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The boiler room of Mariupol was destroyed in a strike – reports

Ukrainian sources say Russian forces hit a boiler factory in Mariupol, southern Ukraine. The city’s mayor’s adviser, Petro Andryushenko, said Russian forces hit the city’s boiler facilities in a Telegram post early this morning. “The Russians have exploded again. Loud enough for the whole town to hear. Just blowing up the boiler room. Instead of preparing the city for winter and building boiler rooms, the conquerors are destroying even the remains…” Unconfirmed video purportedly showing the moment the facility was hit has surfaced online.

“Nuclear explosions must stop” warns the head of the UN

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an end to “nuclear explosions”, saying the world is at a “moment of greatest peril” and all countries with nuclear weapons must commit to “no first use”. . The UN chief described the situation at Ukraine’s Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, as critical. Shelling and fighting in the area continues. In a statement released after ambassadors met at the UN Security Council on Monday, Guterres said: The nuclear rattle must stop… come to the negotiating table to reduce tensions and end the nuclear arms race, once and for all.” At this moment of “greatest danger to our world”, the secretary-general stressed that “the future of humanity is in our hands”, insisting that division should be replaced by dialogue and diplomacy, to “save future generations from the scourge of war”. He argued that negotiation, compromise and accountability are needed for the future, affirming that as it represents the nations of the world, the UN is “humanity’s best hope for building a better, more peaceful tomorrow”. In this moment of greatest danger to our world, now is the time to recommit to the @UN Charter and the ideals it represents. There is no greater solution to fulfilling the promise of the Charter than replacing division with dialogue and diplomacy. The future of humanity is in our hands. pic.twitter.com/LS43yEA6Pg — António Guterres (@antonioguterres) August 22, 2022

Russia will intensify strikes: US

The US State Department has issued a security alert, warning that Russia is stepping up efforts to launch strikes against Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure and government facilities in the coming days. The security alert issued by the US Embassy in Kyiv on Tuesday reads: The State Department has information that Russia is stepping up efforts to launch strikes against Ukrainian civilian infrastructure and government facilities in the coming days.” The U.S. intelligence community on Monday declassified a finding that determined Russia would increasingly target Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, according to a U.S. official with knowledge of intelligence. The official was not authorized to comment publicly on the find and spoke on condition of anonymity, The Associated Press reported. The warning also called on US citizens still in Ukraine to leave the country immediately. “If you hear a loud explosion or sirens are activated, seek cover immediately,” the State Department said. “If you’re in a house or building, go to the lowest level of the structure with the fewest exterior walls, windows, and openings. close all doors and sit near an interior wall, away from windows or openings.” Updated at 05.13 BST

Summary and welcome

Hello and welcome back to the Guardian’s live coverage of the war in Ukraine. I’m Samantha Lock and I’ll be bringing you all the latest developments for the next while. Whether you followed our coverage overnight or just dropped in, here are the latest lines. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an end to “nuclear explosions”, saying the world is at a “moment of greatest peril” and all countries with nuclear weapons must commit to “no first use”. . Meanwhile, the US State Department issued a security alert, warning that Russia is stepping up efforts to launch strikes against Ukrainian civilian infrastructure and government facilities in the coming days. It’s 7 am in Ukraine. Here’s everything you might have missed:

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an end to “nuclear rattles” on Monday, saying the world was in a “moment of greatest peril” and all countries with nuclear weapons must commit to “no first use”. The UN has described the situation at Ukraine’s Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, as critical, with shelling and fighting in the area continuing.

Moscow has called for a UN Security Council meeting on Tuesday to discuss the Zaporizhia plant, Russian state news agency RIA reported, citing Deputy UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyansky.

Ukrainian soldiers captured after the battle for Mariupol have accused Russian forces of torturing them during their captivity. The soldiers, who were from the Azov regiment and were released as part of a prisoner exchange, told reporters they saw soldiers beaten to the point of breaking their bones. “Some had needles inserted into their wounds, some were tortured with water,” said Vladislav Zayvoronok, who lost a leg. “They stripped us, forced us to squat while naked. If any of the boys raised their heads, they immediately started beating them,” added Denis Chepurko.

The only bridge over the strategic Dnieper River in the Russian-held city of Kherson was reportedly hit by high-precision US-supplied Himars rockets, injuring 15 people, a source told Russian news agency Interfax. The bridge is a key passage for Russian military transport in the region.

Three villages in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region were hit by Russian artillery and multiple rocket launchers on Monday. Soledar, Zaytseve and Bilohorivka near the city of Bakhmut were hit, killing at least two civilians, Ukrainian authorities said.

Nearly 9,000 Ukrainian servicemen have been killed in the war with Russia, the head of Ukraine’s armed forces, General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, said on Monday. The UN human rights office said on Monday 5,587 civilians were killed and 7,890 injured between February 24 and August 21, mostly by artillery, rocket and missile attacks.

The German chancellor says he is working quickly to find alternatives to Russian gas. Olaf Scholz said he aims to wean Germany off its dependence on Russian gas and seek new energy supplies. Scholz met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Montreal on Monday. The two leaders are set to sign an agreement to supply clean hydrogen from Canada to Germany.

Ukraine has restored a rail link with neighboring Moldova that could transport 10 million tons of goods a year, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said. The 22 km (12 mi) long line runs from western Ukraine to Moldova. Ukraine’s infrastructure minister, Oleksander Kubrakov, said the link would provide an alternative route from the Black Sea port of Odessa.

Ukraine’s agricultural exports are likely to rise to around 4 million tonnes in August, up from 3 million tonnes in July, the vice chairman of Ukraine’s agricultural council said. The rise is due to a UN-brokered deal that unblocks Ukrainian ports.

Europe faces another disruption in energy supplies due to a breakdown in a pipeline system carrying oil from Kazakhstan through Russia, the pipeline’s operator said on Monday. The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) said exports from two of its three Black Sea terminal berths have been suspended.

A senior Russian diplomat has ruled out a diplomatic solution to ending the war in Ukraine. Gennady Gatilov, Russia’s permanent representative to the UN in Geneva, told the Financial Times that there would be no direct talks between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky, adding that Moscow expected a protracted conflict.

A Ukrainian national flag was displayed on a burnt Russian military vehicle in central Kyiv on August 22. Photo: Alexey Furman/Getty Images Updated 05.02 BST