Russia has appointed a brand new commander on Saturday to steer its troops in Ukraine after the Kremlin suffered a sequence of army setbacks prior to now weeks.
Sergey Surovikin, an Military normal, beforehand led Russian forces in Syria. He’s identified for his brutal and controversial army techniques employed in Syria.
That is the primary time an official announcement has been made naming a single general commander of Russia’s army efforts in Ukraine for the reason that begin of the invasion.
Till now Sergey Surovikin led the “South” forces in Ukraine, in response to the Russian defence ministry.
The change follows the reported sacking earlier this week of the 2 Russian military commanders.
Surovikin’s appointment comes hours after an explosion brought about the partial collapse of a bridge linking the Crimean Peninsula with Russia, damaging an necessary provide artery for the Kremlin.
No person instantly claimed duty for the blast, which killed three individuals.
The explosion, which Russian authorities mentioned was brought on by a truck bomb, risked a pointy escalation in Russia’s eight-month struggle, with some lawmakers calling for President Vladimir Putin to declare a “counterterrorism operation,” shedding the time period “particular army operation” that had downplayed the scope of preventing to unusual Russians.
Zaporizhzhia nuclear energy plant loses exterior energy supply
In the meantime, Russia has been concentrating its newest assaults in Ukraine on the southern metropolis of Zaporizhzhia, dwelling to Europe’s largest nuclear energy plant
The UN atomic watchdog has renewed requires a safety zone across the energy plant which misplaced its final exterior energy supply because of artillery fireplace and is now counting on emergency diesel mills.
All six reactors are shut down however they nonetheless require electrical energy for cooling and different very important security capabilities.
If the cooling system fails, this might result in a meltdown and a fireplace that would launch and unfold radiation inflicting a nuclear catastrophe.
Russia and Ukraine have mutually accused one another of attacking the plant and of “nuclear terrorism”.
Zaporizhzhia is one in every of 4 areas in Ukraine that Russian President Vladimir Putin has annexed in violation of worldwide legal guidelines.
Whereas the nuclear plant has been underneath Russian management for months, town of the identical identify stays underneath Ukrainian management.
