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WORLD NEWS Thursday 8 sepTember 2022

Shift in war’s front seen as grain leaves Ukraine; plant hit

By SUSIE BLANN
Associated Press
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Six
more ships carrying agricul-
tural cargo held up by the
war in Ukraine received au-
thorization Sunday to leave
the country’s Black Sea
coast as analysts warned
that Russia was moving
troops and equipment in
the direction of the south-
ern port cities to stave off a
Ukrainian counteroffensive.
Ukraine and Russia also ac-
cused each other of shell-
ing Europe’s largest nucle-
ar power plant.
The loaded vessels were
cleared to depart from
Chornomorsk and Odesa,
according to the Joint Co-
ordination Center, which
oversees an international
deal intended to get some
20 million tons of grain out The Star Helena bulk carrier, centre, makes its way from the port in Odesa, Ukraine, Sunday, Aug.
of Ukraine to feed millions 7, 2022.
going hungry in Africa, the Associated Press
Middle East and parts of
Asia. The cause of the delay was tion monitors around the Dnieper River from Russian-
Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and not immediately clear. storage facility for spent held Kherson, according to
the United Nations signed Ukrainian officials were ini- nuclear fuels and that one the Institute for the Study
the agreements last month tially skeptical of a grain worker was injured. Rus- of War, a Washington think
to create a 111-nautical- export deal, citing suspi- sian news agencies, citing tank. Citing local Ukrainian
mile sea corridor that would cions that Moscow would the separatist-run admin- officials, it said the prepara-
allow cargo ships to travel try to exploit shipping ac- istration of the plant, said tions appeared designed
safely out of ports that Rus- tivity to mass troops off- Ukrainian forces fired those to defend logistics routes
sia’s military had block- shore or send long-range shells. to the city and establish
aded and through waters missiles from the Black Sea, Russian forces have oc- defensive positions on the
that Ukraine’s military had as it has done multiple cupied the power station river’s left bank.
mined. Implementation of times during the war.The for months. Russian soldiers Kherson came under Rus-
the deal, which is in effect agreements call for ships there took shelter in bunkers sian control early in the
for four months, has pro- to leave Ukraine under mili- before Saturday’s attack, war and Ukrainian officials
ceeded slowly since the tary escort and to undergo according to Energoatom. have vowed to retake it.
first ship embarked on Aug. inspections to make sure Rafael Grossi, director gen- It is just 227 kilometers (141
1. they carry only grain, fertiliz- eral of the International miles) from Odesa, home
Four of the carriers cleared er or food and not any oth- Atomic Energy Agency, to Ukraine’s biggest port,
Sunday to leave Ukraine er commodities. Inbound recently warned that the so the conflict escalating
were transporting more cargo vessels are checked way the plant was being there could have repercus-
than 219,000 tons of corn. to ensure they are not car- run and the fighting going sions for the international
The fifth was carrying more rying weapons. on around it posed grave grain deal.
than 6,600 tons of sunflower In a weekend analysis, Brit- health and environmental The city of Mykolaiv, a ship-
oil and the sixth 11,000 tons ain’s Defense Ministry said threats. building center that Russian
of soya, the Joint Coordi- the Russian invasion that For the last four months of forces bombard daily, is
nation Center said. started Feb. 24 “is about the war, Russia has con- even closer to Odesa. The
Three other cargo ships to enter a new phase” in centrated on capturing Mykolaiv region’s governor,
that left Friday passed their which the fighting would the Donbas region of east- Vitaliy Kim, said an indus-
inspections and received shift to a roughly 350-kilo- ern Ukraine, where pro- trial facility on the regional
clearance Sunday to pass meter (217-mile) front line Moscow separatists have capital’s outskirts came un-
through Turkey’s Bosporus extending from near the controlled some territory der fire early Sunday.
Strait on the way to their fi- city of Zaporizhzhia to Rus- as self-proclaimed repub- Over the past day, five civil-
nal destinations, the Center sian-occupied Kherson. lics for eight years. Russian ians were killed by Russian
said. That area includes the Za- forces have made gradu- and separatist firing on cit-
However, the vessel that porizhzhia Nuclear Power al headway in the region ies in the Donetsk region,
left Ukraine last Monday Station which came under while launching missile and the part of Donbas still un-
with great fanfare as the fire late Saturday. Each rocket attacks to curtail the der Ukrainian control, the
first under the grain exports side accused the other of movements of Ukrainian regional governor, Serhiy
deal had its scheduled ar- the attack. fighters elsewhere. Haidai, reported.
rival in Lebanon delayed Ukraine’s nuclear power The Russians “are continu- He and Ukrainian govern-
Sunday, according to a plant operator, Energoat- ing to accumulate large ment officials have re-
Lebanese Cabinet minister om, said Russian shelling quantities of military equip- peatedly urged civilians to
and the Ukraine Embassy. damaged three radia- ment” in a town across the evacuate.q