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‘ONE STEP AWAY FROM A RADIATION DISASTER’: The situation at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine is becoming increasingly tenuous as external power to the plant was cut twice Thursday, forcing it off the country’s electricity grid and causing a widespread power outage. Ukraine said Russian shelling caused fires at ash pits at a nearby thermal power plant which cut an external power line that supplied power to Zaporizhzhya for its cooling and other critical safety systems, while Russia blamed Ukrainian for the shelling. In a fiery speech last night, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky charged Russia with risking a nuclear catastrophe. “If the diesel generators hadn’t turned on, if the automation and our staff of the plant had not reacted after the blackout, then we would already be forced to overcome the consequences of the radiation accident,” Zelensky said. “Russia has put Ukraine and all Europeans in a situation one step away from a radiation disaster.” In a statement, the International Atomic Energy Agency underscored the urgent need to inspect safety conditions at the plant, which is controlled by Russia but operated by its prewar Ukrainian staff. “Almost every day there is a new incident at or near the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant. We can’t afford to lose any more time,” said Rafael Mariano Grossi, the director general of the U.N. nuclear watchdog. “I’m determined to personally lead an IAEA mission to the plant in the next few days to help stabilize the nuclear safety and security situation there.” UN NUCLEAR WATCHDOG PUSHES TO VISIT TROUBLED UKRAINIAN POWER PLANT ASAP PUTIN DESPERATE FOR FRESH TROOPS: After suffering heavy losses in the first six months of its faltering “special military operation” in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin is ordering a substantial increase in the size of his military, but experts say the move is unlikely to produce reinforcements for the front lines in Ukraine any time soon. Putin’s decree would increase the number of authorized troops in the Russian armed forces from 1.01 million to 1.15 million beginning next year, an increase on paper of 137,000. The move is “unlikely to generate significant combat power in the near future,” and represents a “relatively modest” goal that is “likely unattainable,” says the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War. “The Russian military has not historically met its end-strength targets. It had only about 850,000 active-duty military personnel in 2022 before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, for example, well shy of its nominal end strength target of over one million,” the ISW notes. “Apart from the challenges Russian recruiters face, Russia’s net training capacity has likely decreased since February 24, since the Kremlin deployed training elements to participate in combat.” The Pentagon estimates that Russia has suffered up to 80,000 casualties in Ukraine, troops either killed or wounded troops in battle. US AND UN RAISE CONCERNS OF RUSSIAN ‘SHOW TRIALS’ IN OCCUPIED UKRAINE ANOTHER PAUSE IN OPERATIONS: Meanwhile, Russia is portraying its stalled offensive in the Donbas region as a humanitarian gesture aimed at preventing civilian casualties, an explanation that prompted some online scoffing from the British Defense Ministry on Twitter. “Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told the Shanghai Cooperation Organization that Russia was deliberately slowing the pace of its military campaign in Ukraine, driven by the need to reduce civilian casualties. This is almost certainly deliberate misinformation,” the ministry said in its daily intelligence update. “Russia’s offensive has stalled because of poor Russian military performance and fierce Ukrainian resistance. Under Shoigu’s orders, the forces operating in Ukraine have repeatedly missed planned operational timelines,” the Twitter thread said, noting that “It is highly likely that Shoigu and President Putin have fired at least six generals for not advancing quickly enough.” The British military also points out that the same day Shoigu was talking about the need to reduce civilian casualties, a Russian SS-26 Iskander short-range ballistic missile struck a train in the town of Chaplyne, killing at least 25 people, including two children. “This highlights Russia’s willingness to cause collateral damage when it perceives there is military advantage in launching missile or artillery strikes,” the ministry said. SLOW PROGRESS: UKRAINE’S PERILOUS PATH TO VICTORY Good Friday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre) and edited by Victor I. Nava. Email here with tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. Sign up or read current and back issues at DailyonDefense.com. If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email and we’ll add you to our list. And be sure to follow us on Twitter: @dailyondefense. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP OR READ BACK ISSUES OF DAILY ON DEFENSE
Subscribe today to the Washington Examiner magazine and get Washington Briefing: politics and policy stories that will keep you up to date with what's going on in Washington. SUBSCRIBE NOW: Just $1.00 an issue! NOTE TO READERS: Daily on Defense will be on summer hiatus from Monday, Aug. 29 through Labor Day, Sept. 5. We’ll be back in your inbox and online Tuesday, Sept. 6. REDUCING UNINTENDED CIVILIAN CASUALTIES: The Pentagon has unveiled a new program and office with the mission of reducing harm to innocent civilians during combat operations. The “Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response-Action Plan” was the result of an order from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who was appalled by several incidents in which large numbers of civilians were killed inadvertently, including a strike in Syria in 2019 that killed dozens of women and children and was first reported in a series by the New York Times, and a drone strike in Kabul a year ago that killed 10 people. “The protection of civilians is a strategic priority as well as a moral imperative,” wrote Austin in a memo implementing the new policy. “Our efforts to mitigate and respond to civilian harm directly reflect our values and also directly contribute to achieving mission success.” The Pentagon will establish a Civilian Protection Center of Excellence to facilitate “analysis, learning, and training related to civilian harm mitigation and response,” according to a Pentagon release. PENTAGON UNVEILS CHANGES TO DRONE PROGRAM TO PREVENT CIVILIAN CASUALTIES US STRIKES BACK IN SYRIA, AGAIN: The U.S. is responding with escalating airstrikes as Iranian-backed militias continue to attack and threaten U.S. troops in eastern Syria. After a Wednesday strike that took out rocket launchers and killed two or three suspected militants, the U.S. followed up yesterday with another strike, in which AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, AC-130 gunships, and M777 artillery killed four enemy fighters and destroyed seven rocket launchers, according to the U.S. Central Command. “We will respond appropriately and proportionally to attacks on our servicemembers,” said U.S. Central Commander Army Gen. Erik Kurilla in a statement. “No group will strike at our troops with impunity. We will take all necessary measures to defend our people.” CENTCOM KILLS FOUR ENEMY FIGHTERS IN LATEST FLARE-UP IN SYRIA INDUSTRY WATCH: The Army has awarded a $1.1 billion contract to General Dynamics Land Systems for 250 M1A2 Abrams tanks for the Polish army. The acquisition of tanks for Poland, a NATO ally, comes as the Army has begun training Polish soldiers on 28 Abrams tanks transported to Poland in July. Delivery of the tanks is expected around January 2025, with production and manufacturing support occurring at several Army depots. “NATO’s strength lies in its unity, which has never been greater than it is today,” said Doug Bush, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, in an Army news release. “This award is an example of the Army’s continuing work with our industry partners to increase production of critical military equipment capabilities to ensure we continue to meet the needs of our partners and allies.” CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER The RundownWashington Examiner: Slow progress: Ukraine’s perilous path to victory Washington Examiner: Zelensky: Europe 'one step away from a radiation disaster' Washington Examiner: UN nuclear watchdog pushes to visit troubled Ukrainian power plant ASAP Washington Examiner: US and UN raise concerns of Russian ‘show trials’ in occupied Ukraine Washington Examiner: Pentagon unveils changes to drone program to prevent civilian casualties Washington Examiner: CENTCOM kills four enemy fighters in latest flare-up in Syria Washington Examiner: Only 397 veterans got jobs after $386M pandemic retraining program: Report Washington Examiner: Biden administration refuses to identify Kabul airport bomber who killed 13 Americans AP: Britain to see 80% spike in energy bills as crisis deepens AP: Taiwan: China, Russia disrupting, threatening world order Reuters: Analysis: China's Navy Begins To Erase Imaginary Taiwan Strait Median Line Wall Street Journal: Taiwan Proposes Big Jump in Military Spending Amid Chinese Pressure Stars and Stripes: Solomon Islands Denies Port Call For Guam-Based U.S. Coast Guard Cutter AP: One year on, Afghans at risk await evacuation, relocation Air Force Magazine: Nuclear Advances by China Raise Questions on Command and Control, Structure Bloomberg: Torrent of Cash for Ukraine Arms Puts Pentagon Watchdog on Alert Air Force Magazine: B-2 Crew Successfully Tested Long-Range Cruise Missile, Northrop Gumman Says Air Force Magazine: Guard F-35 Unit Completes First Overseas Deployment to Europe The Drive: Navy F-35C Surfaces Wearing New Mirror-Like Skin 19fortyfive.com: F-15EX: The Air Force's Plan for a 'New' Fighter (Or Missile Truck to Fight Russia?) Military Times: VA Botched Thousands Of Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Cases 19fortyfive.com: Ukraine Wants to Go on the Offensive Against Russia. It Could Be Risky 19fortyfive.com: Opinion: South Korea Can't Let China Push Them Around on Missile Defense Breaking Defense: Opinion: Avoiding Empty Cockpits: Addressing the Air Force’s Pilot Shortage Problem CalendarFRIDAY | AUGUST 26 8:15 a.m. — Government Executive Media Group virtual discussion: “Enterprise Information Technology as a Service," focusing on federal agency management of IT infrastructure and services, with Venice Goodwine, director of enterprise information technology at the Air Force https://events.washingtontechnology.com/EITaaS 10 a.m. — Brookings Institution virtual discussion: "The U.S. Marine Corps, the National Defense Strategy, and the future of expeditionary warfare," with retired Marine Corps Lt. Col. Amy McGrath, member of the U.S. Naval Academy's Board of Visitors; Michael O'Hanlon, director of research for the Brookings Institution's Foreign Policy Program; and Melanie Sisson, fellow at the Brookings Institution's Foreign Policy Program https://www.brookings.edu/events/the-us-marine-corps 11 a.m. — National Press Club virtual discussion: "One Year Since The Fall of Kabul," with Zahra Joya, founder of Rukhshana Media; Nazira Karimi, journalist, television presenter, author and entrepreneur; Mustafa Kazemi, veteran war correspondent; Rebecca Blumenstein, deputy managing editor of the New York Times; and Elizabeth Hagedorn, State Department correspondent at Al-Monitor https://www.press.org/events/one-year-fall-kabu 12 p.m. — American Society of International Law and the American Red Cross virtual book discussion: “The Right to Privacy during Armed Conflict,” with co-editor Asaf Lubin, professor at Indiana University; and co-editor Russell Buchan, professor at the University of Sheffield https://www.asil.org/event/right-privacy-during-armed-conflict
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“The IAEA and other international organizations must act much faster than they’re acting now. Because every minute the Russian troops stay at the nuclear power plant is a risk of a global radiation disaster.” |
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in a video address, warning that the loss of external power to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant could cause a meltdown, the most serious form of nuclear accident.
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