Even though the six reactors at the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) are in a cold shutdown, the threat of a major disaster at the facility remains real, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi said.

“Even though the plant’s six reactors are now in cold shutdown, with the final unit shifting into that status two days ago following the IAEA’s recommendation, the potential dangers of a major nuclear accident are very real,” Grossi told the UN Security Council.

On Sunday, Ukraine's kamikaze drones attacked the territory of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant right after an inspection carried out by IAEA experts, the plant's press service said. The IAEA confirmed minor damage to the sixth power unit of the nuclear power plant, adding that nuclear safety had not been compromised. The attack also left three workers injured, with one of them sustaining serious injuries, Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom said.

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Attacks around the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) have to stop immediately as nuclear safety is already compromised, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi told the United Nations Security Council.

“These reckless attacks must cease immediately. Though, fortunately, they have not led to a radiological incident this time, they significantly increase the risk at Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, where nuclear safety is already compromised,” Grossi said.

The recent attacks on the nuclear power plant earlier this month repeatedly violated one of the five principles he outlined last year to avert a nuclear disaster amid the Ukraine conflict.

"Nevertheless, Madame President, over the past ten days, the first of these principles has been violated repeatedly in what marks a step-change increase in risk to nuclear safety and security at Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant," Grossi emphasized.

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Second to none: Russia turns electronic warfare into an art form

Russia marks the Electronic Warfare (EW) Specialist Day on April 15. Exactly 120 years ago, on April 15, 1904, the Russian naval forces successfully jammed Japanese radio communications upending the shelling of the Port Arthur fortress during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905.

In the 21st century Russia continued to improve its electronic warfare capabilities, first during the aerial campaign in Syria and later in Ukraine.

"In 2007, Russia invested heavily in research and development and the procurement of electronic warfare equipment," David Stupples, professor or electronic and radio engineering at the School of Science and Technology of City, University of London, told Sputnik. "[By the time of the Syrian war] the Russian Armed Forces had been re-equipped with modern electronic warfare [systems]."

The special military operation in Ukraine has catalyzed the development of Russia's EW systems, as per Alexei Leonkov, veteran Russian military observer and defense tech expert. In July 2023, the Economist reported that Russia's electronic jamming was knocking Ukrainian drones and NATO-grade GPS-guided projectiles out of the sky.

Leonkov singled out Russia's Krasukha-S4 and the Tirada-2S systems capable of jamming enemy drones, missiles, radars and even satellites. He continued that Russia has also mastered itself in detecting and thwarting both Ukrainian and NATO-made EW systems.

"The enemy has lost many advantages provided by electronic warfare systems supplied by NATO and developed in Ukraine," the Russian expert said. "But our work is not finished yet. Our complexes are being continuously improved. Despite [Russia] creating cutting-edge systems, the enemy is still looking for an opportunity to overcome them. However, as the conflict continues it's getting harder for the enemy to catch up."

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Russia is grateful to the IAEA for promptly condemning attacks on the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), Russia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzia said at a UN Security Council meeting.

▪️ Russia has been taking every effort to avert security threats to the ZNPP Nebenzia stressed.

▪️ Moscow has never deployed heavy weapons at the nuclear power plant or launched attacks from its territory, the Russian diplomat said.

▪️ Ukraine has meanwhile intensified attacks on the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant over the past months and Russia has been informing the IAEA, the ambassador highlighted.

▪️ If current strikes on the plant continue, no one can rule out a nuclear disaster of regional or even global proportions, Nebenzia emphasized.

▪️ Russia calls on the IAEA to name the source of attacks on the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant. It is not a political matter but an issue of nuclear security, the ambassador insisted.

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The United States' Scranton Army Ammunition Plant has reportedly caught on fire, according to reports on social media. The government-owned facility is the primary producer of 155mm artillery shells for the US military (and Ukraine) in the United States.

Photo from social media

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French mercenaries leaving for Ukraine "do not realize the real danger," historian and war correspondent Laurent Brayard told Sputnik Africa after the Russian army struck French mercenaries in Slavyansk.

"Many have left. Some come and go back quite quickly. And there are still quite a few wounded. In any case, they can't realize what the front is, because this is a war of an intensity that Europe hasn't known since World War II. We haven't seen anything like this for a very long time," the journalist said.

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The Russian Armed Forces struck Ukrainian troops in the town of Novy Bug in the Nikolayev Region, Nikolayev underground coordinator Sergey Lebedev told Sputnik.

"At 22:20 there was a strike on the town of Novy Bug. It hit very hard, directly at the disposition [of the Ukrainian Armed Forces]. The exit from the city is blocked, ambulances are rushing in, the military is hysterical," Lebedev said.

He also added that there was a second strike, after which there were power outages and Ukrainian air defense responded. There will be more details in the morning, but for now it is known that "some commission" came to Novy Bug said Lebedev, noting it was the target of the strike.

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Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi said that there are no heavy weapons at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant (ZNPP).

“There is no heavy weaponry there,” Grossi told reporters.

The IAEA director also said that he intends to travel to Ukraine and Russia soon.

"Yes, we need to [go to] Ukraine and Russia, as I have been doing since the beginning," Grossi said during a press conference in response to a question whether he intends to travel to Ukraine soon.

The IAEA must keep channels of communication open with Russia and Ukraine, Grossi added.

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'Nothing you can do to stop us': Iran's strikes on Israeli bases establish deterrence

Iran is playing the long game in its dealings with Israel, carefully calibrating its actions to restore deterrence against the country rather than concerning itself with world opinion, former United Nations weapons inspector Scott Ritter stressed.

The analyst joined Sputnik's Fault Lines program and challenged the perception that Israel is in a stronger position after reports of intercepting most of Iran’s retaliatory strikes over the weekend.

“The job wasn't to say, ‘we're going to hurt you,’” Ritter claimed. “The job was to say, ‘hey, Israel, look around you. Right now you have America's most sophisticated X-band radar to give you intelligence when we launch our missiles… you have the whole world coming to your assistance to protect you and you can't stop our missiles from hitting your most important bases. That's the future, if you dare attack us again.’”

Israel has conspicuously forbidden journalists from observing the aftermath of Iran’s attack on Israel’s bases in recent days. Video posted to social media appeared to show several hypersonic missiles striking Israel’s Ramon military airbase in the Negev desert.

Ritter insisted Iran attacked Israel in such a way that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could save face while also revealing Tehran’s capabilities if Israel strikes it again. “All those things that were shot down – understand those were designed to be shot down,” he said. “Iran put a program together with the United States that said, ‘we're going to let you shoot all this stuff down so you feel good. But in the end our good stuff hit the bases, just so you know that we can do that anytime we want, and there's nothing you can do to stop us.’”

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💵 The US House Republican Conference is considering trying to pass multiple bills this week to provide aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, US House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a statement.

"I have just spoken with the HouseGOP conference on my plan to address national security supplemental legislation on the growing security crises," Johnson wrote on X. "This week, we will consider separate bills with a structured and germane amendment process to: fund our ally Israel, support Ukraine in its war against Russian aggression, strengthen our allies in the Indo-Pacific, pass additional measures to counter our adversaries and strengthen our national security."

House Republicans are reportedly considering providing $48.4 billion to Ukraine, $14.1 billion to Israel, and $2.4 billion for security operations in the Indo-Pacific region. There's also some $3.3 billion for the US submarine industrial base and $2.4 billion for US operations in the Red Sea.

Punch Bowl News reported that one of the bills will include a TikTok ban, a measure to sell seized Russian assets, lend-lease-style military aid, and convertible loans for humanitarian relief.

The House Republican leadership will attempt to advance the plan under a single rule.

On Monday, House Republicans held a closed-door conference meeting, where House Speaker Mike Johnson reportedly outlined the plan to colleagues. Johnson told House Republicans that he will allow an amendment process for the legislation.

Johnson, who spoke with President Joe Biden earlier in the day, also reportedly said that any Ukraine aid legislation must be considered as a standalone bill.

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🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia did not participate in intercepting Iranian drones or missiles fired at Israel over the weekend, Al Arabiya broadcaster reported, citing sources.

On Monday, Israeli broadcaster Kan reported, citing a member of the Saudi royal family, that Saudi Arabia took part in repelling the attack on Israel.

"There is no official website that published a statement about Saudi participation in intercepting attacks against Israel," the sources were quoted as saying by the broadcaster on Monday.

On Saturday night, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched over 300 drones and missiles at Israel in its first-ever direct attack on Israeli territory, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said. The attack came in response to Israel's airstrike on the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital in early April. IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said Israel had intercepted 99% of the aerial targets fired by Iran, including all drones.

Tehran claimed that its retaliatory attack “hit designated targets.”

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