Russian troops have planted mines around a key Ukrainian nuclear power plant, according to the international atomic agency.
The watchdog said the Russian Army had reinstalled mines along the perimeter of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) in occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi of the IAEA expressed concern over this development, emphasising that the presence of mines contradicts IAEA safety standards.
It comes as Washington urged Kyiv to adopt a “more conservative” approach to Russia’s invasion rather than launch a new ground offensive to regain territory
A Western official working on Ukraine policy told the Financial Times that there is “little prospect of an operational breakthrough by either side in 2024”, let alone in the next few months, and said a strategy of “active defence” would allow Ukraine to “build out its forces” this year and prepare for 2025.
According to the paper, this aligns with the strategy that the US is reportedly selling to Ukraine, with Joe Biden’s administration said to be pushing Kyiv to focus on holding its territory, entrenching positions and beefing up supplies and forces over the coming months.
