Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant Loses External Power Supply; Heavy Russian attacks on Kyiv

The Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine has lost its last external power line. The reason for this is damage to a high-voltage line. The Russian-controlled power plant has now switched to emergency diesel generators.

»The power plant personnel monitor the operating parameters of the systems. All necessary measures to maintain the safe operation of the units are being taken to the fullest extent," the Moscow-appointed management said, adding that radiation levels were normal.

Russia occupied the power plant in the first weeks of the war, which began in 2022. Since then, Moscow and Kyiv have regularly accused each other of military actions that endanger nuclear safety.

Klitschko: Twelve dead after Russian attacks on Kyiv

According to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, at least twelve people were killed in massive Russian attacks on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. Klitschko repeatedly cited a higher death toll the morning after the nighttime attacks. The elimination of the consequences is ongoing, he said. Civil defense said 34 were injured. In the Kyiv region, authorities reported one dead and seven injured following the attacks.

Russia has recently been increasingly using ballistic missiles in air strikes - knowing that Ukraine complains about a daily shortage of anti-aircraft missiles. The Defense Ministry in Moscow confirmed the attack. In Kyiv, arms factories and warehouses for ammunition and drones were hit.

According to authorities, there were several fires and power outages. Residential buildings, including a high-rise building, a children's hospital and a school, were also hit, authorities said.

»Tomorrow, August 21st, will be declared a day of mourning in Kyiv. In memory of the victims of the enemy's massive attack on the capital," the mayor said on Telegram. On this day, the flags on all municipal buildings in the city should be flown at half-mast. Klitschko also recommended doing the same with flags on state and private buildings in the capital.

The violence in Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine has recently escalated significantly with an increasing number of civilian victims on both sides. The warring parties are using ever faster, more powerful and long-range weapons. Russia also reported hundreds of Ukrainian drone strikes again. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reports that 250 Ukrainian drones were shot down on the approach to the capital. He did not provide any information about possible victims or damage.