Ukraine nuclear plant ‘seized’
The Russian military has captured Zapo-rizh-zhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine’s southeast, according to local authorities. The seizure came hours after a fire broke out at the facility, the largest nuclear plant in the European continent. The blaze was later brought under control. Ukrainian officials said no immediate changes happened in radiation levels. The fire broke out amid intense fighting as the military conflict between Ukraine and Russia entered its 9th day. Ukraine blamed Russian for the incident, with President Volodymyr Zelensky accusing Moscow of resorting to nuclear terror. He denounced Russia as a terrorist state, saying it is the only country to have ever fired at Ukrainian nuclear facilities. Zelensky called on Europe to wake up and said Russia wants to repeat the Chernobyl disaster that happened 36 years ago.
Ukraine-Russia conflict
Russia and Ukraine have concluded the second round of direct talks held at the Poland-Belarus border to reach a ceasefire. Both sides say they have an understanding regarding the creation of humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians. According to Ukrainian negotiator, Mykhailo Podolyak, the delegations also weighed in on the possibility of a temporary ceasefire to allow for those evacuations. That, however, would be only in areas where the humanitarian corridors will be opened. Podolyak said the negotiations didn’t yield the results Kiev was looking for. He said the two sides agreed to hold the third round of talks early next week. A Russian negotiator meanwhile reported substantial progress in the ongoing negotiations.
Call for Putin's assassination
A senior US senator's remarks have defied the odds in the world of politics. Lindsey Graham has called for the assassination of Russian President Vladimir Putin over Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine. Graham was speaking with America’s Fox News TV. He said somebody in Russia has to carry out the assassination. Graham repeated similar comments in a series of tweets. He said the only people who can fix this are the Russian people, adding they will be doing the world a great service. Earlier, the senior US senator introduced a resolution condemning the Russian president for committing “war crimes and crimes against humanity.” Russia, however, maintains that it has not targeted civilian areas during its military operation in Ukraine.