TOP HEADLINES

• Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has accused Ukraine of "pure lies" after Kyiv claimed Russia was planning a terrorist attack on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant earlier this month. READ MORE BELOW

• Ukrainian troops are advancing in all directions of their counteroffensive against occupying Russian forces, a senior defence official said on Friday.

• Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, asked about Russia's stability in the aftermath of a failed mercenary mutiny, said on Friday that his country has always emerged stronger and more resilient from any difficulties.

• Poland has detained a Russian ice-hockey player playing for a first division Polish team on spying charges, prosecutors said on Friday, describing him as the 14th person that had been arrested from one espionage network.

• Ukraine will receive $1.5 billion from the World Bank to support reconstruction and recovery, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Friday.

• Russia is gradually reducing the number of personnel at the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in southern Ukraine, Ukraine's military intelligence agency said on Friday.

• Former U.S. President Donald Trump, a longtime admirer of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said on Thursday Putin has been "somewhat weakened" by an aborted mutiny.

• Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday Ukraine was playing a dangerous game regarding the nuclear power plant at Zaporizhzhia.

IN DEPTH

Russia accuses Ukraine of lies over alleged Zaporizhzhia terrorist plot

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday Ukraine was playing a dangerous game regarding the nuclear power plant at Zaporizhzhia, accusing Kyiv of "pure lies" with statements suggesting that Moscow plans to blow up the plant.

Kyiv accused Russia this month of planning a "terrorist" attack at the nuclear plant involving the release of radiation. Moscow denied the accusation.

The UN atomic energy agency has frequently appealed to both sides to avoid shelling in the vicinity of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Europe's largest, which is located in southern Ukraine but is controlled by Russian forces.

Lavrov said Russia had expressed its serious concerns about Ukraine's "provocative actions."

On Friday, Ukraine's military intelligence services also claimed that Russia is gradually reducing the number of personnel at the power station, but didn't state why they are leaving.

Russia, which has occupied the plant since March 2022, did not immediately comment on the assertion.

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