The head of the UN's nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, said on Friday he was discussing proposals with Russia and Ukraine to restore off-site power to the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, calling it a 'question of political will'. Europe's largest nuclear power plant has been cut off from external power since 23 September, with the fuel in its reactors being cooled by emergency diesel generators. Grossi stated: 'Both sides say they stand ready to conduct the necessary repairs on their respective sides of the frontline. But for this to happen, the security situation on the ground must improve so that the technicians can carry out their vital work without endangering their lives.'
French photojournalist Antoni Lallican was killed by a Russian drone attack in eastern Ukraine on Friday. The 37-year-old award-winning photographer was embedded with Ukraine's Fourth Armoured Brigade near the frontline in the Donbas region when killed, Ukrainian authorities said. Ukrainian journalist Georgiy Ivanchenko was wounded in the same attack. The Fourth Armoured Brigade said on Facebook: 'Both journalists were wearing personal protective equipment, and their bulletproof vests had identification marks with the word "PRESS" on them.'
Russia has carried out its largest attack on Ukraine's gas network since Moscow first invaded in 2022, Kyiv's state-owned gas operator Naftogaz said on Friday. About 35 missiles and 60 drones were fired at its facilities in the north-eastern Kharkiv region and central Poltava region, causing critical damage. Approximately 13,000 pigs were killed in Ukraine's north-east after a Russian drone attack caused a fire on a farm, the state emergency service said, adding that a worker was also injured.
Ukraine has severed diplomatic ties with Nicaragua in response to it recognising occupied Ukrainian territory as Russian, Kyiv's foreign ministry said. Nicaragua was one of only five UN countries to vote against condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The Ukrainian foreign ministry said it considered Nicaragua's move 'an attempt to undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine'.
