The head of the UN’s nuclear agency said there’s been “increased military activity” as a convoy of international monitors nears the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia atomic power plant in southeast Ukraine. “But weighing the pros and cons and having come so far, we are not stopping,” Rafael Grossi, the International Atomic Energy Agency’s director general, said early Thursday. Russia and Ukraine traded blame on shelling in the nearby Energodar area.
(Bloomberg) — The head of the UN’s nuclear agency said there’s been “increased military activity” as a convoy of international monitors nears the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia atomic power plant in southeast Ukraine. “But weighing the pros and cons and having come so far, we are not stopping,” Rafael Grossi, the International Atomic Energy Agency’s director general, said early Thursday. Russia and Ukraine traded blame on shelling in the nearby Energodar area.
Russian tourists will probably face tougher hurdles entering the European Union after the bloc’s foreign ministers agreed to suspend a visa-facilitation agreement in response to President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Although new rules would fall short of a full ban on visas called for by some member states, Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, said the measures would “significantly reduce” the number of entry visas issued to Russian nationals.
(See RSAN on the Bloomberg Terminal for the Russian Sanctions Dashboard.)
Key Developments
- IAEA Pushing Ahead Through Line of Fire to War-Struck Nuke Plant
- EU Members Back Tougher Visa Rules for Russian Tourists
- G-7 to Discuss Cap on Price of Russian Oil in Bid to Ease Prices
- Russia Points Conspiracy-Theory Factory at New Audience
- Putin, Who Mourned USSR Loss, Offers Gorbachev Faint Praise
- India Bursts Into Key Russian Oil Market Once Dominated by China
On the Ground
As Ukrainian forces push forward with a counteroffensive in the south, the situation in the Russian-occupied region of Kherson remains difficult because of heavy fighting, regional authorities said on their website. The Ukrainian military’s southern command said Kyiv forces continued to destroy Russian logistics and command points, as well as munitions depots, in the region as Russian forces shelled military and civilian objects along the front line. According to the UK’s latest intelligence update, Ukrainian forces have pushed the front line back some distance in places, exploiting relatively thinly held Russian defenses.
(All times CET)
IAEA Chief Says ‘We’re Not Stopping’ as Monitors Head for Plant (8:22 a.m.)
UN atomic inspectors vowed to press on to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine despite shelling in adjacent areas.
“There has been increased military activity, including this morning,” IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said Thursday morning in the city of Zaporizhzhia, still a few hours away from the plant. “But weighing the pros and cons and having come so far we are not stopping.” The convoy departed the city around 7:15 a.m. CET, AFP reported.
Russian and Ukrainian officials traded blame on Thursday’s shelling near Energodar, The IAEA convoy, which traveled from Kyiv on Wednesday, must cross a so-called gray zone, where the last line of Ukrainian defense ends before the first line of Russian occupying forces begins.
Solutions Sought to Reduce Russian Tourist Flow (7:49 p.m.)
The Baltic states will aim to impose regional restrictions for Russian visitors entering the European Union by land, as will Poland and Finland, according to two EU diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity. Officials from these countries intend to meet and discuss the measures as soon as next week, the diplomats said.
The countries “will aim to find solutions in coming weeks that would allow to significantly reduce the flows of the Russian tourists,” Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said in a statement.
Ukraine’s Forces Restrict Russian Moves: NATO Official (7:44 p.m.)
Recent action by Ukrainian forces in the south of the country has affected Russia’s ability to move north and south across the Dnipro River, but it’s not yet possible to confirm the extent of the Ukrainian advances, a senior NATO official said.
Ukrainian troops have conducted focused strikes on lines of communication, bridges and railroads, targeting components the Russians would need to provide additional forces to join those that moved into the western Kherson region to be the front line of defense, said the official, who asked not to be identified discussing the military situation.
Russian supply lines are being disrupted, if not severely challenged, as a result of the stepped-up Ukrainian operations, the official said.
Inspectors Poised to Enter Nuclear Plant, Ukraine Says (6:29 p.m.)
International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors are poised to enter the grounds of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia plant, Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser to Ukraine’s president, said on Ukrainian television.
“They will now be discussing their mandate with the Russian side,” he said.
Ukraine expects a precise report from the inspectors on what is going on with the plant’s reactors and whether the remaining Ukrainian staff is sufficient to operate it safely, Podolyak said. He said the staff members are effectively Russian hostages, putting them under great psychological pressure.
Why Ukraine’s Big Nuclear Plant Raises Worries Again: QuickTake
US Dedicated to Helping Ease European Energy Shortage (5:19 p.m.)
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters the US is “going to keep looking for ways to increase gas stockpiles in Europe or to bolster other sources of energy where it’s possible.”
Kirby said Group of Seven finance ministers will discuss a plan that would cap the price of Russia’s oil at a meeting Friday. He again accused Putin of “weaponizing energy.”
IAEA Mission Makes Progress to Nuclear Plant (3:43 p.m.)
The IAEA delegation, which departed Kyiv just before sunrise on Wednesday in a convoy of white trucks marked with the organization’s logo, arrived at the city of Zaporizhzhia — still more than 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the plant — by mid-afternoon.
The convoy still had to cross into Russian-held territory, as IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi told reporters the team has security guarantees and aims to reach the plant on Thursday.
This visit “is not something that is going to be risk-free but it’s something we have to do,” Grossi said earlier Wednesday. The agency’s team will stay at the nuclear plant for at least a few days, long enough to give inspectors “a pretty good idea of what’s going on,” the Argentina diplomat said, adding that he’s working to establish a permanent presence at the plant following the current visit.
Gazprom’s Daily Gas Output Rises for First Time Since January (2:03 p.m.)
Gazprom’s daily natural gas production rose in August for the first time in seven months, rebounding from a multi-year low in July.
Russia’s biggest producer of the fuel pumped 829 million cubic of meters a day this month, up 7.1% from July, according to Bloomberg calculations based on preliminary data announced Wednesday by Chief Executive Officer Alexey Miller. Output so far this year reached 288.1 billion cubic meters, he said in an address published on the company’s Telegram channel.
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