At least 2 injured in explosion at Crimea ammunition depot, Russian official says
Russia has “no need” to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, says defense minister
From CNN’s Uliana Pavlova and Jorge Engels
Russia has “no need” to use nuclear weapons to achieve its objectives in Ukraine, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday.
“From a military point of view, there is no need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine to achieve our goals,” Shoigu told attendees at a conference on international security in Moscow.
“The main purpose of Russian nuclear weapons is to deter a nuclear attack, their use is limited to emergency circumstances, which are defined in Russian guiding documents that are open to the public,” he added.
“Against this background, speculation is spreading in the media about the alleged use of Russian tactical nuclear weapons during a special military operation or about the readiness to use chemical weapons. All this information is an absolute lie,” Shoigu said.
Putin accuses Washington of destabilizing global affairs and prolonging Ukraine war
From CNN’s Uliana Pavlova and Jorge Engels
Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the United States of destabilizing global affairs, particularly in Asia, and of prolonging the war in Ukraine.
In a video message played at the opening of an international security conference in Moscow on Tuesday, Putin said the US was exacerbating global tensions by supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia and accused Washington of stoking tensions between China and Taiwan.
“The situation in Ukraine shows that the United States is trying to prolong this conflict. And they act in exactly the same way by fomenting conflict in Asia, Africa and Latin America,” Putin said in the video. “Once again the United States tried to deliberately add fuel to the fire and stir up the situation in Taiwan. The American adventure in relation to Taiwan is not just a trip of an individual irresponsible politician, but part of a purposeful, conscious US strategy to destabilize and make chaotic the situation in the region and the world.”
“We see this as a carefully planned provocation,” he added.
Putin also said a “multipolar world” was being formulated that could challenge what he described as Western hegemony.
“The contours of a multipolar world order are being formed. More and more countries of the world and peoples are choosing the path of free, sovereign self-development based on their identity, traditions and values,” Putin told conference attendees.
The conference is hosted by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and will feature several panels focused on global security issues.
Background on China-Taiwan tensions: A US congressional delegation landed in Taipei on Sunday on an unannounced two-day visit, the second US congressional delegation to visit Taiwan this month. China hit back against the visit, saying it would take “resolute countermeasures in response to the US’s provocations” in a statement from the Chinese Embassy in Washington.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi drew the ire of China in early August when she became the first US speaker to visit Taiwan in 25 years, at a time when Washington-Beijing relations have been especially tense. China responded to the speaker’s trip by launching military exercises, which China’s Ministry of Defense said began with drills in both the seas and airspace surrounding Taiwan.
Russia “stole” energy from Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant to send to Crimea, says Ukrainian official
From CNN’s Vasco Cotovio and Petro Zadorozhnyy
Russia has diverted power from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine to a transformer substation in Russian-occupied Crimea after it was impacted by explosions on an ammunition depot, a Ukrainian official said.
“You must understand that they stole from the Zaporizhzhia NPP in order to send electricity to Crimea through Dzhankoi (where Maiskoye is located),” Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a televised interview on Tuesday.
“I think and believe that this is karmic retribution. Everything that is stolen does not bring wealth,” he added.
CNN could not independently verify Podolyak’s claim that power from the Zaporizhzhia plant was being diverted to Crimea via Dzhankoi.
Podolyak said that Moscow’s explanations for the explosions at the ammunition depot in the Crimean village of Maiskoye, as well as the blasts at an air base in Crimea last Tuesday, suggested the Russian military was deploying “untrained” staff to some locations.
The series of explosions at Novofedorivka air base, on Crimea’s west coast, destroyed at least eight Russian military aircraft, satellite imagery reviewed by CNN showed.
The blasts killed one person and injured 14, according to the Crimean health ministry.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the incident was caused by the accidental detonation of ammunition. Ukraine would not definitively confirm it was responsible for an attack on the air base.
Advanced US arms haven’t had “significant impact” in Ukraine war, Russian defense minister says
From CNN’s Jorge Engels and Uliana Pavlova
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday that the US-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, are not having a “significant impact” on Russia’s war in Ukraine, despite reports that Kyiv is using them to target critical Russian military and logistical infrastructure in the country.
“Recently, HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems and long-range howitzers have been promoted by Westerners to the role of super weapons,” Shoigu told attendees at the Moscow ernational security conferenceConference on International Security.
“They (HIMARS) did not have a significant impact on the situation,” he said. “Russian weapons, however, confirmd their best qualities in battles.”
Ukrainian officials have previously said HIMARS and other multiple rocket systems are “affecting the course of the war” — a view shared by top US military personnel and diplomatic officials.
“The Ukrainians are effectively employing these HIMARS strikes against Russian command and control nodes, their logistical networks, their field artillery and air to find sites and many other targets,” Mark Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, told journalists in Washington in late July.
US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink told CNN on August 2 that it was clear that the weaponry provided by America, including the HIMARs, “have had an effect.”
HIMARS appear to have been used in a massive strike against a warehouse in the town of Nova Kakhovka in the southern Kherson region in July. The strike set off secondary explosions and caused widespread damage, according to satellite imagery reviewed by CNN. The imagery showed how precise the attack had been, leaving just one small crater.
In early August, the Pentagon announced an additional package of security assistance for Ukraine, which is being drawn from US stockpiles and includes 75,000 rounds of ammunition and an undisclosed amount of additional ammunition for the HIMARS.
Train services suspended in most of Crimea after explosion at ammo depot
From CNN’s Vasco Cotovio and Yulia Kesaieva
Train services from Russia into Crimea have been suspended across most of the occupied peninsula after an explosion at an ammo depot in the village of Maiskoye, according to a local administration official.
“After consulting with the leadership of the Crimean railroad, the decision was made to stop passenger trains coming from the mainland at the Vladislavovka station,” the head of the Russian-controlled Crimea administration, Sergei Aksyonov, said on his Telegram channel.
“There the passengers will be provided with buses to take them to the nearest bus stations,” he added.
Russian state broadcaster TASS news agency said earlier that detonations at an ammo depot in Maiskoye had damaged the nearby train station.
Later Tuesday, Aksyonov said that the damaged tracks had been repaired.
“Train traffic on this section will resume after the completion of all necessary safety measures,” he said.
Dzhankoi sits on a train line connecting Crimea to the occupied city of Melitopol. According to several Ukrainian officials, the line is regularly used to transport military equipment to the frontline.
“Partial success” for Russian forces in eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian military says
From CNN’s Yulia Kesaieva
Russian forces have had “partial success” in eastern Ukraine after making limited gains near the villages of Solodke and Novomykhailivka in the Donetsk region, the Ukrainian military said Tuesday.
“The hostilities continue,” the military’s general staff said in a situation update.
Ukrainian troops have been able to hold its ground in other parts of the Donetsk region, the general staff said.
Russian forces launched assaults in the directions of Volodymyrivka-Bakhmutske and Striapivka-Soledar, where Ukrainian soldiers pushed the invaders back, according to the general staff.
“Fighting continues on the Pokrovsk–Bakhmutske and Horlivka–Zalizne directions,” the general staff said.
Near the city of Avdiivka, the Russians shelled the areas of Krasnohorivka, Spartak and Nevelske with barrel artillery, the general staff said.
Fighting is also ongoing near Staromykhailivka–Nevelske and the settlement of Ivano Dariivka, it added.
Southern front: Ukraine said it had been able to repel a Russian assault in the south. “An attempt to improve the tactical position by assault actions in the direction of Zeleny Hai–Novohryhorivka ended with significant losses and a retreat for the enemy,” the general staff said.
Belarus alert: Meanwhile, Kyiv’s troops stationed near the border with Belarus are on high alert because there is “still a threat” that Russia could launch air and missile strikes with support from Minsk, the Ukrainian military said. Belarus is an ally of Russia and has been used as a launch point for Russian troops into Ukraine.
At least 2 injured in explosion at Crimea ammunition depot, Russian official says
From CNN’s Uliana Pavlova, Alex Stambaugh, Fred Pleitgen and Vasco Cotovio
An explosion at an ammunition depot in annexed Crimea injured at least two people on Tuesday, the head of the Russian-controlled Crimea administration Sergei Aksyonov said on his Telegram channel.
Aksyonov said the explosion in the village of Maiskoye, near the town of Dzhankoi, was caused by a fire, citing the Russian Ministry of Defense. Detonations were ongoing, he added.
“The evacuation of residents is underway, people are taken out of the five-kilometer zone from the incident to ensure safety. The forces of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the Russian Guard, emergency services are involved,” Aksyonov said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Russian state news agency Ria Novosti said about 2,000 residents had been evacuated.
What Ukraine says: Kyiv has not claimed any responsibility for the incident, but commenting on the explosions on Twitter, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhaylo Podolyak said it was “demilitarization in action.”
“Morning near Dzhankoi began with explosions. A reminder: Crimea of normal country is about the Black Sea, mountains, recreation and tourism, but Crimea occupied by Russians is about warehouses explosions and high risk of death for invaders and thieves,” Podolyak said.
Some context: The explosion Tuesday is the second security incident at a military installation in Crimea in a week. Last Tuesday, a series of explosions rocked a Russian air base at Novofedorivka, on Crimea’s west coast, destroying at least eight Russian military aircraft, satellite imagery reviewed by CNN showed. The explosions also killed one person and injured 14, according to the Crimean Health Ministry.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the incident was caused by the accidental detonation of ammunition. Ukraine would not definitively confirm it was responsible for an attack on the air base.
Grain ship carrying wheat for Ethiopia departs from Ukraine
From CNN’s Yulia Kesaieva
A cargo ship loaded with more than 23,000 metric tons of wheat destined for Ethiopia has departed from Ukraine, Kyiv’s Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said on Tuesday.
“BRAVE COMMANDER left the Pivdennyi (Yuzhnyi) Sea Port. I’m thankful to the United Nations and World Food Programme for your support and all the hard work you have done,” Kubrakov tweeted.
The vessel is headed for Djibouti in the Horn of Africa, with the wheat ultimately destined for neighboring Ethiopia under the UN World Food Programme’s response to a drought in the East African country. It is expected to reach its destination in two weeks.
The UN has said the “ripple effect” of the war in Ukraine threatens to worsen a food crisis in Ethiopia sparked by conflict and water shortages.
Some context: Since a deal was struck in Istanbul last month to unlock Ukrainian exports of grain via the country’s Black Sea ports, 17 ships carrying more than 475,000 tons of agricultural exports have departed, according to the Ukrainian Infrastructure Ministry.
Zelensky calls for more sanctions on Russia for “nuclear blackmail” around Zaporizhzhia plant
From CNN’s Katharina Krebs
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday called for tougher sanctions in response to what he described as Russia’s “nuclear blackmail” around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
“Provocative shelling of the territory of the plant continues. Under cover of the plant, the invaders are shelling nearby towns and communities. The Russian military hides munitions and equipment at the facilities of the plant. The station is de facto mined,” Zelensky said during his evening video address.
“It is necessary to move from discussions and calls to new tough sanctions against Russia, against ‘Rosatom’ and the entire nuclear industry of the terrorist state. All Russian forces must immediately withdraw from the territory of the station and neighboring areas without any conditions.”
Zelensky claimed that Russia “ignores” the security demands of the EU and 42 countries that have called on it to withdraw its forces from the station.
“Any radiation incident at the Zaporizhzhia NPP can be a blow to the countries of the European Union, and to Turkey, and to Georgia, and to countries from more distant regions. Everything depends on the direction and strength of the wind. If a catastrophe occurs due to Russia’s actions, the consequences can hit even those who remain silent for the time being,” Zelensky said.
“And if now the world lacks the strength and determination to protect one nuclear plant, it means that the world will lose. Lose to terrorists. Yield to nuclear blackmail.”
Some context: Kyiv has repeatedly accused Russian forces, which seized the plant in March, of storing heavy weaponry inside the complex and using it as cover to launch attacks, knowing that Ukraine can’t return fire without risking hitting one of the plant’s six reactors — a mistake that would spell disaster. Moscow, meanwhile, has claimed Ukrainian troops are targeting the site. Both sides have tried to point the finger at the other for threatening nuclear terrorism.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/russia-ukraine-war-news-08-16-22/index.html
