Nuclear power plant attacked in Ukraine, parties accuse each other

Russia and Ukraine accused each other of shelling at the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, the one in Zaporizina.

The shells hit a power station's high blood pressure line, which caused a reactor to stop working. Fortunately, there was no radioactive leak.

The nuclear power plant was taken over by Russian forces early in March, but it is still run by Ukrainian technicians.

Ukraine's state-owned Nuclear Energy company, Energoatom, blamed Russia for the attack. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy also said Moscow was responsible for naming the event an act of terror.

On the other hand, the Russian Defence Ministry accused Ukrainian forces of bombing the plant, saying it was only a matter of luck that had no radioactive leak.

Meanwhile, fighting continues in Ukraine. Local forces are trying to strengthen their positions around the eastern town of Sloveniansk, pending a Russian offensive to capture the strategic point of Donnetsk.

The United Kingdom Defence Ministry said Russian troops are flocking to the south pending Ukraine's counteroffensives or are preparing for a possible attack.

The American Institute for War Studies said Russian forces carried out ground but failed attacks in areas inhabited in the south of the city, Bakhmut. They also carried out several limited land attacks in the north, northwest and southwest of the town of Donnetsk.

Despite the fighting, the shock export continues. Three ships left Black Sea access ports in Turkey's direction for inspection. Ukrainian authorities have announced that they hope that within months they will increase grain shipments from 1 to about 3.5 million metric tons per month.