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The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency announced on the end of the week that negotiations were underway proposals with Russia and Ukraine to restore external power to the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, describing it as a “matter of political determination”. Europe’s largest nuclear power plant has been cut off from outside electricity since 23 September, with the reactor cores being cooled by emergency diesel generators. The International Atomic Energy Agency director general, Rafael Grossi, said: “Both sides claim readiness to carry out the necessary repairs on their respective sides of the battle line. But for this to occur, the safety conditions on the ground must get better so that the technicians can perform their crucial tasks without risking their lives and safety.”

France’s Photojournalist Killed in Moscow’s Drone Attack in Ukraine’s East

French photojournalist Antoni Lallican lost his life by a Moscow-led strike in the eastern part of Ukraine on the same day. The mid-thirties award-winning photographer was embedded with a Ukrainian military unit near the frontline in the Donbas region when killed, Ukrainian authorities said. Ukrainian journalist Georgiy Ivanchenko was injured in the same attack. “Both journalists were using safety gear, and their bulletproof vests had identification marks with the word ‘PRESS’ on them,” the military unit noted on Facebook.

Union Head Denounces Attacks on Journalists

The head of the Ukraine’s journalist association, Serhiy Tomilenko, told Ukrainian media that Lallican had been killed near the city of Druzhkivka, one of the most active sectors of the extensive Donbas frontline. “By targeting journalists, the Russian army is deliberately hunting those seeking to record war crimes,” Tomilenko remarked. “To media workers, every trip to the combat area is a mortal danger. Antoni Lallican took this peril repeatedly, visiting Ukraine, travelling to Donbas, recording what some ignore.”

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, expressed “deep sadness” for Lallican’s death, stating on social media he was “the casualty of an attack by Russian drones”.

The European and International Federations of Journalists condemned Lallican’s demise in what it termed a “war crime”. The Ukrainian foreign minister, Andriy Sybiga, said Russia “persists in attacking journalists”, calling it “a terrible offense and breach of global norms”.

Russia Launches Biggest Attack on Ukraine’s Energy Infrastructure

Moscow has carried out its largest offensive on Ukraine’s gas network since Moscow first invaded in 2022, Kyiv’s state-owned gas operator Naftogaz said on Friday. “As a result of this assault, a large part of our facilities have been harmed. A portion of the damage is severe,” the company head, Sergiy Koretsky, said. About 35 missiles and 60 drones were fired at its sites in the eastern Ukraine and central Ukraine, Naftogaz added. “Some were successfully shot down. Sadly, not all,” it said. There were power cuts in several regions, Ukraine’s energy ministry said.

Large-Scale Animal Losses in Drone Attack

Approximately 13,000 pigs were lost in the northeastern part of Ukraine during the night after a Russian drone attack started a fire on a farm, the national rescue agency said, adding that a employee at the farm was also injured. Photos shared by the agency showed animal remains stacked in cramped sheds that were partly burned down, a few with their roofs collapsed. The pigs were housed in eight stalls spanning just over a large area, all of which were consumed in the fire, the emergency service explained.

Ukraine Cuts Relations with Central American Nation

The Ukrainian government has severed diplomatic ties with Nicaragua in response to it accepting seized lands as belonging to Moscow, Kyiv’s foreign ministry declared. Nicaragua was one of only five United Nations members to vote against censuring Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in the previous year. In a letter to Vladimir Putin in mid-year, the Nicaraguan president, Daniel Ortega, portrayed the military action as a “heroic battle against Nato-backed Ukrainian neo-nazism”. Kyiv’s diplomats said it viewed Nicaragua’s action “an effort to undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine”. Ukraine does not have major economic relations with the nation or an diplomatic mission in the country.