Ukraine and Russia: What you need to know right now

Ukraine is targeting Russian soldiers who shoot at Europe’s largest nuclear power station or use it as a base to shoot from, as G7 nations, fearing a nuclear catastrophe, called on Moscow to withdraw its forces from the plant.

New strike on Ukraine nuclear plant: Russian authorities

Fighting

• Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said any Russian soldier who shoots at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant or uses it as cover would become a “special target” and repeated accusations that Moscow was using the plant as nuclear blackmail.

• Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak accused Russia of “hitting the part of the nuclear power plant where the energy that powers the south of Ukraine is generated.”

• Western countries have called for Moscow to withdraw its troops from the Zaporizhzhia plant, but there has been no sign so far of Russia agreeing. The plant was captured by Russian forces in early March but is still run by Ukrainian technicians.

• Russia’s priority has likely been to reorient units to strengthen its campaign in southern Ukraine, with heavy fighting in the Donbas region particularly focused on the village of Pisky, British military intelligence said on Sunday.

• Reuters could not confirm battlefield reports independently.

Diplomacy

• Any possible seizure of Russian assets by the United States will completely destroy Moscow’s bilateral relations with Washington, TASS quoted the head of the North American Department at the Russian foreign ministry as saying.

• Russia has told the United States that diplomatic ties would be badly damaged and even could be broken off if Russia is declared a “state sponsor of terrorism” by the US, TASS cited a top foreign ministry official as saying on Friday.

Economy

• Two more ships left from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports on Saturday, Turkey’s defence ministry said, bringing the total number of ships to depart the country under a UN-brokered deal to 16.

• The UN-chartered ship MV Brave Commander will depart Ukraine for Africa in coming days after it finishes loading more than 23,0000 tons of wheat in the port of Pivdennyi, a UN official said. It will be the first humanitarian food aid cargo bound for Africa since the start of the war.

• Securing a new $5 billion loan from the IMF would help assure Ukraine’s other creditors that its macroeconomic situation was under control, Zelenskiy’s chief economic adviser said on Friday.