​Russia’s third-largest oil facility burst into flames Friday after a Ukrainian drone strike, while US aid to Kyiv remains deadlocked in Congress.

War in Ukraine. Ukrainian military in Donetsk regionPhoto: Muhammed Enes Yildirim / AFP / Profimedia

All information about the war in Ukraine – day 696 – LIVE on HotNews.ro:

09:00 The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported on Friday evening that mines have been laid around the Zaporizhzhya NPP, AFP reports.

In the hands of Moscow forces since March 2022, the power plant, Europe’s largest, has suffered numerous outages linked to hostilities, and the Russian military regularly accuses Ukraine of endangering the plant.

“Mines have again been placed around the perimeter of the Zaporizhzhya NPP,” the IAEA in Vienna said in a statement.

The mines were removed in November but have been re-installed, which is “incompatible with IAEA security requirements,” according to the text.

According to the IAEA, they are located “in an area (…) prohibited for workers who ensure the operation of the plant”, between the internal and external fences of the installation.

The agency still does not have access to several areas of the plant, the IAEA complained. Earlier this month, Moscow cited security concerns to limit that access.

08:42Ukraine remains in the top three suppliers of agricultural products to the EU, although in the fall of 2023 exports fell to a level close to the invasion, according to the report of the European Commission, Kyiv Independent writes.

A brief summary of recent events:

  • Sorin Grindianu: If trucks from Ukraine will have priority in the port of Constanta, the entire management of the port will be changed
  • The British Ministry of Defense confirms that Ukrainian forces shot down a Russian A-50 reconnaissance aircraft on January 14
  • France: Macron asks the military industry to accelerate the transition to a “war economy”: “A Russian victory would be the end of European security”
  • “Much more than 90%” of the steps Ukraine had to take last year to continue its path to the European Union have been completed, the Ukrainian Prime Minister claims
  • By the end of the year, the EU will have the capacity to produce 1.3 million shells
  • The General Prosecutor’s Office of Ukraine opened criminal proceedings against a threatening visit by unknown persons to the house of investigative journalist Yury Nikolov

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Friday’s events regarding Russian aggression were broadcast LIVE on HotNews.ro