Russia-Ukraine war live updates: Chernobyl nuclear power plant fears; Putin’s chilling next move
The situation at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant has worsened as top US officials admit their bioweapon fears and reveal the chilling next move Putin could make. Warning: Graphic
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Systems that monitor nuclear material at Chernobyl have stopped sending safety data, and staff are being forced to sleep at the nuclear power plant.
The international nuclear watchdog said it was urgently looking at the monitoring sytems at Chernobyl, the scene of the world’s worst nuclear disaster in 1986.
“The Director General also indicated that remote data transmission from safeguards monitoring systems installed at the Chernobyl NPP had been lost,” the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said.
“The Agency is looking into the status of safeguards monitoring systems in other locations in Ukraine and will provide further information soon.”
Russian troops took Chernobyl on February 24 and as many as 200 staff have since been trapped onsite and unable to be replaced.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said staff needed to “rest to carry out their important jobs safely and securely”.
Reports suggest staff have been limiting themselves to one meal per day as they don’t know how long they will be trapped.
Temporary dormitories have been set up, including makeshift beds on the floor.
“I’m deeply concerned about the difficult and stressful situation facing staff at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and the potential risks this entails for nuclear safety. I call on the forces in effective control of the site to urgently facilitate the safe rotation of personnel there,” Mr Grossi said.
It comes amid reports staff at other nuclear power staions are being “tortured” by the Russian invaders.
Ukraine’s energy minister Herman Halushchenko said Russian military units are “torturing” staff at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to force them into making public statements.
He claims staff have been “held hostage for four days”.
“There are about 500 Russian soldiers and 50 units of heavy equipment inside the station. The employees of the station are physically and psychologically exhausted,” Mr Halushchenko said.
RUSSIAN BIOWEAPON FEARS
The United States said it was working with Ukraine to prevent invading Russian forces from seizing biological research material amid concern governments or unscrupulous actors might try to use such items to create bioweapons.
“Ukraine has biological research facilities, which in fact we are now quite concerned Russian troops, Russian forces, may be seeking to gain control of,” senior State Department official Victoria Nuland told US politicians at a hearing when asked directly whether Ukraine has bioweapons.
“So we are working with the Ukrainians on how they can prevent any of those research materials from falling into the hands of Russian forces should they approach.” US Senator Marco Rubio noted there were “Russian propaganda” reports claiming the discovery of a plot by Ukrainians to release biological weapons, with coordination from NATO.
Asked by Mr Rubio if a biological or chemical weapon attack were to occur inside Ukraine, whether Russians would be behind it, Ms Nuland replied: “There is no doubt in my mind, senator. And it is a classic Russian technique to blame on the other guy what they’re planning to do themselves.”
On March 6, Moscow’s foreign ministry tweeted that Russian forces found evidence that Kyiv was “eradicating traces of the military-biological programme in Ukraine,” financed by the Pentagon.
The Atlantic Council, a think tank headquartered in Washington, says the Kremlin was seeking to justify its invasion by pushing a false narrative that Ukraine was developing dirty bombs and biological weapons.
The council said there was no evidence Ukraine was creating such weapons.
PUTIN’S NEXT MOVE
Russian President Vladimir Putin will likely “escalate” the war in Ukraine despite the setbacks and fierce resistance his forces have encountered, a senior US intelligence official says.
Logistical and equipment trouble has stalled the Russians and meant hopes of a quick, relatively easy invasion of Ukraine hasn’t happened like Mr Putin expected it to.
“Our analysts assess that Putin is unlikely to be deterred by such setbacks and instead may escalate, essentially doubling down to achieve Ukrainian disarmament, neutrality [and] to prevent it from further integrating with the US and NATO if it doesn’t reach some diplomatic negotiation,” Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told a US Congressional hearing.
“We assess Putin feels aggrieved the West does not give him proper deference and perceives this as a war he cannot afford to lose. But what he might be willing to accept as a victory may change over time given the significant costs he is incurring.”
Ms Haines said the Russian leader’s order to put his nuclear forces on high alert was “extremely unusual”.
“But we also have not observed force-wide nuclear posture changes that go beyond what we’ve seen in prior moments of heightened tensions during the last few decades,” she said. “Our analysts assess that Putin’s current posturing in this arena is probably intended to deter the West from providing additional general support to Ukraine as he weighs an escalation of the conflict.”
Mr Putin’s “probably” still has confidence the Russian military can defeat Ukraine, but is using the nuclear threat to “prevent Western support from tipping the balance and forcing a conflict with NATO”.
“Russia’s failure to rapidly seize Kyiv and overwhelm Ukrainian forces has deprived Moscow of the quick military victory that it probably had originally expected would prevent the United States and NATO from being able to provide meaningful military aid to Ukraine,” she said.
In the face of unexpectedly strong opposition from Ukraine’s troops, Ms Haines said it was unclear whether Putin will continue to pursue a plan to capture the entire country, which would require more military resources.
She said if Russia achieved Mr Putin’s goal of conquering Ukraine it will likely be hard-pressed to hold it.
UKRAINE REFUGEES HIT TWO MILLION
More than two million people have now fled Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion on February 24, according to the latest data from the United Nations.
UNHCR, the UN’s refugee agency, recorded 2,011,312 refugees on its dedicated website, 276,244 more than the previous count on Monday.
UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi called it a “shocking milestone”.
Families have been “senselessly ripped apart”, plunged into “despair and unimaginable suffering” by the “brutal war”, he said.
The International Organisation for Migration said that 103,000 third-country nationals were among those who have fled.
“There are countless tens of thousands of others who remain in the country stranded,” IOM spokesman Paul Dillon said, citing a mixture of overseas students and workers.
He announced a partnership with Airbnb to connect refugees to free or heavily discounted short-term housing in neighbouring countries, with more than 26,000 hosts having signed up so far.
US, UK BAN ALL RUSSIAN OIL IMPORTS
US President Joe Biden announced his administration is banning Russian oil, natural gas and coal imports to the US in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“Today I am announcing the United States is targeting the main artery of Russia’s economy. We’re banning all imports of Russian oil and gas and energy,” Mr Biden said from the White House on Tuesday local time.
“That means Russian oil will no longer be acceptable at US ports and the American people will deal another powerful blow to Putin’s war machine.”
This decision today is not without costs here at home. Putin’s war is already hurting American families at the pump — and this will drive up costs further.
— President Biden (@POTUS) March 8, 2022
So, I will take every step we can to minimize Putin’s price hike here at home.
The US expected to make the move unilaterally, without its European allies, due to disagreement among European nations about whether to ban Russian energy imports.
EU countries are significantly more dependant on Russian energy than the US.
Not long before Mr Biden’s announcement, the United Kingdom announced that it planned to phase out Russian oil imports by the end of the year.
British Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said the government will work with companies through a new Taskforce on Oil to support them to make use of this period in finding alternative supplies.
“The UK is a significant producer of oil and oil products, plus we hold significant reserves,’’ he said.
“Beyond Russia, the vast majority of our imports come from reliable partners such as the US, Netherlands and the Gulf. We’ll work with them this year to secure further supplies.”
RUSSIAN POWs TO ‘RESTORE UKRAINE ECNOMY’
Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs says Russian prisoners of war will be used to “restore Ukraine’s economy” in accordance with the Geneva Conventions.
First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Yevhen Yenin said the government will adhere “to all norms of international humanitarian law.”
“And this is what distinguishes us from the Russian aggressor, who shoots at civilians, strikes rockets and bombs at homes. And I’m not talking about the treatment of our servicemen,” Mr Yenin said.
“We will use all the opportunities that the Geneva Conventions give us in this regard. That is, the use of labor, etc. All these people will later work to restore Ukraine’s economy,” he continued.
According the Geneva Conventions relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War, a detaining power “may utilize the labor of prisoners of war who are physically fit, taking into account their age, sex, rank and physical aptitude, and with a view particularly to maintaining them in a good state of physical and mental health.”
WARSHIP DESTROYED
A Russian warship that fired on a group of Ukrainian border guards after being told to “go f – k yourself” was destroyed in battle, according to a new report.
“We f**king hit them,” a man is heard saying on a recording of the conflict, the Times of London said.
“Russian warship, go f**k yourself,” another man said, repeating the words of Ukranian soldiers who refused Russian orders to surrender on Snake Island as the invasion began.
The Valisy Bykov, a small warship known as a “corvette,” was one of two Russian vessels that opened fire on Snake Island on February 24, the Times reported.
An audio clip captured part of the ship’s confrontation with a contingent of 13 Ukrainian soldiers that refused to abandon its post on the island.
MCDONALD’S, COCA-COLA, PEPSICO, STARBUCKS EXIT RUSSIA
It comes as more multinational companies pulled out of Russia.
McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Starbucks and Amazon’s cloud-computing unit Amazon Web Services announced they would suspended services in protest to the UKraine invasion.
“Our hearts are with the people who are enduring unconscionable effects from these tragic events in Ukraine,” Coca-Cola said in a statement announcing that it was “suspending its business in Russia.”
Boycotts and sanctions are biting hard with local markets are closed for trading until at least Wednesday and the rouble losing nearly 50 per cent of its value since the start of the year.
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‘FIGHT TO THE END’: ZELENSKYY GETS STANDING OVATION
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has delivered a historic address from his war bunker and vowed to “fight to the end”, as Russia’s offensive continues.
He is the first leader in history to address MPs – who gave him a standing ovation ahead of and after his speech – in the House of Commons via videolink.
Mr Zelenskyy told the MPs he was “addressing you as a citizen, as a president of a big country, with a dream” and compared Ukraine’s fight against Russia to the British war effort against Nazi Germany in World War II.
“You didn’t want to lose your country when Nazis wanted to take your country,” he said from his war bunker in Kyiv.
“And you had to fight for Britain.”
He said his people have shown a “heroic” effort against Russian forces and that they will not surrender.
“We will not give up and we will not lose,” Mr Zelenskyy said.
“We will fight to the end. At sea, in the air, we will continue fighting for our land whatever the cost.
“We will fight in the forests, in the fields, on the shores, in the streets.”
During his 10 minute speech, which in parts echoed Winston Churchill’s landmark address to the House of Commons in June 1940, Mr Zelenskyy said Ukraine needs more support from “civilised countries”.
He told the parliament that Ukraine was thankful for the help it has received from other countries in the form of sanctions but what Ukraine really needs is a no-fly zone.
“Please increase the pressure of sanctions against this country and please recognise this country as a terrorist state,” he pleaded.
“And please make sure that our Ukrainian skies are safe.
“Please make sure you do what needs to be done and what is stipulated by the greatness of your country.”
POLAND’S ‘SURPRISE’ OFFER FOR UKRAINE
The United States was caught off guard on Tuesday local time when Poland announced it was prepared to provide Mig-29 fighter jets under a reported scheme that would eventually send the planes to Ukraine, a US official said.
“I was in a meeting where I ought to have heard about that just before I came (to a Senate hearing), so I think that actually was a surprise move by the Poles,” Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland told US lawmakers.
Asked by a senator whether US officials coordinated ahead of time with Poland before Warsaw made its announcement, Nuland said: “Not to my knowledge.”
Poland’s foreign ministry said Warsaw was ready to deliver the Mig-29s to the US air base in Ramstein, Germany.
A reported deal would then see Warsaw receive F-16 fighters as replacements for the Soviet-era jets that Ukrainian pilots are trained on.
The issue has been a sensitive one in Washington, where members of President Joe Biden’s administration have deliberated about - but not committed to - such a plan.
NO-FLY ZONE OVER UKRAINE ‘NECESSARY’ FOR WEST
His speech came as a former senior British military chief told The Times a no-fly zone over Ukraine could be necessary as the West faces the choice of fighting Vladimir Putin either now or later.
General Sir Chris Deverell said Mr Putin was determined to extend the conflict anyway.
“I have been against the imposition of a no-fly zone by NATO in Ukraine, believing that it would surely escalate the conflict. But Putin seems hellbent on escalation. So the question is becoming: does NATO fight him now or fight him later?” he said.
He said a no-fly zone could only be imposed if the West would back it up with ground troops, if necessary.
Deverell said on Twitter that Mr Putin would probably respond with nuclear threats but the logic has to be that his threats are “meaningless”.
“Whatever he can do to us, we can do to him,” he said.
I have been against the imposition of a no fly zone by NATO in Ukraine, believing that it would surely escalate the conflict. But Putin seems hell bent on escalation. So the question is becoming: does NATO fight him now or fight him later? #SlavaUkraini#NATO#NoFlyZone
— Sir Chris Deverell (@chris_deverell) March 6, 2022
RUSSIA OPENS HUMANITARIAN CORRIDORS
Russia planned to open humanitarian corridors in Ukraine on Tuesday local time for civilians to flee besieged cities, but Kyiv insisted the move was a publicity stunt and people would not be able to escape.
Moscow’s offer to evacuate residents was condemned because most of the routes led into Russia or its ally Belarus, and as the invading forces maintained a devastating shelling campaign.
The Ukrainian military said, nearly two weeks into the war, that Russia was ramping up its troops and equipment around the main conflict zones.
The invasion has sparked the biggest war in Europe and the continent’s largest refugee crisis since World War II, while the West has responded with sanctions on Russia that have reverberated around the global economy.
Russia’s defence ministry said it would open the “humanitarian corridors”, subject to Ukraine’s approval, listing routes from the capital Kyiv as well as the cities of Mariupol, Kharkiv and Sumy — all of which have been under heavy attack.
Ukraine did not initially respond to the offer.
Mr Zelenskyy accused Russia of reneging on previous escape route agreements, and trying to stop people such as by planting explosives on roads.
“There was an agreement on humanitarian corridors. Did that work? Russian tanks worked in its place, Russian Grads (multiple rocket launchers), Russian mines,” Mr Zelenskyyy said in a video posted on Telegram.
Accusing Moscow of “cynicism”, Mr Zelenskyyy also said Russian troops destroyed buses that were due to evacuate civilians from the combat zones.
“They ensure that a small corridor to the occupied territory is open for a few dozen people. Not so much towards Russia as towards the propagandists, directly towards the television cameras,” he said.
French President Emmanuel Macron also condemned the Russian plan.
“All this is not serious, it is moral and political cynicism, which I find intolerable,” Mr Macron told French broadcaster LCI.
“I do not know many Ukrainians who want to go to Russia,” he added, saying full ceasefires to protect civilians were needed rather than corridors.
Addressing the Security Council, the UN’s top humanitarian official Martin Griffiths also said civilians must be allowed to leave in the direction they wish.
US PLAN TO PREVENT ‘WORLD WAR 3’
The United States believes Russia is digging in for a protracted war, and Washington wants to help Kyiv resist, but an overarching goal remains – limiting the conflict to Ukraine to avoid spillover that could provoke “World War III.”
The US military establishment is walking a tightrope as it seeks to balance such demands and avoid nuclear escalation, according to public statements by American leaders and AFP interviews with several officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive issue.
The conflict “may not be over soon,” warned Secretary of State Antony Blinken during his latest visit to Europe.
US intelligence sources initially feared a lightning attack that would see Kyiv fall within days. But the Pentagon soon realised Russia’s army was “behind” in its battle plan, due to logistical problems and Ukraine’s fierce resistance.
RUSSIA’S FOUR DEMANDS – AND A CHILLING THREAT
The Kremlin has spectacularly issued four formal demands on Ukraine and has vowed to maintain its devastating missile and artillery barrage until they are met.
It has been a day short of a fortnight since Russian troops invaded their neighbour Ukraine and the slaughter of civilians by Russian forces sweeping across the country runs unabated.
Shelling continued on towns about Kyiv including Bucha, Vorzel, Irpin and Hostomel, where the community council chief was killed with two others while distributing bread to locals.
At least 13 people were killed by shelling at an industrial bakery in Makariv, 50km west of Kyiv.
Kharkiv experienced intense fighting, as did Mariupol and townships about Odessa, in what Ukrainian forces described as “medieval siege” tactics.
According to Ukrainian authorities, Russia had so far damaged or destroyed 202 schools, 34 hospitals and more than 1500 residential buildings.
There were also civilian airports and other civil infrastructure.
The foreign ministers from Ukraine and Russia will meet in Turkey on Thursday to seek an impasse to peace talks but ahead of the meeting the Kremlin killed the notion, issuing a list of four demands.
The Kremlin demanded Ukraine surrender and cease military action, change its constitution to enshrine neutrality and rejection of a NATO bloc, acknowledge Crimea as Russian territory, and recognise the separatist republics of Donetsk and Lugansk as independent states.
Critically the Kremlin said its “demilitarisation” of Ukraine was almost complete and Russia would not seek to make any more territorial claims, but Ukrainian forces needed to surrender.
Only the acceptance of all four points would stop its “special military operation”, which has sparked the greatest refugee crisis since World War II, with more than 1.7 million Ukrainians forced to seek refuge in another country.
Russia did offer humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to flee cities it is bombing, however almost all the eight routes led to Russia or its ally Belarus.
According to the Ukrainian government, there were 2046 foreign students from 27 countries unable to leave cities or towns, including Sumy in the north. There was so far no clear evidence of mass evacuations yet.
Originally published as Russia-Ukraine war live updates: Chernobyl nuclear power plant fears; Putin’s chilling next move
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