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The chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency announced on the end of the week that he was discussing plans with Russia and Kyiv to reconnect external power to the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, calling it a “question of political will”. The biggest in Europe atomic energy station has been cut off from outside electricity since 23 September, with the reactor cores being cooled by backup power systems. IAEA chief, Rafael Grossi, stated: “Both sides claim readiness to conduct the necessary repairs on their respective sides of the frontline. But for this to happen, the safety conditions on the ground must get better so that the technicians can carry out their crucial tasks without endangering their lives and safety.”

French War Photographer Dies in Moscow’s Airstrike in Eastern Ukraine

Award-winning photographer Antoni Lallican lost his life by a Russian drone attack in eastern Ukraine on the same day. The 37-year-old award-winning photographer was embedded with a Ukrainian military unit near the frontline in the Donbas region when fatally struck, officials in Kyiv said. Ukrainian journalist Georgiy Ivanchenko was injured in the identical incident. “Both journalists were wearing personal protective equipment, and their bulletproof vests had identification marks with the word ‘PRESS’ on them,” the military unit said on social media.

Association Head Condemns Attacks on Journalists

The head of the Ukrainian Union of Journalists, Serhiy Tomilenko, told local press that Lallican had been slain near the city of Druzhkivka, one of the most active areas of the 1,250km eastern battlefront. “By targeting journalists, the Moscow’s forces is intentionally hunting those seeking to record atrocities,” Tomilenko remarked. “For journalists, every mission to the combat area is a mortal danger. Antoni Lallican took this risk repeatedly, visiting Ukraine, travelling to Donbas, documenting what some ignore.”

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, expressed “deep sadness” for Lallican’s passing, stating on X he was “the casualty of an attack by Russian drones”.

The European and International Federations of Journalists denounced Lallican’s death in what it termed a “war crime”. Kyiv’s top diplomat, Andriy Sybiga, said Russia “continues to deliberately target media personnel”, labeling it “a terrible offense and breach of global norms”.

Moscow Conducts Biggest Attack on Ukrainian Gas Network

Moscow has executed its largest attack on the country’s energy system since Moscow first invaded in 2022, Ukraine’s national energy company Naftogaz reported on the same day. “Due to of this attack, a significant portion of our facilities have been harmed. A portion of the destruction is severe,” the Naftogaz chair, Sergiy Koretsky, declared. About three dozen rockets and 60 drones were launched at its facilities in the eastern Ukraine and central Ukraine, Naftogaz noted. “Some were successfully shot down. Unfortunately, not all,” it stated. There were electricity outages in multiple areas, Ukraine’s energy ministry said.

Large-Scale Livestock Losses in Airstrike

Approximately thousands of swine were lost in the northeastern part of Ukraine during the night after a Moscow-led strike started a fire on a farm, the state emergency service announced, adding that a employee at the farm was also injured. Images released by the service showed pig carcasses stacked in tight enclosures that were partly burned down, some with their coverings collapsed. The animals were housed in eight stalls covering just over a large area, all of which burned down in the inferno, the rescue team explained.

Kyiv Severs Diplomatic Ties with Nicaragua

Ukraine has severed diplomatic ties with Nicaragua in reaction to it accepting seized lands as Russian, Ukraine’s diplomatic office said. Nicaragua was one of only a handful United Nations members to vote against censuring Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In a message to Vladimir Putin in July, the Nicaraguan president, Daniel Ortega, portrayed the military action as a “heroic battle against Nato-backed Ukrainian neo-nazism”. The Ukrainian foreign ministry said it considered Nicaragua’s move “an effort to weaken the independence and borders of Ukraine”. The country does not have major economic relations with Nicaragua or an diplomatic mission in the state.