Today’s post begins with an Associated Press story updated by the news service before 8 a.m. EDT. Next, the British newspaper the Daily Mail reports on a Fox News interview with Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and on an ABC News interview with Pentagon press secretary John Kirby; the article also reports that American filmmaker Brent Renaud was killed in Ukraine. — MCM

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Russian airstrike hits base in western Ukraine, kills 35, by Yuras Karmanau LVIV, Ukraine (AP) — Waves of Russian missiles pounded a military training base close to Ukraine’s western border with NATO member Poland, killing 35 people. The strike followed Russian threats to target foreign weapon shipments that are helping Ukrainian fighters defend their country against Russia’s grinding invasion. More than 30 Russian cruise missiles targeted the sprawling training facility that is less than 25 kilometers (15 miles) from the closest border point with Poland, according to the governor of Ukraine’s western Lviv region. Poland is a key location for routing Western military aid to Ukraine. Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Lviv had largely been spared the scale of destruction unfolding further east and become a destination for residents escaping bombarded cities and for many of the nearly 2.6 million refugees who have fled the country. READ MORE . . .

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Russia showing signs of interest in Ukraine talks, says U.S. official, by Andrea Blanco | The Daily Mail, Russia is showing signs of a willingness to engage in substantive negotiations over Ukraine, even as Moscow currently is intent on “destroying” its neighbor, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said on Sunday, Sherman, in an interview with Fox News Sunday, said the U.S. is putting “enormous pressure” on Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a cease-fire in its weeks-old invasion of Ukraine and to allow the creation of humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to escape. ‘That pressure is beginning to have . . . READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

Below please find five items, an analysis of the war in Ukraine by Joe Lauria of Consortium News, filed yesterday; a Reuters report from Ukraine filed early this morning; a later Associated Press report filed at about 10:30 this morning; and an article from Global Research on a May 2019 report from the Rand Corporation titled ‘Overextending and Unbalancing Russia’; and finally, a commentary by Edward Curtin on the frightening prospects for nuclear war. Click on the titles or READ MORE . . . for the full reports, usually in a more readable format. A variety of reports are usually available every day at the AP, Reuters, Consortium News, Centre for Global Research sites and others. For example, HERE is a recent example of a AP “live update.” — MCM

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On a Knife’s Edge in Ukraine, by Joe Lauria | Consortium News The choice is stark for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky:  accept that his defeat is inevitable and accept Russian terms for surrender or continue to seek a way for NATO to become perilously involved in his fight against Moscow. Russia is making three demands of Kiev to end the war on its terms: recognize Crimea as part of Russia; grant independence to Lugansk and Donetsk in the Donbass and enshrine Ukraine as a neutral state in its constitution, meaning it will never join NATO. A 90-minute meeting in Turkey on Thursday between the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers resulted in no progress at all towards a solution, as this phase of the war enters its third week. Zelensky veers from one position to another from day to day and sometimes within the same media interview. In his . . . READ MORE . . .

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Fighting rages outside Kyiv, Ukraine says evacuations threatened again, by Pavel Polityuk and Natalia Zinets | Reuters LVIV, Ukraine, March 12 — Conflict raged near Kyiv on Saturday and Ukrainian officials said heavy shelling and threats of Russian air attacks were endangering attempted evacuations of desperate civilians from encircled towns and cities elsewhere. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia was sending in new troops after Ukrainian forces had put 31 of its battalion tactical groups out of action in what he called Russia’s largest army losses in decades. He gave no details and it was not possible to verify either statement. Zelenskiy also said he had spoken to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron about pressuring Russia to release the mayor of the city of Melitopol, who Ukraine says was kidnapped on Friday by Russian forces.  READ MORE . . .

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Russia strikes near Ukraine’s capital; mosque reported hit, by Yuras Karmanau | The Associated Press MARIUPOL, Ukraine — Russian forces pounding the port city of Mariupol shelled a mosque sheltering more than 80 people, including children, the Ukrainian government said Saturday. Fighting also raged on the outskirts of Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, as Russia’s expanding invasion bombarded other resisting cities into rubble. There was no immediate word of casualties from the shelling of Mariupol’s elegant, city-center mosque. The encircled city of 446,000 people has suffered some of the greatest misery from Russia’s war in Ukraine, with unceasing barrages thwarting repeated attempts to bring in food and water, evacuate trapped civilians and to bury all of the dead. An Associated Press journalist witnessed tanks firing on a 9-story apartment building in the city and was with a group of hospital workers who came under sniper fire on Friday. A worker shot in the hip survived, but conditions in the hospital were deteriorating: electricity was reserved for operating tables, and people with nowhere else to go lined the hallways. READ MORE . . .

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How to Destroy Russia. 2019 Rand Corporation Report: ‘Overextending and Unbalancing Russia’, by Manlio Dinucci | Global Research Force the adversary to expand recklessly in order to unbalance him, and then destroy him. This is not the description of a judo hold, but a plan against Russia elaborated by the Rand Corporation, the most influential think tank in the USA. With a staff of thousands of experts, Rand presents itself as the world’s most reliable source for Intelligence and political analysis for the leaders of the United States and their allies. The Rand Corp prides itself on having contributed to the elaboration of the long-term strategy which enabled the United States to win the Cold War, by forcing the Soviet Union to consume its own economic resources in the strategic confrontation. It is this model which was the inspiration for the new plan, Overextending and Unbalancing Russia, published by Rand. READ MORE . . .

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On the Edge of a Nuclear Abyss, by Edward Curtin | Behind the CurtainI believe that today we are in the greatest danger of a nuclear war since the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962, something I vividly remember as a teenager. The same feelings return. Dread. Anxiety. Breathlessness. I do not think these feelings are misplaced nor they are simply an emotional response. I try to continue writing on other projects that I have started but feel stymied. The possibility of nuclear war, whether intentional or accidental, obsesses me. In order to grasp this stomach-churning possibility within the context of Ukraine, we need to put aside all talk of morality, rights, international law, and think in terms of great power politics . . . READ MORE .   .   .

TeleSUR’s wrap-up of events related to the war in Ukraine leads below. Next is the Associated Press update on the war in Ukraine, by Evgeniy Malogetka. Then, a different wrinkle regarding the strife in that country is explored by Glenn Greenwald, formerly of Intercept. And Bret Stephens weighs in with thoughts on the war itself and how it could help the United States “rethink the way in which we look at foreign affairs for the next decade.” — MCM

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The U.S. Won’t Follow WTO Rules in Its Dealings with Russia: “By revoking Russia’s ‘Most Favored Nation’ status, the United States is creating an insurmountable rift within the international trade order it created after World War II,” according to teleSUR in its latest collection of news items connected to the war in Ukraine. Find them HERE.

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Russia keeps up pressure on Mariupol; massive convoy breaks up  MARIUPOL, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces kept up their bombardment of the port city of Mariupol on Thursday, while satellite photos appeared to show that a massive convoy that had been mired outside the Ukrainian capital split up and fanned out into towns and forests near Kyiv, with artillery pieces moved into firing positions. International condemnation escalated over an airstrike in Mariupol a day earlier that killed three people at a maternity hospital. Western and Ukrainian officials called the attack a war crime. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Russian refusal to permit evacuations from the port city amounted to “outright terror.”As the West seeks . . . READ MORE . . .

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Victoria Nuland: Ukraine Has ‘Biological Research Facilities,’ Worried Russia May Seize Them. by Glenn Greenwald | Global Research Self-anointed “fact-checkers” in the U.S. corporate press have spent two weeks mocking as disinformation and a false conspiracy theory the claim that Ukraine has biological weapons labs, either alone or with U.S. support. They never presented any evidence for their ruling — how could they possibly know? and how could they prove the negative? — but nonetheless they invoked their characteristically authoritative, above-it-all tone of self-assurance and self-arrogated right to decree the truth, definitively labelling such claims false. Claims that Ukraine currently maintains dangerous biological weapons labs came from Russia as well as China. The Chinese Foreign Ministry this month claimed: “The US has 336 labs in 30 countries under its control, including 26 in Ukraine alone.” READ MORE . . .

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New York Times columnist Bret Stephens says that in light of lessons learned so far from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, New rules are needed for a new world. His recent recommendation includes “a few ideas” and begins, “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is being described as the end of the post-Cold War era. This isn’t quite accurate. Since the Soviet Union collapsed . . . READ MORE . . .

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TO BE CONTINUED

What follows are an Associated Press report filed sometime last night, and an analysis by Larry Johnson of The Gateway Pundit sent out sometime this morning. — MCM

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Please click HERE for the AP report by Evgeniy Malgletka used in hundreds of newspapers today in the United States. In many of them it, or a variation of it, was headlined “Airstrike hits Ukraine maternity hospital, 17 reported hurt.”

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Understanding the Russian military plan for Ukraine, by Larry Johnson | The Gateway Pundit, begins, “There is an enormous propaganda campaign underway in the West to convince the American people that they should care more about Ukraine’s border with Russia than our own border with Mexico. Give me the list of our politicians, Democrats and Republicans, who are demanding action to secure our southern border. The voices are small and not resonating. Then draw up a list of the politicians insisting that we take actions in Ukraine that will risk a nuclear war with Russia. That list is long and their voices are loud. If you dare suggest this is madness, you are accused of being a tool of Putin. That is despicable nonsense. READ MORE . . .

Links to several items of news and opinion related to the war in Ukraine follow the beginning of a column just below, which comes from Consortium News. — MCM

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The Casualties of Empire

By Patrick Lawrence

The news reports come in daily from Moscow, Kiev and the Western capitals: how many dead since Russia began its intervention in Ukraine on Feb. 24,  how many injured, how many hungry or cold, how many displaced. We do not know the true count of casualties and the extent of the suffering and ought not pretend we do: This is the reality of war, each side having its version of unfolding events.

My inclination is to add the deaths in Ukraine these past two weeks to the 14,000 dead and the 1.5 million displaced since 2014, when the regime in Kiev began shelling its own citizens in the eastern provinces — this because the people of Donetsk and Lugansk rejected the U.S.­–cultivated coup that deposed their elected president. This simple math gives us a better idea of how many Ukrainians are worthy of our mourning.

As we mourn, it is time to consider the wider consequences of this conflict, for Ukrainians are not alone among its victims. Who else has suffered? What else has been damaged? This war is of a kind humanity has never before known. What are its costs?

Among paying-attention people it is increasingly plain that Washington’s intent in provoking Moscow’s intervention is, and probably has been from the first, to instigate a long-running conflict that bogs down Russian forces and leaves Ukrainians to wage an insurgency that cannot possibly succeed.

Is there another way to explain the many billions of dollars’ worth of weapons and matériel the U.S. and its European allies now pour into Ukraine? If the Ukrainians cannot win — a universally acknowledged reality — what is the purpose here?

Whether this strategy goes as Washington wants, or if Russian forces get their work done and withdraw to avoid a classic . . . READ MORE . . .

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Pain at the pump worsens as U.S. bans Russian fuel: Prices continue spiking, but some residents willing to pay up to help out by Tony Dobrowolski | The Berkshire Eagle PITTSFIELD — Anger, frustration, acceptance and doubt. Those were the main themes expressed by Berkshire motorists to the skyrocketing . . . Berkshire Eagle subscribers can READ MORE . . .

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Suffering continues in encircled Mariupol, by Mstyslav Chernov and Yuras Karmanau | The Associated Press MARIUPOL, Ukraine — Corpses lie in the streets of Mariupol. Hungry people break into stores in search of food and melt snow for water. Thousands huddle in basements, trembling at the sound of Russian shells pounding this strategic port city. READ MORE . . .

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U.S. bans import of Russian oil, by Zeke Miller, Mike Balsamo and Josh Boak | The Associated Press WASHINGTON — Striking harder at Russia’s economy, President Joe Biden on Tuesday ordered a ban on Russian oil imports in retaliation for Vladimir Putin’s onslaught in Ukraine. The major trade action, responding to the pleas of Ukraine’s embattled leader, thrust the U.S. out front as Western nations seek to help Putin’s invasion. READ MORE . . .

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AG keeping eye out for gas price gouging, by Will Katcher | WKatcher@masslive.com BOSTON — State Attorney General Maura Healy is monitoring gas prices after receiving complaints of price gouging, her office said yesterday, hours after Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin called for an investigation into record price hikes. Springfield Republican subscribers can READ MORE . . .

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How the Putin shock might affect the world economy, by Paul Krugman | The New York Times When Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, I think it’s safe to say that most observers expected him to get away with it. Surely Russia’s huge military would take Kyiv and other major cities within a few days; surely the West would respond with its usual timidity, giving Russia no more than a slap on the wrist. Instead . . . READ MORE . . .

Today’s entry is comprised of links to commentary that differs from most opinion in mainstream media outlets, followed by a link to an Associated Press wrapup in today’s newspapers throughout the United States. — MCM

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To Punish Russia, the ‘Liberal Order’ Attempts to Suicide Itself, by Moon of Alabama, begins, “Two days ago we looked at why Russia is doing what it does . . . The ‘west’ had failed to understand Russia’s need to act. It has failed to make the necessary commitments, and accept Russia’s reasonable demands, to avoid the struggle. In consequence it will now fall apart. The knee-jerk reaction to Russia’s ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine will, as Alastair Crooke writes, lead to the end of the ‘liberal order’ . . .” READ MORE . . .

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A Proposed Solution to the Ukraine War, by Greg Mello, begins, “Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, what was a regional conflict has become a global hybrid war with ever-greater stakes, not least the risk of nuclear war. Perhaps the greatest danger lies in the difference of motives between parties, which is also the fundamental cause of this war: Russia seeks security, while the U.S. and its NATO allies have been using Ukraine to deny that security — to “break Russia,” in Henry Kissinger’s 2015 phrase. The U.S. does not want peace, unless it be the peace of a conquered Russia. That is why there is no obvious end to the escalations and counter-escalations. The U.S. and NATO see opportunity in the war they have been trying so hard to provoke. The tragedy is that few people seem to understand that at the root of the Ukraine crisis is a specific strategy known as the Wolfowitz Doctrine . . . READ MORE . . .

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Would a ‘Cold’ War Be the Best News Around?, by Michael Klare, begins, “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been widely described as the beginning of a new cold war, much like the old one in both its cast of characters and ideological nature. “In the contest between democracy and autocracy, between sovereignty and subjugation, make no mistake — freedom will prevail,” President Biden asserted in a televised address to the nation the day Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine. But while Russia and the West disagree on many issues of principle, this is not a replay of the Cold War. It’s an all-too-geopolitical twenty-first-century struggle for advantage on a highly contested global chessboard. If comparisons are in order, think of this moment as . . . READ MORE . . .

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In These Days of Great Tension, by Vijay Prashad, begins, “It is impossible not to be moved by the outrageousness of warfare, the ugliness of aerial bombardment, the gruesome fears of civilians who are trapped between choices that are not their own. If you read this line and assume I am talking about Ukraine, then you are right, but of course, this is not just about Ukraine. In the same week that Russian forces entered Ukraine, the United States launched airstrikes in Somalia, Saudi Arabia bombed Yemen and Israel struck Syria and Palestinians in Gaza. READ MORE . . .

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Worthy and Unworthy Victims, by Chris Hedges, begins, “Rulers divide the world into worthy and unworthy victims, those we are allowed to pity, such as Ukrainians enduring the hell of modern warfare, and those whose suffering is minimized, dismissed, or ignored. The terror we and our allies carry out against Iraqi, Palestinian, Syrian, Libyan, Somali and Yemeni civilians is part of the regrettable cost of war. We, echoing the empty promises from Moscow, claim we do not target civilians. Rulers always paint their militaries as humane, there to serve and protect. Collateral damage happens, but it is regrettable. This lie can only be sustained among those who are unfamiliar with the . . . READ MORE . . .

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Today’s Berkshire Eagle bannered this headline at the top of page 1: “Ukraine: Putin’s tactics ‘medieval’: Humanitarian crisis deepens as Russian forces continue shelling” over a version of reporter Yuras Karmanau’s daily Associated Press wrapup, which began, “LVIV, Ukraine — The humanitarian crisis in Ukraine deepened Monday as Russian forces intensified their shelling, and food, water, heat and medicine grew increasingly scarce, in what the country condemned as a medieval-style siege by Moscow to batter it into submission. A third round of talks between the two sides ended with a top Ukrainian official saying there had been minor, unspecified . . . READ MORE . . .(The link is to the report as carried in the Orange County Coast.)

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made “an impassioned speech today to the British House of Commons” lasting about 10 minutes, according to NPR’s “All Things Considered” program. This the day after the New York Times printed a letter from U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, headed “Russia’s War on Ukraine Must Fail.” The letter appeared in the space at the upper left-hand corner of its editorial page often reserved for the newspaper’s own editorials. Times subscribers can read it HERE.

Before I finished reading the essay below, it reminded me of two books, James Reston’s The Artillery of the Press (1967) and Phillip Knightly’s The First Casualty: The War Correspondent as Hero, Propagandist, and Myth Maker (1976). It still does. Thanks to Consortium News for forwarding the essay. Just below it is a version of the Associated Press’s main story on the Russian invasion in this morning’s newspapers. — MCM

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War, Conflict & Enemies of Truth

By Michael Brenner

Accurate perception, precise language and objectivity are the first victims of war and conflict. For good reason. Emotion eclipses reason. The “we/they” prism refracts and distorts our thoughts. The individual is swept up into the mass mood. Frenzy roils just below the surface.

Experiences of war and conflict, though, are not uniform.  They vary. Whose blood is being shed, in what quantities? Are we the direct protagonist or just the empathetic supporters of certain combatants? How closely and why do we identify with one side? How much do we hate the other side? Is our collective self vulnerable or confident? What is the pre-existing anxiety level?

Consequently, each situation is peculiar. A country’s subjective response and attendant behavior, therefore, can be highly revealing.

Unfortunately, observation is blurred and selective. We are poor witnesses to ourselves. Sometimes, we never do gain the perspective needed for a clear rendering of what happened, how we felt and what we did. Oddly, the more peculiar the experience, the less the inclination and ability to reflect on it.

Such is the case in regard to the current Ukraine affair. That singular feature is itself noteworthy. For that is not due to indifference – quite the opposite. Washington is the producer and would-be director of the drama as well as the co-star.

The feature that cries out for our critical attention is the frenzy that the Ukraine conflict has engendered. This despite the absence of an American military presence, no obvious national interest of the first order at stake, and it’s erupting at a time when one would have thought the country’s appetite for this sort of thing satiated by two decades of endless, failed wars in nearly every part of the world.

My principal concern here is not to answer the question of “why?” I have tried to address that in previous commentaries here and here. Instead, the aim is to highlight those characteristics of America’s collective national persona brought into stark relief by our reaction to events.

Hypocrisy

The air is rank with it. The . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian attacks halt plans to evacuate civilians By Yuras Karmanau (AP) LVIV, Ukraine —Russian forces stepped up overnight shelling of Ukrainian cities in the center, north and south of the country late Sunday, presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovich said. “The latest wave of missile strikes came as darkness fell,” he said on Ukrainian television. He said the areas that came under heavy shelling include the outskirts of Kyiv, Chernihiv in the north, Mykolaiv in the south, and Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city. READ MORE . . .

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Readers of hundreds of newspapers across the United States woke up today to versions of the Associated Press story on the Russian invasion of Ukraine that begins just below. ABC News carried the report in full. A second AP story, also beginning below, got less attention on the radio. Next, eight of 12 Popular Resistance-linked offerings for today concern the war and possible consequences. After that, the founder of the rightist Gab social network says Russia is experiencing what he calls “the Gab treatment” by tech giants. Along the same lines, on Global Research a Substack writer sees opportunities in the forced closing of the RT America channel. — MCM

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Putin says Ukraine’s future in doubt as cease-fire continues: Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that Ukraine’s statehood is in jeopardy and pinned the blame on that country’s leaders

By Yuras Karamanau | Associated Press

LVIV, Ukraine — Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Saturday that Ukrainian statehood is in jeopardy and likened the West’s sanctions on Russia to “declaring war,” while a promised cease-fire in the besieged port city of Mariupol collapsed amid scenes of terror.

With the Kremlin’s rhetoric growing fiercer and a reprieve from fighting dissolving, Russian troops continued to shell encircled cities and the number of Ukrainians forced from their country grew to 1.4 million. By nighttime Russian forces had intensified their shelling of Mariupol, while dropping powerful bombs on residential areas of Chernihiv, a city north of Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said.

Bereft mothers mourned slain children, wounded soldiers were fitted with tourniquets and doctors worked by the light of their cellphones as bleakness and desperation pervaded. Crowds of men lined up in the capital to join the Ukrainian military. READ MORE . . .

Before going to news coverage of developments in the war in Ukraine, I offer a selection of analyses from sources which will likely complement those found on TV and radio and in newspapers. The first bunch come from a contributor with the pen name Moon of Alabama via the website Popular Resistance. — MCM

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Disarming Ukraine — Day 9 — Europe Increases Its Own Losses: “I feel too outraged and frightened about what is now happening in our societies to write about it,” Moon of Alabama begins. “I thus continue to quote others at some length.” Among the views he forwards are those of Patrick Armstrong, Bill Roggio, M.K. Bhadrakumar, Whitney Webb and Tony Wood. Click on anything highlighted to get started.

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Hundreds of this morning’s U.S. newspapers carried at least some of  THIS Associated Press report by Andrew Drake, Francesca Ebel, Yuras Karmanau and Mstyslav Chernov headlined in some of them Attack on nuclear plant triggers alarm,

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Russian offensive continues toward Mariupol; Visa and MasterCard suspend their operations in Russia Le Monde reports in a news brief: “Russia had announced a ceasefire and the opening of humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians from this strategic port. But these operations were rapidly suspended, and the Mariupol mayor accused Moscow of continuing to bombard the city.”

Below please find a recent Associated Press account of the war in Ukraine, and another in the French newspaper Le Monde of the Russian attack on the large nuclear plant in southeast Ukraine. Other reports may follow. — MCM

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Russia attacks Ukraine nuclear plant as invasion advances

By Jim Heinz, Yuras Karmanau and Mstyslav Chernov | Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine — Russian forces shelled Europe’s largest nuclear plant early Friday, sparking a fire as they pressed their attack on a crucial energy-producing Ukrainian city and gained ground in their bid to cut off the country from the sea.

Leading nuclear authorities were concerned — but not panicked — about the damage to the power station. The assault triggered phone calls between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. President Joe Biden and other world leaders. The U.S. Department of Energy activated its nuclear incident response team as a precaution.

The attack on the eastern city of Enerhodar and its Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant unfolded as the invasion entered its second week and another round of talks between the two sides yielded a tentative agreement to set up safe corridors to evacuate citizens and deliver humanitarian aid.

Nuclear plant spokesman Andriy Tuz told Ukrainian television that shells were falling directly on the facility and had set fire to one of its six reactors. That reactor is under renovation and not operating, but there is nuclear fuel inside, he said. READ MORE . . .

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Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant falls into Russian hands: The Zaporijia complex in Ukraine was hit during the night by Russian strikes. A reported fire was extinguished in the morning. Authorities said levels of radioactivity remained unchanged.

By Faustine Vincent | Le Monde

The Russian army Friday seized Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant, Zaporijia in southeast Ukraine city of Enerhodar, it was announced by regional authorities, who said plant personnel were inspecting the reactors to assure that security protocols are respected. The plant, which has six nuclear reactors, was hit during the night by Russian strikes. A fire ignited in one building raised fears of an immense nuclear catastrophe.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Twitter during the night: “The Russian army fired from all sides on the Zaporijia nuclear power plant, the biggest in Europe. Fire was reported. If the plant explodes, it will be six times as big as intense as Chernobyl! The Russians must immediately cease firing, let firefighters enter, and establish a security zone.

The international Atomic Energy Agency called for “a ceasing of the use of force” and warned of “grave danger if the reactors are hit.” Its director general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, was to hold a news conference in the morning.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian tanks opened fire on the plant. “These tanks are equipped with thermal sights, so they know what they’re doing; they were prepared,” he said in a video. For a time, Russian soldiers prevented rescue services from entering the site to extinguish the fire; they were able to access the site only in early morning.

After several hours of uncertainty the complex was secured and the reactors completely secured, U.S. and Ukrainian officials said. The fire, which claimed no victims, was extinguished by Ukrainian firefighters at 6:20 a.m. local time. It involved a building dedicated to training and a laboratory. Ukrainian authorities said the attack involve no “essential” plant installation, and nuclear security was was not affected. Le Monde subscribers can READ MORE in French.

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