“There is an immediate threat of use, under certain circumstances, of tactical nuclear weapons by the Russian Armed Forces,” wrote General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi in an article published by Ukrinform, a state media outlet. “It is also impossible to completely rule out the possibility of the world’s leading countries being directly involved in a ‘limited’ nuclear conflict, in which the prospect of World War III is already immediately visible.” Zaluzny also acknowledged for the first time that Kyiv was behind the strikes deep inside the Russian-held Crimean peninsula in August. The air bases and ammunition depot hit were in areas previously considered out of range for Ukraine — but were part of its strategy to shift “the center of gravity of the Russian military,” Zaluzhnyi wrote. Crimea attacks show Ukraine’s newest strategy, official says With fighting to continue until 2023, Ukraine has to make the war “even sharper and more tangible for the Russians and other occupied territories, despite the enormous distance from the objectives,” Zaluzhnyi wrote. He called the Crimea strikes a “convincing example” of Kiev’s pleas to allies to send longer-range weapons for its soldiers who have not been shot. Moscow, he said, can strike 20 times farther. The army chief’s assessment comes as Ukraine’s armed forces claim to be recapturing small areas in counter-offensives in the country’s south and east – battles that are taking a heavy toll on Ukrainian soldiers, who are facing heavy casualties from its most advanced weapons and technology. of Russia. Putin has brought the threat of nuclear conflict back ‘into the realm of possibility’, says UN chief Zaluzhnyi’s warning follows weeks of international alarm over a potential disaster at Europe’s largest nuclear facility, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine. Russian authorities control the plant, with more than 1,000 Ukrainian workers trying to keep it running and connected to their country’s power grid despite frequent shelling. The U.N. Atomic Energy Organization called Tuesday for a safe zone there to prevent a nuclear disaster. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he supports the idea if it means Russian troops withdraw. Both sides have accused the other of firing rockets and heavy artillery around the plant. Zaluzny said Russia’s use of the plant as a military base showed its disregard for global nuclear safeguards “even in a conventional war.” What you need to know about Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant Ukraine’s bid to join the European Union and NATO partly triggered Russia’s February 24 invasion. But Washington and its European allies have categorically refused to provide Ukraine with any military support that could bring it into direct confrontation with Russia. After failing to capture the capital in the first weeks of the war, Russia has focused on seizing Ukrainian territory linking east to south — from the Donbass region, where Russian-backed separatists have been fighting since 2014, to the southern Crimean peninsula, the which Moscow illegally annexed in the same year. Ukraine recently launched its counterattacks aimed at recapturing Kherson, a strategic southern port, and Russian-held areas along the border in the northeastern region of Kharkiv. Although much of central and western Ukraine remains largely unscathed, Russian cruise missiles remain a threat and could strike the entire country with “impunity,” Zaluzhnyi wrote. “As long as the current situation persists, this war can last for years.”
War in Ukraine: What you need to know
The last: Grain shipments from Ukraine are being accelerated under the agreement reached by Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations in July. Russia’s blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports had sent food prices skyrocketing and raised fears of more famine in the Middle East and Africa. At least 18 ships, including cargoes of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, have departed. The battle: The conflict on the ground continues as Russia uses its heavy artillery advantage to pound Ukrainian forces, which have at times managed to put up stiff resistance. In the south, Ukraine’s hopes rest on the liberation of the Russian-held Kherson region, and eventually Crimea, which Russia seized in 2014. Fears of disaster at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant remain as both sides accuse each other of bombing it. . The weapons: Western arms supplies are helping Ukraine slow Russian advances. US-supplied High Mobility Artillery Missile Systems (HIMARS) allow Ukrainian forces to strike further behind Russian lines against Russian artillery. Russia has used a range of weapons against Ukraine, some of which have drawn the attention and concern of analysts. Photos: Washington Post photographers have been on the ground since the start of the war — here are some of their strongest works. How you can help: Here are ways those in the US can help support the Ukrainian people as well as the donations people have made around the world. Read his full coverage Russia-Ukraine crisis. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for updates and exclusive video.
