Battle to stop fire at Europe's biggest nuclear power plant
Jimie2022. 3. 4. 17:53
RUSSIA-UKRAINE LIVE: Battle to stop fire at Europe's biggest nuclear power plant, refugees could hit four million, shoppers search for Ukrainian vodka after Russian products are pulled off shelves over Vladimir Putin's invasion
PUBLISHED:18:21 AEDT, 4 March 2022|UPDATED:19:31 AEDT, 4 March 2022
Russian forces today shelled Europe's largest nuclear power plant, with Ukraine's President VolodymyrZelenskyaccusing the country of unleashing 'nuclear terror'.
Mr Zelensky said he feared that an explosion at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant would be 'the end for everyone, the end for Europe, the evacuation of Europe'.
The assault triggered phone calls between Mr Zelensky and world leaders, with the US Department of Energy activating its nuclear incident response team.
Vladimir Putin's forces have launched hundreds of missiles and artillery attacks on cities and other sites aroundUkraineand made significant gains in the south.
The Russians announced the capture of the southern city and Black Sea port of Kherson, which was the first major city to fall since the invasion began last week.
Heavy fighting continued on the outskirts of another strategic port, Mariupol, on the Azov Sea - which has knocked out the city's electricity, heat and water systems.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said Russia's shelling of the nuclear power station in Zaporizhzhia could 'directly threaten the safety of all of Europe'.
And the West fears the Russian president will unleash an overwhelming assault on Ukraine's major cities, potentially inflicting devastating civilian casualties.
Meanwhile the exodus from Ukraine continued, with the UN saying more than a million people having fled so far, a figure which could soon rise to four million.
And British supermarkets are committing to stop selling Russian-made vodka because of the war, with UK shoppers now searching for Ukrainian alternatives.
Here, follow MailOnline's live blog for all the updates on the crisis in Ukraine today:
Boris Johnson accused Vladimir Putin of 'directly threatening the safety of all of Europe' today after a huge nuclear plant was shelled in Ukraine.
It comes as Foreign Secretary Liz Truss joins fellow foreign ministers from Nato and the EU for talks in Brussels on how to counter the Russian war machine.
Wales sends £4million in aid to Ukraine as it welcomes in refugees
The Welsh Government has said it is to provide £4million in aid to Ukraine.
First Minister Mark Drakeford, who told Sky News this morning that Wales hopes to be 'a nation of sanctuary' for Ukrainian refugees, said the aid would help people on the front line:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has reportedly survived three assassination attempted in the last week.
Mercenaries from the Kremlin-backed Wagner group and Chechen special forces were both allegedly sent to kill the Ukrainian president since Russia's invasion began last week. Here's the full report on MailOnline:
Mercenaries from the Kremlin-backed Wagner group and Chechen special forces were both allegedly sent to kill the Ukrainian president since Russia's invasion began last week.
Dominic Raab slams nuclear plant attack as 'totally despicable act'
Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab has also been speaking to LBC radio today, and slammed the nuclear power plant attack by Russian forces:
08:20
Dominic Rabb defends Government action on targeting Russian oligarchs
The UK is 'at the vanguard' of imposing sanctions on Kremlin-linked money, according to the Deputy Prime Minister, as he sought to defend the Government's actions on targeting Russian oligarchs.
Dominic Raab spoke to BBC Breakfast this morning about why the European Union had sanctioned more individual Russian elites than Britain:
08:18
Dominic Rabb issues warning over 'precarious and dangerous facility'
Dominic Raab said it was 'doubly reprehensible' that Russian forces had continued to shell a nuclear site after Ukrainian emergency services had looked to put a fire out at Europe's largest power station. The Deputy Prime Minister told Sky News the Russians had inflicted a bombardment on a 'very sensitive, precarious and dangerous facility' in Zaporizhzhia:
Mail Force's Ukraine Appeal has now burst through the £3million mark as Lord Ashcroft gave £100,000. The businessman hailed the ‘astonishing bravery’ of those defending their war-ravaged homeland. Here's is the latest on the record-breaking appeal - and how you can donate:
The £3million was raised in just five days, breaking the record for a newspaper appeal. Money is being given to established charities who are already working inside Ukraine.
The five-year-old brother of Polina, the Harry Potter mad 10-year-old girl shot dead by the Russians with their parents has also died in a family tragedy that symbolises Vladimir Putin's horrific war on the people of Ukraine. Read the tragic story on MailOnline:
Semyon was in a critical condition in hospital for 72 hours when the family's car was riddled with bullets as they tried to flee Kyiv as the Russians tried to encircle the capital.
Chilling video captured the deadly aftermath of Russian air strikes on Chernihiv which killed at least 33 and left dozens of Ukrainian bodies strewn across its streets. Here's the full story on MailOnline:
Chilling video captured the deadly aftermath of Russian air strikes on Chernihiv which killed at least 33 and left dozens of Ukrainian bodies strewn across its streets.
Jan Moir has also written in today's Daily Mail, about how celebrities such as Holly Willoughby and James Corden 'showing us the way forward through the darkness' is 'absolutely the last thing we need':
Sir Roderic Lyne, the British ambassador to Russia from 2000 to 2004, has written in today's Daily Mail about how mobile phones mean Vladimir Putin 'will be unable to suppress the truth about the war with Ukraine, despite his attempts to impose a totalitarian state'.
SIR RODERIC LYNE: Putin plans to shut down parts of the internet if he can and to clamp down ruthlessly on social media. But Russia is not North Korea and would grind to a halt without mobiles.
Mila Kunis - who was born in Ukraine - and her husband Ashton Kutcher have vowed to match up to $3million in donations to help provide 'immediate' humanitarian aid to Ukrainian refugees.
The couple launched a GoFundMe page with the goal of raising $30million for Flexport.org and Airbnb.org, which are 'two organisations who are actively on the ground providing immediate help to those who need it most.' Here is the full story from the DailyMail.com team in Los Angeles:
Mila Kunis and her husband Ashton Kutcher have vowed to match up to $3,000,000 in donations to help provide 'immediate' humanitarian aid to Ukrainian refugees.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said the US and the West acted too late to protect his country from the might of the Russian army and described how 'the end of the world has arrived'. Read more on MailOnline about his news conference here:
Zelensky said the US and the West had acted too late to protect his country from Russian might and described how 'the end of the world has arrived' during a news conference on Thursday.
Ministers have finally cracked down on oligarchs as Uzbekistan-born Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov and ex-Kremlin deputy prime minister Igor Shuvalov are the latest targets of sanctions by the British government – as Chelsea football club owner Roman Abramovich sells off his assets. Here's the full story on MailOnline:
Roman Abramovich has put Chelsea up for sale for £3billion having already lined up a bid led by a Swiss billionaire and is also said to be getting rid of £200m of London property.
European intelligence officials claim Russia is planning to stage public executions in captured Ukrainian cities in an effort to break morale, along with crackdowns on protests.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to sit down with him at the negotiating table in person during another impassioned television appearance. Read the full report on MailOnline here:
Volodymyr Zelensky has today vowed that Ukraine will be rebuilt 'street by street' using Russian reparations after the country survived another night of attacks by Putin's men.
One of the other top stories relating to the war in Ukraine this morning is that the sham of Russian President Vladimir Putin's claims to not be targeting civilians have been laid bare, as a video emerged of a family car being strafed by tank fire on a quiet country road outside Kyiv. Watch the terrifying clip and read the full story on MailOnline here:
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT. A video has now emerged of a father and son - and their dogs - being mowed down by tank fire as they drove along a country lane.
Ministry of Defence intelligence update on 'intense Russian strikes'
The Ministry of Defence has issued its daily intelligence update on the war in Ukraine, including reports about the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant being on fire and Mariupol being subjected to 'intense Russian strikes':
07:32
This morning's UK newspaper front pages
Let's take a look at what's on the front pages of the UK national newspapers are saying about the Russia-Ukraine conflict this morning.
The Daily Mail features a picture of Russian President Vladimir Putin and asks: 'Who’ll rid the world of this ranting madman?'
Good morning and welcome to MailOnline’s liveblog bringing you all the latest updates on the crisis in Ukraine on Friday, March 4, 2022.
We start with the news that Europe's largest nuclear power plant is under Russian control this morning after a night of fierce fighting in Zaporizhzhia.
Boris Johnson said the shelling could 'directly threaten the safety of all of Europe'. Here is MailOnline’s report this morning with the latest:
Huge plums of black smoke and fire were seen coming from a makeshift barricade on the main route to the Zaporizhzhia site in eastern Ukraine, as an air raid siren wailed in the background.
