Russia-Ukraine war updates for September 8, 2022

The head of Ukraine’s atomic energy operator accused Russia of trying to “steal” Europe’s largest nuclear plant by cutting it off from the Ukrainian electricity grid and leaving it on the brink of a radiation disaster.

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has been without an outside source of electricity since Monday and receives power for its own safety systems from the only one of its six reactors that remains operational, Enerhoatom chief Petro Kotin told The Associated Press.

“We are trying to keep this unit running as much as possible, but eventually it will have to be shut down and then the station will switch to diesel generators,” he said, adding that such generators are “the station’s last defense before a radiation accident.”

— Associated Press

Japan and India agreed to expand military cooperation by holding more joint exercises and pursuing combined development of defense equipment such as unmanned vehicles amid growing tensions with China and Russia in the region.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said there was “an increasing need” for India and Japan to step up security cooperation. He noted Russia’s war on Ukraine, China’s increasingly assertive actions, including escalating tensions around Taiwan, and North Korean missile and nuclear threats.

Hayashi and Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada held talks together with their Indian counterparts, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Rajnat Singh, in Tokyo.

— Associated Press

Four European countries that border Russia will take regional steps this month to limit people from Russia from entering Europe’s visa-free zone by land because they “are increasingly concerned about the substantial and growing influx of Russian citizens.”

“We believe that this is becoming a serious threat to our public security and to the overall shared Schengen area,” Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said. “There are people coming with the aim of undermining the security of our countries.”

Poland and the three Baltic countries — Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — have agreed on a common regional approach with the “political will and firm intention to introduce national temporary measures for Russian citizens holding EU visas.”

Such measures should take effect in each of the four countries by Sept. 19.

— Associated Press

The organization overseeing the export of agricultural products from Ukraine said it has approved five vessels to leave the besieged country.

The Joint Coordination Center, an initiative of Ukraine, Russia, the United Nations and Turkey, said that the vessels are carrying 83,241 metric tons of grain and other food products.

The ships are expected to depart Friday and are destined for China, Italy and Turkey.

— Amanda Macias

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken greeted Ukraine’s most famous dog, Patron, a 2-year-old Jack Russell who has located hundreds of land mines since the start of the Russian invasion.

Patron has become a national symbol of civilian resistance and mobilization, inspiring fan art and accepting a medal of honor from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier this year.

Blinken also visited a children’s hospital in Kyiv during his visit, which was not announced publicly until Blinken touched down in the war-torn country.