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The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency declared on Friday that he was discussing plans with Moscow and Kyiv to reconnect external power to the Russian-held atomic facility in Zaporizhzhia, calling it a “matter of political determination”. Europe’s largest atomic energy station has been disconnected from outside electricity since 23 September, with the fuel in its reactors being cooled by emergency diesel generators. The International Atomic Energy Agency director general, Rafael Grossi, stated: “Each party claim readiness to conduct the necessary repairs on their respective sides of the frontline. But for this to happen, the security situation on the ground must improve so that the technicians can perform their crucial tasks without endangering their lives.”

French War Photographer Killed in Moscow’s Drone Attack in Eastern Ukraine

French photojournalist Antoni Lallican lost his life by a Moscow-led strike in eastern Ukraine on the same day. The mid-thirties prize-winning journalist was working with a Ukrainian military unit near the frontline in the eastern Ukraine when killed, officials in Kyiv reported. Local reporter Georgiy Ivanchenko was injured in the identical incident. “The two media professionals were wearing personal protective equipment, and their protective armor had clear labels with the word ‘PRESS’ on them,” the Fourth Armoured Brigade said on social media.

Union Head Condemns Targeting Media Workers

The head of the Ukrainian Union of Journalists, Serhiy Tomilenko, informed Ukrainian media that Lallican had been killed near the town of Druzhkivka, one of the hottest sectors of the extensive Donbas frontline. “In attacking reporters, the Russian army is intentionally targeting those trying to document atrocities,” Tomilenko remarked. “For journalists, every mission to the combat area is a deadly risk. Antoni Lallican accepted this peril repeatedly, coming to Ukraine, travelling to Donbas, documenting what some ignore.”

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, voiced “profound sorrow” for Lallican’s death, saying on X he was “the victim of an strike by Russian drones”.

Global journalist groups denounced Lallican’s death in what it called a “violation of international law”. The Ukrainian foreign minister, Andriy Sybiga, said Russia “continues to deliberately target media personnel”, labeling it “a heinous crime and violation of international humanitarian law”.

Russia Conducts Largest Attack on Ukrainian Gas Network

Russia has carried out its most extensive attack on the country’s energy system since Moscow first invaded in 2022, Kyiv’s state-owned gas operator Naftogaz reported on the same day. “As a result of this assault, a large part of our installations have been harmed. A portion of the destruction is critical,” the Naftogaz chair, Sergiy Koretsky, declared. About three dozen rockets and dozens of unmanned aircraft were fired at its sites in the north-eastern Kharkiv region and central Poltava region, Naftogaz noted. “Some were successfully shot down. Unfortunately, not all,” it said. There were power cuts in several regions, Ukraine’s energy ministry confirmed.

Large-Scale Livestock Deaths in Drone Attack

Approximately 13,000 pigs were lost in Ukraine’s north-east during the night after a Russian drone attack caused a blaze on a farm, the state emergency service announced, adding that a employee at the farm was also injured. Photos shared by the service showed pig carcasses stacked in cramped sheds that were partly burned down, a few with their roofs shattered. The pigs were held in eight stalls covering just over a large area, all of which were consumed in the fire, the emergency service explained.

Kyiv Cuts Diplomatic Ties with Central American Nation

Ukraine has severed diplomatic ties with the Central American country in response to it accepting occupied Ukrainian territory as belonging to Moscow, Ukraine’s diplomatic office declared. Nicaragua was one of only a handful United Nations members to oppose censuring Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in the previous year. In a letter to Vladimir Putin in July, the Nicaraguan president, Daniel Ortega, portrayed the military action as a “heroic battle against Western-supported extremism in Ukraine”. Kyiv’s diplomats stated it considered Nicaragua’s move “an attempt to weaken the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine”. Ukraine does not have major economic relations with the nation or an diplomatic mission in the state.