![]() ![]() The blast has become a major morale boost for Ukrainian soldiers and civilians and a humiliating blow to Putin's prestige. Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the explosion, which sent one span of the bridge's highway section tumbling into the Kerch Strait and damaged the rail section. The statement said "the government of the Republic of Bulgaria will in no way allow the name of our country to be associated with any involvement" in the blast. Russian officials have claimed that the massive explosion that damaged the crucial bridge linking Crimea and the Russian mainland was a "terrorist" act organized by Ukrainian special services and involved several countries, including Bulgaria. With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and RFE/RL's Russian Service "Russian leaders will highly likely be concerned that leading Ukrainian units are now approaching the borders of Luhansk Oblast, which Russia claimed to have formally annexed ," British intelligence suggested. "Ukrainian formations have advanced up to 20 km beyond the (Oskil) river into Russia’s defensive zone towards the supply node of the town of Svatove," Britain's Ministry of Defense said in its daily intelligence bulletin. In the northeastern Kharkiv region, the maps indicated that Russian forces had almost entirely abandoned the east bank of the Oskil River, where British intelligence said Ukraine has now "consolidated" a substantial area. The purported advances in Luhansk, which could not be independently confirmed, came after maps revealed by Moscow on October 4 showed that Russian troops had left many areas in Kherson, including along the west bank of the Dnieper River. I can only say that these are six settlements," said Hayday. "I will hold a pause until the official information of the General Staff. He did not specify the names of these settlements out of concern that Russian forces would then attack them. The Ukrainian military liberated six settlements in Luhansk region Hayday said on Ukrainian TV. The liberation of Luhansk, which is almost completely under Russian control, is well under way, the region's Ukrainian governor, Serhiy Hayday, said in a post on Telegram on October 5. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his nightly address on October 4 that his forces have made "rapid and powerful" gains in southern Ukraine and recaptured "dozens" of villages from Russia this week. They will be with Russia forever and they will be returned" to Russian control. Ukraine Regions That Russia Says It Has AnnexedĪsked if there was a contradiction between Putin's gesture and the reality of the retreat of Russian forces on the ground, Peskov said, "There is no contradiction whatsoever. Both sides and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have warned that fighting near the plant increases the danger of a nuclear disaster. The power station is located on the Russia-controlled bank of a reservoir with Ukrainian forces on the opposite bank. Kyiv has long said that Moscow plans to switch the plant from Ukraine's power grid to Russia's. "The Zaporizhzhya will continue to operate in Ukraine, in accordance with Ukrainian legislation, in the Ukrainian energy system, in Enerhoatom," the regulator said. Ukraine's state nuclear energy company Enerhoatom said Putin's decree and other Russian documents regarding the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant were "worthless, absurd and inadequate." "The new operating organization is designed to ensure the safe operation of the nuclear power plant and the professional activities of the existing plant personnel," it said in a statement. Rosenergoatom, Russia's nuclear power operator, said it would conduct an assessment of damage to the plant's infrastructure and would transfer the Ukrainian employees to a new Russian-owned organization. The Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, which has been occupied by Russian forces since March, is still run by Ukrainian engineers. "The Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant is now on the territory of the Russian Federation and, accordingly, should be operated under the supervision of our relevant agencies," RIA news agency quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin as saying. Putin said Russia would stabilize the situation in the four regions - Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhya - after signing the decree that designated the nuclear power plant as "federal property." ![]() Putin announced the move after signing decrees that Moscow claims absorb into Russia four regions that it only partially controls. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here. ![]() RFE/RL's Live Briefinggives you all of the latest developments on Russia's ongoing invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, Russian protests, and the plight of civilians.
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