Ukraine and Russia: What you need to know now

Firefighters work at the site of a thermal power plant damaged by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine September 11, 2022. Ukraine State Emergency Service Press Service / Posted via Reuters

(Reuters) – Ukrainian forces moved deeper into territory captured by fleeing Russian forces on Monday, as jubilant residents returned to former standoff villages and Moscow faced the fallout from the collapse of its occupying forces in northeastern Ukraine. Read more

fighting

* The commander of the Ukrainian forces, General Valery Zaluzhny, said that the Ukrainian forces advanced north from Kharkiv to a distance of 50 km from the border with Russia and are also pressing on the south and east in the same area.

* Zalozhny said Ukraine has recovered more than 3,000 square kilometers (1,160 square miles) this month.

The Ukrainian General Staff said its forces have recaptured more than 20 towns and villages in the past day alone.

At least 1,000 people have died in the past six months in the fighting in the city of Izyum, but the real number may be much higher, an official said, two days after Kyiv forces regained control of the main supply center.

The British Ministry of Defense said that Russia had likely ordered the withdrawal of its forces from the entire occupied Kharkiv region west of the Uskil River. read more (https://bit.ly/3xfp2lf)

The Kremlin has said it sees no prospect for peace talks and that what it calls a special military operation in Ukraine will achieve its goals.

Russian nationalists angrily called for immediate changes by President Vladimir Putin to ensure eventual victory in the Ukraine War, after Moscow was forced to abandon Izyum. Read more

* Commentators on Russian state television were forced to deviate from their texts due to the rapid advance of Ukrainian forces in the country’s Kharkiv region and the rapid retreat of Moscow. Read more

Facing one of its worst defeats in nearly seven months of the war, the Kremlin insisted it would achieve its military goals, and President Vladimir Putin maintained an air of business as usual as he chaired a meeting on the economy. Read more

Reuters was not able to independently verify the battlefield reports.

nuclear plant

* Operations at the fully Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant have been halted as a safety measure, the state operator said. The move followed the restoration of the backup power line to allow the plant to be connected to Ukraine’s electricity grid. Read more

* The IAEA confirmed the rehabilitation, which allowed the plant to draw power from the grid to cool its reactors.

The presidents of Russia and France held talks on plant safety, with Putin blaming Ukrainian forces, while Emmanuel Macron pointed the finger at Russian forces. Read more

– Mikhailo Podolak, adviser to the Ukrainian president, said that Russian attacks hit the CHPP-5 Kharkiv power plant, which is one of the largest in the country.

* Ukraine and Russia are interested in the IAEA’s proposal to create a protection zone around the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said, describing it as a ceasefire. Read more

Diplomacy and trade

– The Financial Times said that Indonesian President Joko Widodo is considering joining India and China in buying Russian oil to offset the mounting pressure from rising energy costs. Read more

* Sources told Reuters that the International Monetary Fund is looking for ways to provide emergency financing to countries facing food price shocks due to the war. Read more

Compiled by Lincoln Feast and Shree Navaratnam; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Frank Jack Daniel

Our criteria: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.