Fighting in Donetsk, nuclear fears at Zaporizhzhia, and rising EU tensions over drones and Russian oil
The Russia-Ukraine war has entered day 1,315, marked by heavy fighting in eastern Ukraine, growing nuclear concerns, and intensifying geopolitical disputes across Europe.
Fighting in Donetsk and Nuclear Risks
The Russian Ministry of Defence announced on Tuesday that its forces had captured a village near Siversk in Ukraine’s Donetsk region. Meanwhile, fears over nuclear safety escalated as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported difficulties in restoring external power to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, following repeated Russian shelling.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi warned that the lack of power threatens the cooling of nuclear reactors, raising the risk of a meltdown. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the strikes, saying:
“No terrorist in the world has ever dared to do with a nuclear power plant what Russia is doing now.”
Regional Security and Europe’s “Drone Wall”
In Copenhagen, European Union leaders are set to discuss creating a “drone wall” after unidentified unmanned aircraft repeatedly violated airspace, forcing the temporary closure of Danish airports. The summit will also debate using frozen Russian assets in European banks to fund a €140 billion ($164bn) loan for Ukraine.
The Kremlin dismissed the plan, with Moscow urging Europe to seek “dialogue” instead of building what it described as a divisive barrier. At the same time, Romania announced plans to launch domestic drone production in cooperation with Ukraine, aiming to bolster EU and NATO defense capabilities.
Meanwhile, the French Navy confirmed it is investigating the oil tanker Boracay, suspected of being part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” transporting sanctioned oil.
Military Aid and Global Diplomacy
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed that Washington had not yet finalized a decision on supplying Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine.
Diplomatic tensions also grew as Russia announced it would expel an Austrian diplomat, retaliating against Vienna’s earlier move to eject a Russian envoy accused of espionage involving Austrian oil giant OMV.
The Kremlin also suggested that residents in Ukraine’s Odesa and Mykolaiv regions secretly wanted closer ties to Russia but were “afraid to speak out.”
Elsewhere, the US confirmed that India is beginning to diversify its oil imports away from Russia, while Moldova’s elections sparked controversy after Lavrov accused Western powers of manipulating the vote, which saw the pro-European ruling party secure a major victory.