Afrasianet - In a new development of the Russia-Ukraine war, Ukraine bombed the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, destroying what could be destroyed at this nuclear site to cause a major problem for Russia if it caused the leakage of nuclear radiation from the plant's reactors, reminiscent of the Chernobyl disaster.
The targeting of the nuclear plant was not the first for Ukraine, and Ukraine tried to deny its involvement in the targeting of the plant, accusing Russia of this act, but more than that, it tried to use drones bearing Russian slogans to deceive the world that Russia is bombing the plant.
Ukraine has not given up on its ambition to have a nuclear weapon, but the leaked information indicates that Ukraine intends to build a dirty nuclear bomb, as it has likened it to use in the war against Russia.
Ukrainian drone attacks have targeted the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southeastern Ukraine .
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says a drone targeted the external radiation control laboratory, a part of the plant located outside the perimeter of the nuclear power plant. It added that it was not yet clear if there were any casualties.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said the agency's team at the site had requested access to the laboratory. He reiterated that attacks near nuclear sites pose risks to nuclear safety.
Earlier in the day, Ukrainian forces also launched an attack on the Russian Baltic Sea port of Primorsk, Russian and Ukrainian authorities said:
Leningrad governor Alexander Drozdenko said the attack on Primorsk, a major oil export outlet, did not cause an oil spill but caused a fire in the city that was extinguished.
He added that more than 60 drones were shot down overnight over the northwestern region.
Ukraine confirmed the attack on the port, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claiming it was a "successful destruction of Primorsk port facilities."
In a message apparently addressed to the Ukrainian president's Western allies and to prove that he is capable of carrying out their plans against Russia, Zelensky said his country's forces also struck two tankers of the shadow fleet in the waters at the entrance to Russia's Black Sea port of Novorossiysk.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said global oil prices could rise further if Ukraine continues to hit Russian oil infrastructure, Russian television reported.
"If additional quantities of our oil are dropped from the market, prices will rise further than current levels, which are already above $120 per barrel. This means that even with a decrease in export volume, our companies will make more profits and the state will get more revenues," Peskov said .
Attacks in Ukraine
Russian drone strikes on Ukraine have killed at least three people across the country, local officials said.
Governor Oleh Kiper said on social media that the attacks on Ukraine's southern Odesa region, which includes major export terminals, had killed two people, including a truck driver at ports. "The port's facilities and infrastructure were also damaged."
Elsewhere, Russian strikes on the Kherson region of southern Ukraine have killed one person, officials said.
Ukraine's air force said Russia had launched 268 drones and one ballistic missile in the night attacks.
In eastern Ukraine, Russian forces were slowly approaching the city of Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region, the top Ukrainian military official said.
Russia: We captured 7 strongholds of Ukrainian forces and destroyed drone centers in Donetsk
The Russian Defense Department announced that its forces had taken control of 7 military strongholds and 46 buildings in Krasny Lyman, in addition to the destruction of a Ukrainian control center with drones that was targeting Russian civilian infrastructure.
The Russian Ministry of Defense indicated on Saturday, June 20, that the fighters of the "West" group of the Russian army imposed their control over 7 military strongholds of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and liberated 46 buildings in the city of Krasny Lyman in Donetsk during the past 24 hours, killing about 30 people from Kyiv's forces.
The head of the group's media center, Ivan Pegma, explained that the attack units of the 25th Joint Army continue to destroy Ukrainian formations and advance westward, noting that an airstrike with a heavy "Fab-3000" bomb targeted a temporary deployment point of the Ukrainian 63rd Mechanized Brigade, killing about 20 soldiers.
The operations also resulted in the destruction of 8 pieces of weapons and equipment, two ammunition stores, 78 drones, and 104 heavy six-propeller aircraft, as well as the destruction of 55 drone control centers, 3 Starlink satellite internet stations, and 21 ground-based robotic systems.
Destruction of a Ukrainian control center
In a related context, the Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed that the crew of the "Molnya-2" attack drones destroyed a depth and drone control center of the Ukrainian forces on the Krasny Lyman axis, which was camouflaged inside a residential area, and was used to coordinate multipurpose reconnaissance and attack drone flights against Russian army positions and Russian civilian infrastructure facilities.
The destruction of the center was successfully carried out by a highly explosive fragmented warhead, which significantly limited the ability of Ukrainian forces to conduct reconnaissance and strikes in this sector of the front.
It is noteworthy that the Russian Ministry of Defense reported on Friday that Ukrainian forces suffered heavy losses in Krasny Lyman during the period from June 13 to 19, amounting to more than 185 dead and 45 military pieces, and this city is a major logistical center that will be liberated and will enable the Russian army to expand its advance towards Slovyansk and Kramatorsk.
