Russia’s war Against Ukraine: Day 175, Aug 17 – Update 1

– UN chief to visit Ukraine –

UN chief Antonio Guterres will meet with the leaders of Ukraine and Turkey this week, a UN official says.

Guterres will hold talks in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv with President Volodymyr Zelensky and Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday.

They will discuss “the need for a political solution to this conflict”, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric says.

Ukraine and Russia, two of the world’s biggest grain exporters, agreed a deal brokered by the UN and Turkey last month to unblock Black Sea grain deliveries after Russia’s invasion.

– Cyberattack against Kyiv’s nuclear operator –

Ukraine’s nuclear operator Energoatom reports what it calls an “unprecedented” cyberattack on its website, but says its operations have not been disrupted.

“On August 16, 2022, the most powerful cyberattack since the start of the Russian invasion occurred against Energoatom’s website,” the operator says on messaging app Telegram, adding it “was attacked from Russian territory”.

– Russia cries ‘sabotage’ in Crimea –

Russia says that massive explosions at a munitions depot in Moscow-annexed Crimea were caused by an act of “sabotage”.

“As a result of an act of sabotage, a military storage facility near the village of Dzhankoi was damaged,” the defence ministry says.

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For fear of nuclear escalation, we have accelerated nuclear proliferation.

It says power lines, a power plant, a railway track and residential buildings also suffered damage.

Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 in the wake of massive nationwide street demonstrations in Ukraine that led to the ouster of a Kremlin-friendly president.

The explosions come a week after at least one person was killed in similar explosions at a Russian military airbase in Crimea.

Ukraine has not directly claimed responsibility for either incident but senior officials and the military have implied Ukrainian involvement.

– Putin accuses US –

Russian President Vladimir Putin accuses Washington of seeking to prolong the conflict in Ukraine and of fuelling conflicts elsewhere, including with the visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan.

The US has provided key economic and military backing to Kyiv, in particular supplying long-range, precision artillery that has allowed Ukraine to strike Russian supply facilities deep inside Moscow-controlled territory.

Pummelled by a barrage of unprecedented Western sanctions, Putin has sought to bolster ties with countries in Africa and Asia, especially with China.

– UN grain ship sets sail –

A UN-chartered vessel laden with grain sets off from Ukraine for Africa, following the deal last month to relieve a global food crisis.

The MV Brave Commander departs from the Black Sea port of Pivdennyi and will sail to Djibouti “for delivery to Ethiopia”, Ukraine’s infrastructure ministry says on Telegram.

The ship is loaded with 23,000 tonnes of wheat.

It is the first ship chartered by the UN World Food Programme (WFP) to leave Ukraine since Russia’s invasion began in February.

– Estonia removes Soviet-era memorial –

Estonia removes a Soviet-era World War II memorial from Narva — a city with a large Russian-speaking minority — accusing Russia of using such monuments to stir up tensions.

Prime Minister Kaja Kallas says the move was a response to “increasing tensions and confusion around memorials in Narva”.

– Gas prices at six-month high –

European gas prices surge to a six-month peak, exacerbating recession fears as the region faces the prospect of rationing following cuts to Russia supplies amid the war in Ukraine.

In Europe, the natural gas reference price Dutch TTF rallies more than 10 percent at one point to over 250 euros per megawatt hour — the highest level since the start of March, or not long after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.