Ukraine

KYIV, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Ukraine's president called on the West to impose a blanket travel ban on Russians, an idea that has found support among some European states but angered Moscow, which pressed on with a fierce military offensive in eastern Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's idea looked likely to divide the European Union, where differences on how to deal with Moscow have long persisted between some eastern and western members.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Powerful explosions rocked a Russian air base in Crimea on Tuesday, killing one person and wounding several others, authorities said.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said munitions blew up at the Saki base, and it emphasized that the installation had not been shelled. But Ukrainian social networks were abuzz with speculation that it was hit by Ukrainian-fired long-range missiles.

There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian authorities.

MELITOPOL, August 8. /TASS/: The head of the Zaporozhye Region, Yevgeny Balitsky, has said that he has signed an order to hold a referendum on accession to Russia.

"I am signing an order to the Central Election Commission to start preparations for a referendum on the Zaporozhye Region’s reunification with Russia," he said at the forum "We are Together with Russia."

KYIV, Aug 8 (Reuters) - International alarm over the weekend shelling of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear complex grew on Monday, as Kyiv and Moscow traded blame for the attacks while seeking to address fears that their battle for control of the plant might trigger catastrophe.

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres, calling any attack on a nuclear plant a "suicidal thing", demanded that U.N. nuclear inspectors be given access.

Aug 7 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday that if Russia proceeded with referendums in occupied areas of his country on joining Russia, there could be no talks with Ukraine or its international allies.

Russian forces and their separatist allies now hold large swathes of territory in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region and in southern areas after launching what the Kremlin calls a "special military operation" into its neighbour's territory. Officials in both areas have raised the possibility of holding referendums.

KYIV, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Ukraine accused Russia on Sunday of again shelling Europe's largest nuclear power plant, the Zaporizhzhia, and called for new international sanctions on Moscow for "nuclear terror".

Ukraine's state nuclear power firm said Russian forces damaged three radiation sensors at the facility in renewed shelling on Saturday night, wounding a worker with shrapnel.

KYIV, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Amnesty International apologised on Sunday for "distress and anger" caused by a report accusing Ukraine of endangering civilians which infuriated President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and triggered the resignation of its Kyiv office head.

The rights group published the report on Thursday saying the presence of Ukrainian troops in residential areas heightened risks to civilians during Russia's invasion. 

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Four more ships carrying agricultural cargo held up by the war in Ukraine received authorization Sunday to leave the country’s Black Sea coast as analysts warned that Russia was moving troops and equipment in the direction of the southern port cities to stave off a Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Ukraine and Russia also accused each other of shelling Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.

UKRAINE, August 6. /TASS/: The risk is high that Ukrainian nuclear materials will fall into the hands of terrorists but Moscow is making utmost efforts to prevent such developments, Russian Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office and Other International Organizations in Geneva Andrey Belousov told reporters.

KYIV, Aug 6 (Reuters) - The head of Amnesty International's Ukraine office has quit the human rights body in a disagreement with it after the group accused Ukraine's armed forces of endangering civilians by basing troops in residential areas during the Russian invasion.

Amnesty made the comments in a report published on Thursday that drew fierce criticism from the Ukrainian government. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy led denunciations of Amnesty's allegations, accusing the group of "trying to shift the responsibility from the aggressor to the victim".