Russian missile attack kills civilians on Ukraine’s Independence Day
A Russian missile attack killed at least 22 civilians and set fire to a passenger train in eastern Ukraine as the country marked Independence Day under heavy shelling, officials in Kyiv said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had warned of “repugnant Russian provocations” ahead of the 31st anniversary on Wednesday of Ukraine’s independence from Soviet rule, and public celebrations were cancelled. Follow our liveblog for all the latest developments. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
8:48am: French minister seeks probe into Total’s possible fuel links to Russian army
The French transport minister called on Thursday for an investigation into whether French oil major TotalEnergies was involved in supplying jet fuel to the Russian military through a local joint venture.
Le Monde newspaper reported on Wednesday that TotalEnergies was involved in supplying gas condensate to make jet fuel that may have been used by Russian warplanes in Ukraine, via the French firm’s stake in a venture with Russia’s Novatek.
“This is an extremely serious subject, so there needs to be an investigation into whether, voluntarily or involuntarily, there has been a bypass of either the sanctions or the energy that a company, French or other, has produced,” French Transport Minister Clement Beaune said on France 2 television.
8:34am: Ukrainian fears run high over fighting near Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
Ukrainians are once again anxious and alarmed about the fate of a nuclear power plant in a land that was home to the world’s worst atomic accident in 1986 at Chernobyl.
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Europe’s largest, has been occupied by Russian forces since the early days of the war, and continued fighting near the facility has heightened fears of a catastrophe that could affect nearby towns in southern Ukraine — or potentially an even wider region.
The government in Kyiv alleges Russia is essentially holding the Soviet-era nuclear plant hostage, storing weapons there and launching attacks from around it, while Moscow accuses Ukraine of recklessly firing on the facility, which is located in the city of Enerhodar.
“Anybody who understands nuclear safety issues has been trembling for the last six months,” said Mycle Schneider, an independent policy consultant and coordinator of the World Nuclear Industry Status Report.
6:01am: Six months into war, Russian goods still flowing to US
On a hot, humid East Coast day this summer, a massive container ship pulled into the Port of Baltimore loaded with sheets of plywood, aluminum rods and radioactive material — all sourced from the fields, forests and factories of Russia.
