As the international community expresses concern about the fighting around Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday (August 13) that his country is targeting Russian soldiers who shoot at or use the occupied nuclear plant as a shooting base.
Repeating accusations that Russia is using the plant as nuclear blackmail Zelensky in his evening video address said “Every Russian soldier who either shoots at the plant, or shoots using the plant as cover, must understand that he becomes a special target for our intelligence agents, for our special services, for our army.”
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“And absolutely all officials of the terrorist state, as well as those who help them in this blackmail operation with the nuclear power plant, must answer in an international court,” AFP quoted him as saying.
Early in the battle, Russian troops took control of the station. Ukraine and Russia have traded allegations over a series of recent shelling incidents at Europe’s largest nuclear power station, Zaporizhzhia.
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Providing an update on Ukraine’s frontline actions, he called the battle in Donbas “brutal.”
“Fighting in the south of the country brings good news about the destruction of Russian army forces and their means. No day is wasted – we are reducing the occupiers’ potential,” he added.
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Zelensky also gave an update on the country’s grain export situation. According to him, Ukraine was able to export the same amount of grain from three ports in less than two weeks as it had done by road throughout July.
Two more grain-carrying ships left Ukraine’s Black Sea ports on Saturday, according to Turkey’s defence ministry, increasing the total number of vessels leaving the nation under an UN-brokered pact to 16.
(With inputs from agencies)
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