New developments:
- Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov called Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement to deploy tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus "nuclear blackmail,” The Associated Press reports.
- Ukraine is giving hydropower facilities "maximum protection" by hiding equipment underground as it repairs an estimated $1 billion in damage to its energy infrastructure from Russian airstrikes, a senior industry official said.
- The Ukrainian town of Avdiivka is described as a "post-apocalyptic wasteland" by Ukrainian officials as Russians shift their attention there after their failed attempts to capture Bakhmut.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Monday with Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, at the Dnipro hydroelectric power station — about 50 kilometers northeast of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
According to his official website, Zelenskyy told Grossi that safety at the Zaporizhzhia station could not be guaranteed until Russian troops leave the facility.
“Holding a nuclear power plant hostage for more than a year is the worst thing that could happen in the history of the European and in general global nuclear energy sector. The longer the Russian occupation of the ZNPP continues, the greater will be the threat to the security of Ukraine, the whole of Europe and the world,” he said, using an acronym for the plant. “I am grateful to our partners, grateful to Grossi for understanding this and for supporting Ukraine in the relevant issues.”
In a tweet, Grossi warned that the Dnipro station is essential to the nuclear safety of the power plant. He also told Zelenskyy that the perilous situation at Europe's largest nuclear plant "isn't getting any better" as relentless fighting in the area keeps the facility at risk of disaster.
Fighting near plant
Earlier this month, fighting interrupted power to the plant for half a day, forcing staff to activate backup generators.
Grossi had expressed alarm at that development. A sustained loss of power at the plants risks a nuclear catastrophe with continent-wide implications.
"Each time, we are rolling a dice," he told his agency at the time. "And if we allow this to continue time after time, then one day our luck will run out."
Grossi also reiterated the full support of the International Atomic Energy Agency to the protection of Ukraine's nuclear facilities.
The Zaporizhzhia plant’s six reactors are in shutdown mode, and it is receiving the electricity it needs to prevent a reactor meltdown through just one remaining power line. It has on occasion had to switch to emergency diesel generators to power its essential cooling systems.
Zelenskyy visited the Ukrainian-held city of Zaporizhzhia, where residential buildings were destroyed by Russian airstrikes.
“Dozens of people were injured by this insane Russian strike. The terrorists knew exactly where they were aiming their missiles. High explosive ‘Smerch,’” Zelenskyy wrote on his website. “At the houses, 37 people were injured, 2 died. My condolences to those who have lost loved ones. … More than 400 people applied for help.”
South of Bakhmut, Avdiivka, another devastated city, has been described by Ukrainian officials as “a post-apocalyptic wasteland.”
Last week, the Ukrainian military warned that the town could become a "second Bakhmut" as Russia turns its attention there after failing to take the embattled Bakhmut.
Reduced to rubble
Both towns have been reduced to rubble in fighting that both sides have called a "meat grinder." Russian forces say they are fighting street by street.
"I am sad to say this, but Avdiivka is becoming more and more like a place from post-apocalyptic movies," said Vitaliy Barabash, head of the city's military administration. Only some 2,000 of a pre-war population of 30,000 remain, and he urged them to leave.
Ukrainian military video showed smoke rising from ruined apartment blocks and dead soldiers on open ground and in trenches in Bakhmut.
Kyiv also said Russian forces again shelled Vuhledar, located further south in the Donetsk region, where they have tried to advance for weeks with what the Ukrainian military says are heavy losses.
Two people were killed and 32 wounded on Monday after Russian forces fired two S-300 missiles at the eastern city of Sloviansk northwest of Bakhmut, according to regional Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko. Moscow denies targeting civilians.
Ukraine has called for an extraordinary meeting of the United Nations Security Council in response to Putin's announcement of plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Putin's move is "provocative" and undermines international security.
Putin announced on Saturday the deployment of the tactical nuclear weapons, saying it was warranted because of the West's increasing military support for Ukrainian forces, including Britain's decision last week to send armor-piercing rounds containing depleted uranium to Ukraine.
Putin said Russia's positioning of tactical nuclear warheads in Belarus was no different than the United States placing nuclear weapons in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey.
"We are doing what they have been doing for decades, stationing them in certain allied countries, preparing the launch platforms and training their crews," the Russian leader said.
'Nuclear rhetoric'
NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu called Russian comparisons to nuclear deployment by NATO members misleading, saying, "Russia's nuclear rhetoric is dangerous and irresponsible."
Putin said Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has long asked to have nuclear weapons in his country to counter possible NATO threats from nearby Western allies. Deploying tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus could allow Russia to reach neighboring NATO members Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.
Putin is "using nuclear blackmail in a bid to influence the situation on the battlefield and force Western partners to reduce supplies of weapons and equipment under the threat of nuclear escalation,” Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov was quoated as telling The Associated Press.
“The Belarusian nuclear balcony will be looming over not only Ukraine, but Europe, as well, creating a constant threat, raising tensions and rattling the nerves of Ukrainians and their Western partners,” he added.
Tactical nuclear weapons can be used on the battlefield and have a short range and a low yield compared with much more powerful nuclear warheads fitted on long-range missiles. Putin said Russia would maintain control over the undisclosed number he sends to Belarus and construct storage facilities for them by July 1.
The United States said it would "monitor the implications" of Putin's announcement.
National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said that so far, Washington hadn't seen "any indications Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon" in its attack on Ukraine.
Some material in this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
