– An ammunition warehouse near the village of Timonovo, less than 50 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, started to burn, said the governor of the Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov. That’s what the Moscow Times writes. A video on social media shows a huge fireball and lots of black smoke. On another, several explosions can be seen. Gladkov further says that the inhabitants of the village of Soloti were also moved to safety. Since the invasion of Ukraine in February, the Russian authorities have several times accused Ukrainians of carrying out sabotage actions on Russian soil. Several explosions on the Crimean peninsula In recent days there have also been several explosions and attacks in the Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine. It is not clear who is behind the latest attacks, several hundred kilometers into lands controlled by the Russians. The governor of Sevastopol in Russian-occupied Crimea says a Ukrainian drone has been shot down. He also says that there have been several explosions at the airport at the Belbek military installation, north of the city. Mikhail Razvozhajev writes on the Telegram messaging service that no one is injured, but this has not yet been confirmed by other sources. Earlier this month, explosions were reported at Hvardiiske airport, also in Crimea. The Russians said it was an accident, but Ukrainian sources claimed saboteurs were behind it. Last week, the Saki base in Crimea was heavily damaged by explosions. The attacks last week could be seen from the coastal town of Novofedorovka. Photo: AP Fighting at nuclear power plants is a concern Both UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are deeply troubled by constant shooting and attacks around the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant. Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of being behind it. The facility was occupied by Russian forces in March. – An attack here is suicide, says Guterres. – We are worried. We do not want another Chernobyl, says Erdogan. The employees at the Zaporizjzja plant have been given a sudden day off this Friday. A message from the Russian-inducted management that only those who operate the plant itself should be at work, while the rest of the workforce will not be allowed in, worries the Ukrainian authorities. This has prompted Ukraine’s secret services to warn against a possible operation at the nuclear power plant, while the Russians warn that the Ukrainians have plans for a provocation at the plant today. More support from the US, less from the EU According to the Reuters news agency, the US government may announce a new support package for the Ukrainians of 800 million dollars, or 7.8 billion kroner, today. President Joe Biden will approve the aid through a presidential authorization that gives him the ability to give away surplus weapons from US stockpiles, sources told the news agency. Estonia will also provide more military support to Ukraine by sending, among other things, bombers and anti-tank weapons. Estonia, which is both a member of the EU and NATO, will also support a British initiative to strengthen the training of Ukrainian forces and, together with Germany, donate a field hospital. At the same time, Sveriges Radio reports that the EU countries have given far less support to Ukraine during the summer. Research carried out by the research institute Kiel Institute for the World Economy shows that the EU countries did not send any new weapons to the east in July.
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