Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the world narrowly avoided a radiation disaster as power at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was cut for several hours due to Russian bombing of the area, which Moscow strongly denies.

Highlights of Friday, the 184th day of the Ukrainian war, LIVETEXT:

08:10 Vladimir Putin’s order on Thursday to increase Russian military forces is unlikely to lead to significant combat power anytime soon and indicates that Putin is unlikely to order mass mobilization anytime soon, the Institute for the Study of War said

07:55 Over the past week, Ukraine has destroyed seven Russian ammunition depots, Kyiv Independent writes.

Nataliya Gumenyuk, spokeswoman for Ukraine’s Southern Military Command, said that Russian ammunition depots are a top priority for Kyiv forces and that new depots are likely to be hit by the end of the week.

Ukrainian troops attacked Russian warehouses in Chornobayivka, Blagodatny and Staritsy.

07:12 The United States will appoint a general to coordinate military aid to Ukraine and efforts to train Kyiv’s soldiers.

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A quick recap of the latest developments on Friday morning:

• The explosions temporarily disconnected the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant from the Ukrainian grid. Bombing fires cut the station’s last power line on Thursday, temporarily disconnecting it from Ukraine’s national grid for the first time in nearly 40 years of operation, and Zelensky said the world was one step away from a nuclear accident.
• The Minister of Energy of Ukraine Herman Galushchenko said that the UN Atomic Service may visit the station “in the coming days”. Earlier, the head of the UN nuclear agency, Raphael Grossi, said that his team is “very, very close” to going to Zaporizhzhia. .
• The White House asked Russia to agree to a demilitarized zone around the nuclear power plant after US President Joe Biden’s conversation with Zelenskyi.
• Vladimir Putin signed a decree to increase the number of the Armed Forces of Russia from 1.9 million to 2.04 million people. The Russian president’s decree appears to indicate the country’s goal of rebuilding its army, which was heavily decimated in Ukraine and fell short of its goal of capturing the capital, Kyiv.
• At least 25 people have been confirmed dead as a result of Russia’s missile attack on the railway station in the village of Chapline in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Russia confirmed that it was behind the attack.
• The mayor of the Russian-occupied town of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, said a building believed to be used by pro-Russian officials in the region had been “blown up.” Fedorov, who is not in the city, released a video in which he appeared to show damage to the building, which he said , was used to plan a “pseudo-referendum” by the pro-Russian authorities.
• The Vatican’s efforts to mediate between Russia and Ukraine suffered two setbacks on Thursday, when the head of the Russian Orthodox Church canceled a meeting with Pope Francis and Ukraine summoned the papal ambassador to complain about Francis’ latest comments on the war. The pontiff-sovereign angered Kyiv by including Daria Dugin among the “innocents” who became victims of the “madness of war.”
• Latvia has demolished a nearly 80-meter concrete obelisk covered with Soviet stars that was the centerpiece of a monument dedicated to the victory of the Red Army over Nazi Germany.
• Iran, one of Russia’s allies, is already preparing to replace Vladimir Putin’s country in exporting oil to Europe if sanctions against it are lifted.

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• Thursday’s events were broadcast live on HotNews.ro