Live: Last reactor at Zaporizhzhia taken offline after renewed shelling

Issued on: 06/09/2022 – 08:07

5:09am: IAEA says Zaporizhzhia plant has enough power to operate safely, will brief Security Council later today

Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of risking nuclear disaster by shelling near Europe’s largest nuclear plant, which officials said disrupted power lines on Monday and took the sole remaining reactor offline.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), citing information supplied from Ukraine, said the plant’s backup power line had been cut to extinguish a fire but that the line itself was not damaged and would be reconnected.

The UN nuclear watchdog said the plant had enough electricity to operate safely and would be reconnected to the grid once backup power was restored.

The IAEA’s presence at the plant was reduced to two staff members from six on Monday. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi will issue a report on Ukraine, including the plant, on Tuesday and then brief the UN Security Council, the IAEA said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday warned of a near “radiation catastrophe” and said the shelling showed Russia “does not care what the IAEA will say”.

04:56am: Russia is buying artillery ammunition from North Korea: US intelligence

US intelligence has assessed that Moscow is buying artillery ammunition from North Korea, the New York Times reported, on the heels of reports that the Russian military has begun using Iranian-made drones.

US government officials told the Times that the purchases showed sanctions had begun to bite and reduce Russia’s ability to sustain its invasion of Ukraine.

The Times report on Monday said the recently declassified intelligence provided no details about what was purchased, beyond saying that the items included artillery shells and rockets. Russia was expected to buy more such gear, the Times reported.

Last month, a US official told Reuters that Russia’s Iranian-made drones had suffered “numerous failures”. The official said Russia most likely planned to acquire hundreds of Mohajer-6 and Shahed-series unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Officials have said Western sanctions are limiting Russia’s ability to replace vehicles and weapons destroyed in Ukraine.

02:28am: Biden says Russia should not be branded state sponsor of terrorism

US President Joe Biden on Monday said Russia should not be designated a state sponsor of terrorism, a label Ukraine has pushed for amid Russia’s ongoing invasion while Moscow has warned it would rupture US-Russian ties.

Asked if Russia should be designated a state sponsor of terrorism, Biden told reporters at the White House: “No.” Some US lawmakers have also pressed for the designation.

(FRANCE 24 with Reuters, AP and AFP)