RUSSIA's Vladimir Putin will likely "turn off Europe's gas" as fears of a Chernobyl-style disaster at the continent's largest nuclear plant grow.
Energy ratings agency Fitch claims a complete shutdown of Russian gas flow into Europe “increasingly looks likely,” as Putin ramps up his campaign against the west amidst the Ukraine war.
This devastating move would likely plunge much of Europe into recession, as they scramble to find energy sources elsewhere.
This comes as the EU desperately attempts to refill gas storage sights in the case of an emergency such as this.
Meanwhile, the head of the UN's nuclear agency announced that he is "worried" about the Zaporizhzhia plant in southern Ukraine, following Vladimir Putin's brutal shelling of the nuclear facility.
This comes after the UN dispatched a 14-strong mission to the plant, hoping to investigate the damage done by constant Russian shelling.
While Russian forces obstructed the investigation, Rafael Grossi noted that his team were able "to gather a lot of information" during their time at the facility.
"It is obvious that the plant and physical integrity of the plant has been violated several times," Grossi told reporters after he returned to the Ukrainian-controlled area with part of his team.
"Today we were able, in these few hours, to gather a lot of information. The key things I needed to see I saw, and their explanations were very clear," he said.
"I am worried, I worry and I will continue to be worried about the plant."
Grossi concluded: "The important thing is the IAEA is staying here."
Read our Ukraine-Russia blog below for the latest updates…
- Louis Allwood
UK Ministry of Defence release shocking footage
The UK's Ministry of Defence has released shocking footage that shows Russia's use of thermobaric weapons.
They have said: "Over the last 6 months Russia has demonstrated its complete disregarded for civilian life, having killed and wounded thousands of innocent people.
"The use of thermobaric weapons is just one way they are causing such devastating harm."
The video shows huge explosions and very large craters on the grounds.
- Henry Moore
Red cross calls for fighting to end at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant
As Russia continues to shell the area near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the Red Cross has called for the fighting to end.
“In the event of a nuclear leak, it will be difficult if not impossible to provide humanitarian assistance … and this is why fighting should stop.
“The scenario could be a massive incident, and … there is very little anyone can do to mitigate the dire consequences of this.
“It is therefore time to stop playing with fire and instead take concrete measures to protect this facility, and others like it, from military operations,” he said. “The slightest miscalculation could trigger devastation that we will regret for decades.”
- Henry Moore
Russia experiancing troop shortage, Ukraine claims
According to Ukrainian militarary officials, Russia has experienced a troop shortage since the beggining of Putin's bloodhthirsty invasion.
According to Vadym Skibitsky, representative of Ukraine's Defense Ministry Intelligence Directorate, Russia has a maximum of 350,000 troops at its disposal.
According to current Ukrainian predictions, Russia has already lost over 48,000 troops.
- Henry Moore
Russia suffers 'significant losses' in southern Ukraine, military claims
The Ukrainian military has claimed their counteroffensive in the south of Ukraine has been an effective one.
“The enemy suffers quite significant losses — losses in manpower have gone from tens to hundreds. Equipment also burns," Natalia Humeniuk, spokeswoman for the Ukrainian military in the south, said.
“We continue to destroy the enemy in terms of its logistics, capabilities, capacities. Ammunition warehouses explode, pontoon crossings explode.
“It means that the enemy’s logistics and transport connections are undermined to such an extent that they cannot raise reserves.”
- Henry Moore
A visual look Russia's invasion of Ukraine
The British Ministry of Defence released a map of the current state of play in Ukraine.
On the map you can see the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, in Russian occupied territory.
Today, Russia teamed up with China to begin its Vostok 22 military exercises.
Despite their brutal invasion of Ukraine, 50,000 Russian troops will reportedly take part in the excerise.
- Henry Moore
Russian defence minister accuses Ukraine of 'nuclear terrorism'
Russia's defence minister has accused Ukraine of shelling the Zaporizhzhia plant in southern Ukraine, despite reports suggestion it is Putin's men attacking the facility.
Sergei Shoigu claimed that Ukraine is engaging in "nuclear terrorism."
Both Russia and Ukraine have accused eachother of attacking the plant.
- Henry Moore
European gas prices soar as Russia halts supply
Gas prices were already high before the Ukraine war as demand soared after the lifting of Covid restrictions.
But prices skyrocketed after the invasion because Russia is one of the world’s biggest producers.
Continental Europe is heavily reliant in Russian gas imports, leading to fears of winter blackouts, rationing and factory closures in Germany.
Only a tiny fraction of Britain’s gas comes directly from Russia.
But the UK relies more on gas for generating electricity than European neighbours because it has less nuclear and renewable energy.
- Henry Moore
Putin's legs twitch as he makes bizarre 'rubber bums' joke to room full of baffled teens
The health of the Russian dictator has been further questioned following a strange video of the dictator talking to a group of Russian school kids.
The pupils – who had been ordered to quarantine for 14 days beforehand by paranoid Vlad – appeared baffled by the Russian president's speech as he addressed them in the exclave territory of Kaliningrad.
In response to a young boys question, Putin launched into a rather strange tirade as his leg twitched uncontrollably.
"You need to be motivated to reach your goal," he says. "And, of course, hard work.
"All this together is very important. Working hard is a talent in itself. "
He added: "It's not just, excuse me, a rubber bum.
"It is a talent to force oneself to work, and to be able to do it productively."
- Henry Moore
UN investigators 'very worried' about Europe's largest nuclear plant
The head of the UN's nuclear agency announced that he is "worried" about the Zaporizhzhia plant in southern Ukraine, following Vladimir Putin's brutal shelling of the nuclear facility.
This comes after the UN dispatched a 14-strong mission to the plant, hoping to investigate the damage done by constant Russian shelling.
While Russian forces obstructed the investigation, Rafael Grossi noted that his team were able "to gather a lot of information" during their time at the facility.
"It is obvious that the plant and physical integrity of the plant has been violated several times," Grossi told reporters after he returned to the Ukrainian-controlled area with part of his team.
"Today we were able, in these few hours, to gather a lot of information. The key things I needed to see I saw, and their explanations were very clear," he said.
"I am worried, I worry and I will continue to be worried about the plant."
Grossi concluded: "The important thing is the IAEA is staying here."
- Henry Moore
Russia begins Vostok 22 military exercise
According to the British Ministry of Defence, Russia has started its military exercises despite the war in Ukraine.
The MoD stated: "Despite the war in Ukraine, on 01 September, the Russian military started exercise Vostok 22, its annual Joint Strategic Exercise, marking the culmination of the military training year.
"Russia publicly claimed that 50,000 troops will take part, however, it’s unlikely that more than 15,000 personnel will be actively involved this year. This is around 20% of the forces which participated in the last Vostok exercise in 2018.
"Russia's military performance in Ukraine has highlighted that Russia’s military strategic exercises, such as Vostok, have failed to sustain the military’s ability to conduct large scale, complex operations.
"Such events are heavily scripted, do not encourage initiative, and primarily aim to impress Russian leaders and international audiences."
- Henry Moore
Fighting continues near Europe's largest nuclear power station
Putin's forces have continued to clash with Ukrainian fighters in the Enerhodar district, near the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, reports the British Ministry of Defence.
The MoD statement reads: "Heavy fighting continues in southern Ukraine, including shelling in Enerhodar district, near the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant."
This comes as UN inspectors visit the plant, claiming its structural integrity has been damaged "several times" by Russian shelling.
- Henry Moore
Russian losses mount as invasion enters eighth month
Since Putin launched his brutal invasion of Ukraine, his army has lost almost 50,000 troops, according to reports.
Approximately 48,700 Russians have died since the outset of the conflict.
On top of this, the dictator's army has lost 234 planes and over 2,000 tanks.
- Henry Moore
Brit dies while volunteering in Ukraine
Craig Stanley Mackintosh, 48, is believed to have been shot dead on Wednesday last week when his squad were ambushed.
Mackintosh was serving as a medic and was reportedly shot in the neck while trying to save a Ukrainian soldier.
His sister Lorna Mackintosh revealed in a Facebook post that he had “died in action saving lives as a true hero”.
Craig had reportedly always dreamed of joining the British army, but an inoperable cist prevented him from doing so.
Lorna of Thetford said: “He told us this would be his ‘last hurrah’ before ‘coming back to Blighty to be a gardener’ in October.”
She added: “It had always been his dream to serve in the armed forces, and watching the conflict unfold and seeing the devastation, he decided he wanted to go out to help people.
“Craig was the kind of person who would see a difficult situation and try to make someone laugh. He was a real morale booster and very funny.
“He was well-known and well-loved and earned the respect of entire villages – all he wanted to do was to help people.”
- Louis Allwood
'We assume Nord Steam 1 maintenance lasts three days'
Russian Deputy Prime Minister, Alexander Novak, said on Thursday that it's assumed state-owned energy giant Gazprom will carry out maintenance on the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline within three days.
Novak told reporters: "Those are technical issues. Gazprom has said the stoppage will last three days. We make our assumptions on this statement."
Gazprom halted flows on the pipeline to Germany on Wednesday with a resumption expected in the early hours of Saturday.
- Louis Allwood
Putin walks awkwardly as he lays flowers on Mikhail Gorbachev’s open casket
Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to walk awkwardly as he laid flowers at the open casket of ex-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, sparking fresh health concerns.
The first and last president of the USSR, Gorbachev died in Moscow at the age of 91 on Tuesday.
Putin made a rare public appearance as he laid flowers in front of the Soviet leader's open coffin.
In footage played on state TV, the president can be seen laying a bouquet of red carnations at Gorbachev's coffin, next to a large black-and-white portrait of the former communist dictator.
He walks jerkily with his left arm swinging and his right 'gunslinger' arm tightly clutching the flowers.
- Louis Allwood
Russia bans entry to 55 military and political officials from Canada
Russia has banned entry to 55 military and political officials from Canada in a tit-for-tat move, the Russian foreign ministry said on Wednesday.
It said the decision was taken in response to sanctions from Canada against Russian nationals.
- Louis Allwood
Ukrainian Armed Forces continue offensive operations
The British Ministry of Defence has provided an update on Ukraine’s counteroffensive.
The update reads: “Over 30-31 August 2022, Ukrainian Armed Forces continued offensive operations in southern Ukraine, supported by intensive long-range strikes against Russian command and logistics locations across the occupied zone.
“Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence also released video footage of Ukrainian aircraft operating high speed anti-radiation missiles (HARMs). Russian has previously claimed that it has recovered fragments of these types of weapons, which are designed to locate and destroy radars.
“Russia prioritises strong ground-based air defences – the radar coverage which enables this is a critical capability in its Ukraine operation.
“A substantial, sustained degradation of Russia’s radars with HARMs would be a major setback to Russia’s already troubled situational awareness.”
- Louis Allwood
Indian troops join Russian military exercise
Soldiers from the Indian army have landed in Russia for a week-long military exercise, India's defence ministry said on Thursday.
The move came just days after the United States said it had concerns about any country exercising with Russia now.
The Indian government said that its forces have regularly participated in multilateral exercises in Russia, along with a number of other countries.
Russia is the biggest supplier of military hardware to India.
- Louis Allwood
Rumours of Putin's failing health continue to spread as dictator is pictured 'tightly gripping his desk'
Images of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin “tightly gripping his desk during a meeting with one of his trusted generals” has sparked further rumours regarding the despot’s health.
In a rare public appearance, Putin spoke with the director of the Russian National Guard, Viktor Zolotov, 68, to discuss the state of Russia’s military operations in Ukraine.
Zolotov can be heard saying Ukrainians are welcoming the Russian invasion, despite all reports to the contrary.
Click here to see the unsettling images of the bloodthirsty leader.
- Louis Allwood
Cutting ties with Russian energy a positive from Ukraine invasion, Boris claims
Outgoing PM Boris Johnson has claimed the war in Ukraine could lead to one positive in the UK.
Speaking at an English nuclear power station, Johnson said Britain will no longer be beholden to Putin's energy whims.
“Out of this catastrophe, of Putin's war, I think good is going to come, in that Europe will wean itself off Russian hydrocarbons,” Mr Johnson said.
“We will no longer be subject, vulnerable, to his blackmail, and in this country, we will have greatly accelerated long overdue reforms and steps to become energy independent, in particular, by rectifying the damage we've done to our nuclear industry.”
- Louis Allwood
Brit dies while volunteering in Ukraine
Craig Stanley Mackintosh, 48, is believed to have been shot dead on Wednesday last week when his squad were ambushed.
Mackintosh was serving as a medic and was reportedly shot in the neck while trying to save a Ukrainian soldier.
His sister Lorna Mackintosh revealed in a Facebook post that he had “died in action saving lives as a true hero”.
Craig had reportedly always dreamed of joining the British army, but an inoperable cist prevented him from doing so.
Lorna of Thetford said: “He told us this would be his 'last hurrah' before 'coming back to Blighty to be a gardener' in October.”
She added: “It had always been his dream to serve in the armed forces, and watching the conflict unfold and seeing the devastation, he decided he wanted to go out to help people.
“Craig was the kind of person who would see a difficult situation and try to make someone laugh. He was a real morale booster and very funny.
“He was well-known and well-loved and earned the respect of entire villages – all he wanted to do was to help people.”
- Louis Allwood
A visual update on Russia's invasion of Ukraine
The Ministry of Defence has given Brits a look at the current state of play in Ukraine.
This comes just days after Ukraine launched a seemingly successful offensive against their invaders, pushing Putin’s forces in the Kherson region back.
The war in Ukraine is nearing its 200th day, with estimates placing Russian losses at almost 49,000.
- Louis Allwood
Putin’s warped commander urges tyrant to ‘wipe out the British Isles’
VLADIMIR Putin’s warped commander, Andrey Gurulyov, has urged the mad tyrant that he needs to “wipe out the British Isles” to win the war in Ukraine.
The Mirror reports how Andrey Gurulyov said on Russian TV that it would be the fastest way of defeating Ukraine.
On Russian TV, the lieutenant general said: “To serious things – London understands there is no defence against [Russian] hypersonic missiles.
“They understand, too, that the main target isn’t Germany or France – but the British Isles.”
Gurulyov added: “It is the closest target, it’s a nice target, which would allow [us] to change the outcome of this conflict [in Ukraine].
“So by completely wiping out the British Isles, I think we’ll finish this story.”
It comes as Putin has once again slashed Europe’s access to Russian gas, fueling fears the energy crisis will worsen as winter approaches.
The Kremlin’s energy firm Gazprom has informed French energy companies that from Thursday it is reducing gas deliveries due to a contractual disagreement.
- Louis Allwood
Putin snubs Mikhail Gorbachev's funeral
VLADIMIR Putin has snubbed Mikhail Gorbachev's funeral as the Russian tyrant has claimed to be "too busy" with his failing war.
Putin's office announced on Thursday that the Russian president will not attend Gorbachev's funeral, citing that he is "too busy".
The tyrant's spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said that he would miss the funeral on Saturday due to schedule constraints.
Peskov said: “Unfortunately, the president’s work schedule will not allow him."
It follows reports Putin is set to deny Gorbachev a state funeral, in what many see as a snub to the elder statesman.
The news of Putin's snub came moments after he was pictured walking funny whilst laying flowers at Mikhail's open casket.
In footage played on state TV, the president can be seen laying a bouquet of red carnations.
He walks jerkily with his left arm swinging and his right 'gunslinger' arm tightly clutching the flowers.
- Louis Allwood
Red cross calls for fighting to end at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant
As Russia continues to shell the area near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the Red Cross has called for the fighting to end.
“In the event of a nuclear leak, it will be difficult if not impossible to provide humanitarian assistance … and this is why fighting should stop.
“The scenario could be a massive incident, and … there is very little anyone can do to mitigate the dire consequences of this.
“It is therefore time to stop playing with fire and instead take concrete measures to protect this facility, and others like it, from military operations,” he said. “The slightest miscalculation could trigger devastation that we will regret for decades.”
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