War in Ukraine live: Ukraine reports soldiers among 51 dead in Russian missile attack on Poltava

Nick Beake
Report from Kyiv

Image source, Reuters

The attack on Poltava took place on the day that the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, was in Ukraine.

He had previously spoken to me in Kiev and issued the most urgent warning yet about a possible nuclear accident in the Ukraine war.

Grossi said the expansion of hostilities to around two nuclear power plants had brought the conflict to a “very worrying stage”.

Last week he visited Russia to inspect the Kursk nuclear power plant, which Moscow says was hit by a Ukrainian drone attack – a claim Kyiv denies.

Grossi is currently in Ukraine to visit the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in the southeast of the country.

It is the largest of its kind in Europe, but it has been in Russian hands for two years and both sides accuse each other of attacking it.

Grossi said the situation there was “serious and unstable” and that there were more and more “near misses”.

Last month, Ukraine launched an incursion into Russia itself and Russia carried out its largest missile and drone attack on Ukraine.

Rafael Grossi said he continues to warn both President Zelensky and Putin about the dangers of a nuclear accident – ​​and neither head of state can say they were not told about the consequences.