Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged citizens to keep away from military facilities in areas occupied by Kremlin forces, including in Crimea, following Tuesday’s explosions at a Russian ammunition depot on the Black Sea peninsula.
The fewer opportunities the occupiers have to do evil and kill Ukrainians, the sooner we will be able to end this war and liberate our country,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address.
Blasts near the town of Dzhankoy in northern Crimea — a week after explosions at an air base on the peninsula destroyed fighter jets — mark the beginning of a series of attacks, according to a Zelensky adviser. Russia attributed them to an act of sabotage.
Zelensky is due to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in Lviv in western Ukraine on Thursday. A statement from the Turkish presidency said they would discuss “possible steps to end the Ukraine-Russia war through diplomatic means”.
On the ground
Russia struck the southern Odesa region with missiles overnight, destroying a recreation centre and several private houses, Interfax-Ukraine reported, citing a spokesman for the regional military administration. Three people were wounded in the attack, according to preliminary information quoted in the Interfax report. Shelling continued in the east of Ukraine, including near Slovyansk, Kramatorsk and Bakhmut, Ukraine’s general staff said in its regular morning statement on Facebook. The “most intense” fighting was raging around several settlements close to the city of Donetsk, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, said on Facebook.
Nato urges Russia to allow nuclear inspectors
Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called on Russia to allow urgent inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency at the Ukrainian nuclear facilities in Zaporizhzhia, saying Russian forces there “raise the risk of a nuclear accident or incident”.
“The seizure of the Zaporizhzhia plant by Russian forces poses a serious threat to the safety and security of this facility,” Stoltenberg said following a meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Brussels.
Stoltenberg said the topic of the Ukraine war came up during his conversation with Vucic, adding it was “important the international community stands united in opposing Russia’s unprovoked aggression and that we all take steps to convince Russia to end this war”. Vucic has had close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Serbia has not imposed sanctions against Moscow over the invasion.
Ukrainian port expects five more vessels to be loaded with grain
The Ukrainian port of Chornomorsk expected five new vessels to be loaded with grain and vegetable oil on Wednesday, reports Interfax-Ukraine, which cited the Facebook statement of the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority.
This number of vessels within a day is a record since the grain corridor started. Ships are to be loaded with a combined total of 70,000 tonnes of wheat, bran, sunflower oil and maize. The goal is to boost the sea export indicators up to three million tonnes of grain and other products with the number of vessels up to 100 per month.
European coal prices jump to record
European coal prices, which have risen more than threefold this year, surged to a record as Russian cuts in gas supply boost demand to help prevent blackouts. Benchmark futures for next year rose as much as 4.9% to $307 per tonne on the ICE Futures Europe exchange.
Why Europe is crippled by a wartime energy crisis: QuickTake
While coal’s revival is hampering efforts to cut pollution, it underscores the critical energy situation in Europe, with limited gas supplies, France’s nuclear plants operating at half capacity, rivers running dry and a lack of wind.
