10th June 2023 – (Kyiv) Petro Kotin, the president of Ukraine’s state-run nuclear energy operator Energoatom, has said that the recent Kakhovka incident does not pose a direct threat to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant at present, as the plant can use water from alternative sources. Kotin stated to Interfax-Ukraine that aside from the Kakhovka reservoir, there are other sources of water available for the cooling pond, which includes mobile pumping units or underground wells for drinking water.
On the other hand, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed on Friday that Ukraine’s counteroffensive has failed to achieve its objectives. In a press conference held in Russia’s Sochi, Putin stated that the use of strategic reserves by Ukrainian forces reflects the beginning of an offensive. He also added that Ukrainian troops have not achieved their tasks in any combat areas during the “very intense fighting” of the past five days, despite preserving their offensive potential.
Russia is also set to deploy certain types of weapons in Belarus after July 8, as announced by Putin during his meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Putin stated that the preparation of relevant facilities will be completed by July 7-8, and that Russia will begin measures related to deploying the relevant types of weapons on Belarusian territory shortly after.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov has announced that Russia intends to export ammonia through a terminal at the Taman port following the damage to the Togliatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline, which was sabotaged on June 5. Manturov stated that Russia does not expect to gain access to repair the pipeline, which has been inactive for a year.
Lastly, Ukraine and the United Nations have agreed to arrange evacuation efforts from areas in southern Ukraine affected by mass flooding caused by the Kakhovka dam collapse. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and current Head of the UN in Ukraine Denise Brown agreed that the UN will provide humanitarian aid and evacuate people from the affected areas on the left bank of the Dnipro River, as soon as Russia provides access and security guarantees.
