+ A
A -
DPAMoscowThere has been no increase in radiation levels at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant following the latest shelling around the Russian-occupied site, authorities in Kiev and Moscow said on Sunday.The radiation situation remains normal, the Russian Defence Ministry said in Moscow, echoing a similar statement made by Ukrainian state nuclear operator Enerhoatom.For weeks, both sides have accused each other of shelling the sprawling complex, raising the spectre of disaster at Europe’s biggest nuclear plant.Moscow on Sunday said there had been two more artillery attacks in the past day. One shell hit near reactor number six, the other at a pumping station that provides cooling.The battlefield claims made by Kiev and Moscow could not be independently verified.After the nuclear plant was temporarily disconnected from Ukraine’s power grid on Thursday following an emergency shutdown, two units are back online, according to Enerhoatom.The Russian military meanwhile confirmed an attack on the city of Zaporizhzhya, which sits across the Dnipro River, using “high-precision weapons.” A hall where Ukrainian air force helicopters were repaired was hit, the ministry said.Elsewhere, the Ukrainian mayor of the Russian-occupied city of Melitopol wrote on Telegram that a Russian military base had been destroyed in the south-eastern city.Meanwhile, Ukraine authorities said more grain is being shipped across the Danube River than at any point since the start of the war six months ago.On Saturday alone, 11 ships with a capacity of 45,000 tons made their way to the river ports of Izmail, Reni and Ust-Dunaysk, the Ukrainian Infrastructure Ministry said on Sunday.Since March, more than 4 million tons of grain have already been taken out of the country through Ukraine’s Danube ports, according to the ministry.After the Russian attack began, focus turned to Ukraine’s major Black Sea ports, which were blocked for months and resulted in millions of tons of grain unable to leave the country.On July 22, Ukraine and Russia, under UN mediation, signed an agreement with Turkey to allow exports from Ukraine from three Black Sea ports, relieving pressure on global food markets.The Istanbul Coordination Center, which was established under the deal, said at the weekend that 1 million tons of grain and other foodstuffs had been exported through the Black Sea route so far. A total of 103 ships had set sail either to or from Ukraine.As noted by the Infrastructure Ministry, some grain has been diverted out via more cumbersome routes involving cargo ships transiting the Danube River toward Romania, or by rail.
