Kyiv/London/Geneva/New York: The Exclusion Zone (Chornobyl zone) Management Agency of Ukraine claimed today evening (local time) that Russian troops caused a fire in the area of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant and that the danger of increased radiation levels was growing.
Earlier, the International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi had said today that Ukraine informed the IAEA that its specialist teams had succeeded in repairing a power line needed to resume external electricity supplies to the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), four days after they were completely lost at the Russian-controlled site.
Also read: Chornobyl Nuclear Plant staff facing a hard time says IAEA
In the meantime, Ukraine today accused the invading Russian army of continuing to attack and kill civilians in Ukraine. It also claimed that several facilities of the Ukrainian Air Force were hit by missile strikes. Three Russian cruise missiles were intercepted by air defence. Most others hit their targets, especially damaging the Vasylkiv airport in the Kyiv region.
A Russian airstrike hit the Holy Dormition Lavra in the city of Sviatohirsk, Donetsk region, damaging the monastery that houses monks and refugees. No casualties were reported so far.
The Ministry of Interior Affairs of Ukraine claimed today that 1,582 civilians were killed in Mariupol alone during the blockade of the city as of March 13, 2022.
Brent Renaud, a US journalist from the New York Times was shot and killed in Ukraine today. Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs quoted Kyiv Region Police saying that he was killed by the Russian troops in Irpin city (Kyiv region) while covering the war.
Another journalist from NYT was alive being operated in the Okhmatdyt specialized children’s hospital in Kyiv, and his life is not in danger, the press service of the hospital stated. The London-based Justice for Journalists (JFJ) Foundation, which monitors attacks against media workers, stated that three journalists had so far died in Ukraine ever since Russia invaded it on February 24, 2022.
Kyiv City Administration said Kyiv was preparing for a possible blockade by Russian troops, stockpiling humanitarian supplies to support the city’s residents.
Ukraine further claimed that the Russian occupants shelled the Avdiivka city Coke Plant prompted shutting down of the adjacent thermal power plant. Due to extensive damage to the infrastructure, the city was left without heat. However, no casualties were reported so far there.
Meanwhile, the UNICEF, World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), issued a joint statement today, calling for an immediate cessation of all attacks on health care in Ukraine.
The WHO’s Surveillance System for Attacks on Health Care (SSA) has documented 31 attacks on health care in Ukraine since the start of the war. According to these reports, in 24 incidents health care facilities were damaged or destroyed, while in five cases ambulances were damaged or destroyed. These attacks have led to at least 12 deaths and 34 injuries, and affected access to and availability of essential health services. WHO is verifying further reports, as attacks continue to be reported despite the calls for protection of health care.
Condemning the attack on babies, children, pregnant women, and those already suffering from illness and disease that they called an act of unconscionable cruelty, the three UN agencies stated that these “horrific” attacks are killing and causing serious injuries to patients and health workers, destroying vital health infrastructure and forcing thousands to forgo accessing health services despite catastrophic needs.
Taking note of more than 4,300 births that occurred in Ukraine since the start of war and that 80,000 Ukrainian women are expected to give birth in next three months, the three UN agencies warned that oxygen and medical supplies, including for the management of pregnancy complications, were running dangerously low.
“The health care system in Ukraine is clearly under significant strain, and its collapse would be a catastrophe. Every effort must be made to prevent this from happening,” they stated.
– global bihari bureau
