WAR IN UKRAINE: August 30, 2022
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 188
How close did humanity come to a nuclear catastrophe due to careless and callous Russian shelling of the occupied Zaporyzhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine? Too darn close, it seems. The image above, circulated widely on social media, purportedly shows an impact from Russian positions
In a rare diplomatic breakthrough, an inspection team from the UN nuclear watchdog - International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) - is on its way to the power plant - but not before Russian meddling apparently blocked out nationals from the U.S. and UK. Moscow is said to have insisted earlier that the inspectors travel through Russia to access the plant. In the last few days, the IAEA chief Rafael Mariano Grossi, seemed to indicate a team was already in Kyiv ready to go to the plant. Why more time is needed for the arrival ah the ZNPP is unclear. Once the international team - which consists of 13 men and just one woman and led by Grossi - is onsite, it remains to be seen how much they will be shown by Russian forces in control of the facility. Over the weekend, for the first time in its history, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant was temporarily disconnected from the Ukrainian power grid.
Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba was quoted as saying that Russia must immediately demilitarise the ZNPP facility, withdraw military units, equipment and Rosatom’s experts and return control to the government of Ukraine. However, Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said that demilitarization of the occupied plant is "not being discussed now."
Meanwhile, the United States said a "controlled shutdown" of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant was the "safest option" and it urged Moscow to agree to a demilitarized zone around the site - RFE/RL
Schemes: Satellite images show Russian forces are building a pontoon bridge near Antonivsky bridge. Schemes, Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty's investigative journalism program in Ukraine, released photos of the floating bridge on Aug. 27. RFE/RL writes that the bridge could increase Russia’s capacity since Ukraine struck the key bridge from the east to the temporarily occupied parts of Kherson on July 27. However, British intelligence says this bridge will “most likely be vulnerable” to Ukrainian attacks. Earlier reports from military experts indicate that Russia has constructed other pontoon bridges across the Dnipro in Kherson Oblast - Kyiv Independent
Russia is struggling to find more soldiers to fight in Ukraine, even tapping prisons, and many new recruits are older, in poor shape and lacking training, a senior US defense official said Monday. The Pentagon's conclusion is that any more recruits added may not effectively expand overall combat power by the end of the year, according to the official - AFP
Apparently unhappy with the way the war in Ukraine is going, Vladimir Putin has reportedly “sidelined” Sergei Shoigu, his longtime ally and defense minister, over Russian forces’ dismal progress. The BBC cites independent Russian media and Britain’s defense minister alleging that soldiers have been ridiculing Shoigu for his “ineffectual” leadership. “Recent independent Russian media reports have claimed that due to the problems Russia is facing in its war against Ukraine, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu is now being sidelined within the Russian leadership, with operational commanders briefing President Putin directly on the course of the war,” the British ministry of defense said in a statement. “Russian officers and soldiers with firsthand experience of the war probably routinely ridicule Shoigu for his ineffectual and out-of-touch leadership as Russian progress has stalled.” Shoigu had scant military experience before Putin put him in charge of the ministry of defense.
Ukraine starts a push to recapture Kherson, a crucial Russian-occupied city. A long-awaited counter-offensive appears to have begun. Read The Economist analysis here
Required reading…
Ukraine’s Battle for Kherson Could Be a Key Victory: Zelensky has pledged to liberate occupied territory
Over the last two weeks, Ukraine has successfully bombarded key bridges along the Dnipro River and forced Russian reinforcements onto vulnerable floating bridges, the first step in its plan to encircle, siege, and eventually retake the city of Kherson—a strategically important port city quickly captured by Russia in March. If successful, the liberation of Kherson would be one of Ukraine’s most significant victories since Russia launched its invasion.
Read the full expert analysis by the Atlantic Council’s Doug Klain here