remaining reactor offline.
The UN nuclear watchdog, citing information supplied by Kyiv, said that the plant's backup power line had been cut to extinguish a fire. It said that the line itself was not damaged and would be reconnected.
Later on Tuesday, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi will brief the UN Security Council.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned of a "near radiation catastrophe," and alleged that Moscow "does not care what the IAEA will say."
Meanwhile, Kyiv has claimed gains in a counter-offensive in Ukraine's south, including the re-capture of one village in the Kherson region, which lies immediately west of Zaporizhzhia.
Here's a look at some of the other major news stories from Russia's war in Ukraine on September 6.
European Commission recommends Russian visa deal be dropped
The European Commission has recommended that the Visa Facilitation Agreement with Russia be suspended. The move was largely expected, and will now be passed onto the European Council for final approval.
"A country like Russia, waging a war of aggression, should not qualify for visa facilitations as long as it continues conducting its destructive foreign policy and military aggression towards Ukraine, demonstrating a complete disregard to the international rules-based order.Suspending the deal would mean a more arduous process for visas for Russian nationals, but would include considerations for family members of EU citizens, journalists, dissidents and civil society representatives.
"The suspension is in response to increased risks and threats to the Union's security interests and the national security of the Member States as result of Russia's military aggression against Ukraine."
The increased hurdles they face would include a higher visa fee (€80 up from €35), processing times of up to 45 days, restrictions on multiple entry visas, and a requirement for more documents.
The visa deal first came into force in 2007, but ministers from EU member states last week agreed to put it on ice. The new arrangement falls well short of an outright ban on visas for Russians, which some EU states had called for.
According to the Commission, about 963,000 Russians held valid visas to the Schengen area.
Missile attack kills 3 in Kharkiv region, governor says
Kharkiv regional Governor Oleh Synehubov said that three civilians were killed in two Russian strikes on the regional capital and on a village north of it.
Synehubov said that a Russian rocket attack had destroyed a residential building, killing a 73-year-old woman.
Two men were killed in shelling in the Kharkiv village of Zolochiv, which lies in between the regional capital and Ukraine's border with Russia, according to the governor.
Synehubov said that a new rocket attack on Tuesday morning had nearly destroyed an apartment building in central Kharkiv. The city's mayor, Ihor Terekhov, said that three people had been rescued from under the ruins of the building.
Ukrainian General Staff: More than 50,000 Russian losses incurred
Ukraine's General Staff in a Facebook post estimated the Russian military's total losses since the start of the invasion in February at more than 50,000 soldiers.
The Ukrainian army claims to have destroyed over 2,000 tanks and nearly 4,500 armored vehicles, and to have shot down 236 airplanes and 207 helicopters.
The dpa news agency said it could not independently verify the data.
Britain's defense ministry has given an estimate of 25,000 Russian losses, far short of the Ukrainian General Staff's figures.
Moscow has not provided any information on casualties for many months.
Last Friday, pro-Russian separatists in the Donetsk region estimated their losses since late February at 2,900.
© Sputnik/ReutersRussian President Vladimir Putin and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu • Recent military drills
Russian President Vladimir Putin was seen smiling and joking with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu as he inspected military drills in the country's Far East region.
Troops from China, India and a number of other countries are participating in the drills, named "Vostok-2022" after the Russian word for "east."
Russia's defense ministry said the exercises involve only 50,000 troops, much less than the 300,000 that it said took part in 2018.
Moscow says the drills also involve military contingents and observers from Algeria, Laos, Mongolia, Nicaragua and Syria. Also involved are Belarus, which Moscow has used as a staging ground for its invasion of Ukraine, and a number of other former Soviet countries in Central Asia and the Caucasus.
The exercises are due to end on Wednesday, after which Putin will attend the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok alongside Chinese top lawmaker Li Zhanshu.
More on the conflict in Ukraine
Russian statistics bureau Rosstat said the country's GDP had fallen by just 0.4% in the first six months of 2022, as oil and gas revenues continue to shore up the country's finances despite Western sanctions.
Former British Foreign Minister Liz Truss, who is set to take office as prime minister today, has pledged to increase British defense spending to at least 2-3% of GDP. Truss said that her first conversation with a world leader as PM will be with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, underscoring Britain's support for Kyiv.
Germany is set to extend the lifespans of two nuclear plants as Berlin tries to find alternatives to Russian gas.
Comment: Numerous issues and complications illustrate 1) the need to come to resolution, and 2) the prospects that it won't.