Drones hit major Russian mining plant as Germany says no apology needed over leaks

The U.N. atomic watchdog agency’s director has arrived in Russia for talks on nuclear safety in Ukraine, where Europe’s largest nuclear power plant is at risk amid fighting.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly expressed alarm about the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant amid fears of a potential nuclear catastrophe. The plant has repeatedly been caught in the crossfire since Russia sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and seized the facility shortly after.

Two Ukrainian drones struck fuel facilities at one of Russia’s largest iron ore plants.

Kursk governor Roman Starovoit said a second drone had hit the Mikhailovsky GOK iron ore plant which is owned by Metalloinvest, Russia’s largest iron ore producer, around two hours after he announced a first strike. A source in Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence agency told Reuters that it was responsible for the attack.

“Today, as a result of a drone attack in the Zheleznogorsky district, a fuel tank at the fuel and lubricants warehouse of the Mikhailovsky Mining and Processing Plant caught fire,” Metalloinvest said in a statement after the first attack.

The Germany ambassador to the UK has said there is “no need to apologise” for the security breaches which led to a call between top military officials being leaked by Russian sources.

In the audio, amry officers can be heard discussing details of British operations on the ground in Ukraine.

“I think that is a good lesson for everybody: never use hotel internet if you want to do a secure call,” Mr Berger advised listeners.

Ukraine continues to limit Russia’s operations in the Black Sea, Britain’s Ministry of Defence said after Kyiv sunk a third Russian navy vessel in five weeks.

In a statement on X, the MoD said: “This is the third [Sergei Kotov] Russian Black Sea Fleet vessel sunk in the past five weeks.

“Likely because of Black Sea Fleet losses, on 15 February 2024, the Black Sea Fleet Commander, Admiral Sokolov, was dismissed. Ukraine continues to limit the freedom of manoeuvre of the Russian Navy in the Black Sea.”

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Moldova and France will sign defence and economic cooperation accords during a visit by Moldovan President Maia Sandu to Paris on Thursday, the French presidency said in a statement.

Western powers are seeking to increase support for Moldova amid what they fear are increasing efforts by Russia to destabilise Moldova. In parallel to Sandu’s visit, Western states will hold an audio call hosted by France to discuss increasing support for Ukraine, but also Moldova.

To Ukraine’s west, fellow former Soviet republic Moldova has a tiny defence budget and has long had tense relations with Moscow. Russia has troops and peacekeepers based in Transdniestria, a breakaway statelet of Moldova that has maintained its autonomy for three decades with the Kremlin’s support.

The French presidency said Macron would “reiterate France’s support for the independence, sovereignty and security of the Republic of Moldova, in the context of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine” when he meets Sandu on Thursday.

It added that a defence cooperation agreement and a road map for cooperation in the economic field would be signed during the visit. It gave no further details.

The Transdniestria region asked Russia in February to help its economy withstand Moldovan “pressure”, at a meeting of hundreds of officials dismissed by the pro-European Chisinau government as a propaganda event.

The ICC, based in The Hague, said there were reasonable grounds to believe that the two suspects were responsible for “missile strikes carried out by the forces under their command against the Ukrainian electric infrastructure from at least 10 October 2022 until at least 9 March 2023”.

A woman who fled the war in Ukraine has reopened a pub in Wales, saying she hopes the move will give the local economy a boost.

Vladyslava Krapyvka left her home in Kyiv along with her youngest son after Russia’s invasion in 2022, and has taken on the lease of The Lamb in Newport.

She said she liked Newport but that the city centre looks “abandoned” and wants to “change the situation”.

“There are lots of people working very hard here, and they need to have a place here in the centre of Newport, where they can come to a small pub and they can have good service,” she told the BBC.

A second Ukrainian drone struck the Mikhailovsky GOK iron ore refinery in Russia’s Kursk region on Wednesday, shortly after an earlier attack at the plant, regional governor Roman Starovoit said on Telegram.

He said there were no casualties from either of the strikes.

Volodymyr Zelensky has praised his troops for the fight against “Russian terrorists” in the Black Sea.

The Ukraine president also said his army was restoring “security” and “control” over its skies.

Writing on X, he said: “Today, I would like to thank all of our warriors and units who are restoring security and Ukraine’s control over our skies and the Black Sea.

“Ukraine has already proven its capabilities and strength. The number of destroyed Russian aircraft, as well as our warriors’ achievements against the Russian fleet, serve as proof of this.

“There are no safe harbors for Russian terrorists in the Black Sea. And there will be none. Just as there will be no safe space in the skies for them if Ukraine has sufficient strength. This refers to both partner deliveries and domestic manufacturing.”

Uncrewed, remote-controlled boats have been around since the end of World War II. Late last century, technological innovations broadened their potential uses.