Ukraine live briefing: Swedish leader in D.C. amid NATO bid; Kyiv, Moscow trade false-flag claims on nuclear plant

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson is in Washington for a meeting at the White House with President Biden. The visit comes as Sweden’s application to join NATO has been held up by objections from Turkey and Hungary.

Kyiv and Moscow traded allegations that a false-flag attack was looming at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address that Ukrainian intelligence found that Russian troops had placed “objects resembling explosives” on the roof of the power plant. Russia, in turn, accused Ukraine of planning an attack Wednesday on the plant using “a warhead stuffed with nuclear waste,” RIA Novosti reported. The claims could not be independently verified.

Here’s the latest on the war and its ripple effects across the globe.

Wagner rebellion raises doubts about stability of Russia’s nuclear arsenal: The short-lived mutiny led by Yevgeniy Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner Group mercenary force, raised eyebrows for its rare display of rebellion in tightly controlled Russia. But it also turned attention to concerns over Russia’s expansive nuclear arsenal — and what would happen should it fall into the hands of someone other than Russian President Vladimir Putin, Robyn Dixon reports.

The rebellion sparked fears about the possibility of political chaos and instability in the country with the world’s largest nuclear arsenal, and comes amid growing concerns over Russia’s nuclear capabilities, which have served as a deterrent to the West as it seeks to aid Ukraine in its defense against Russia.

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