A Russian soldier at the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in southern Ukraine, August 4, 2022 (Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters)

Tuesday’s Coverage: Russia Murders Family of 4 in Sumy

UPDATE 0546 GMT:

Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Toiu has confirmed plans to partner with Ukraine on drone production to protect NATO airspace.

“We believe it is strategic for [NATO’s] eastern flank to be better protected, especially in air defence. So what we are doing in that direction is to create the partnerships needed, for example, with Ukraine to build defensive drones for the future,” Toiu said in an interview.

In the past three weeks, around 20 Russian drones flew over Poland with Polish and NATO air defenses downing several of them. UAVs have also fallen in Romania, and three Russian fighter jets violated Estonian airspace for 12 minutes.

Toiu said of the initiative with Ukraine, “We believe in our capacity to make it a reality fast.”

UPDATE 0536 GMT:

Amid gasoline shortages across the country, the Russian Cabinet extended the ban on the export of petrol until December 31.

Since August 1, Ukrainian drone strikes on at least 16 of Russia’s 38 oil refineries have cut output by around 17% to the lowest level since 2020. Gasoline rationing has been introduced in parts of the Russian Far East and in Russian-occupied Crimea.

On Tuesday, authorities also introduced a ban on diesel, marine fuel, and gasoil exports until December 31 for non-producers.

Moscow initially banned gasoline exports in July 2025 after a spike in the consumer price.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned of a “critical” situation at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, after nearby Russian shelling damaged nearby power lines on September 23.

The plant is located in the Zaporizhzhia region in southern Ukraine. Its 7 1/2-day cutoff from the electrical grid is the longest during Russia’s 44-month full-scale invasion.

The nuclear plant, the largest in Europe with six reactors, has been occupied by the Russians since March 2022. Although the reactors are dormant, power is needed for cooling and safety. Backup diesel generators are in operation, but the International Atomic Energy Agency has warned the situation may not be tenable.

Zelensky said in his nightly address to the nation, “The generators and the plant were not designed for this, have never operated in this mode for long, and we already have information that one generator has failed.”

He summarized, “This is a threat to everyone – no terrorist in the world has ever dared to do to a nuclear plant what Russia is doing. And it is right that the world does not stay silent.”

IAEA head Rafael Grossi said in a statement that the UN agency is “in constant contact with the two sides with the aim to enable the plant’s swift re-connection to the electricity grid”.

Using information from a team at the plant, Grossi evaluated:

While the plant is currently coping thanks to its emergency diesel generators – the last line of defence – and there is no immediate danger as long as they keep working, it is clearly not a sustainable situation in terms of nuclear safety.

The Kremlin has not commented on the threat. Instead, spokesperson Dmitry Peskov proclaimed on Tuesday that “many” Ukrainian citizens across the south want to become part of Russia.

Map: Nizar al-Rifai/The Kyiv Independent