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Friday, March 4, 2022
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Victoria suspends twinning relationship with Russian city of Khabarovsk, A4
As vandals strike Fairfield church, Victoria Russians protest invasion Somebody just vandalized St. Sophia’s Orthodox Church in Fairfield, throwing red paint on the front doors. The vandals probably thought they were striking a blow for Ukraine, given that the parish falls under the umbrella of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. A little bit of research would have shown how misguided
JACK KNOX
the paint attack was, though. St. Sophia’s, an English- language church, includes both Ukrainians and Russians, as well as people of other backgrounds. One of the deacons is Ukrainianborn. Besides, even if the church were Russian-only, that doesn’t mean attacking it would be like attacking Vladimir Putin. If you ask Russian-born Victori-
ans about the invasion, they’re as likely to be as appalled as other Canadians are. More so, actually — it hits closer to home for them. “It’s horrible,” says a woman named Margarita. “I, as a Russian, do not want that war. I want it to stop and Russian troops to go back home.” See JACK KNOX, page A2
The door to Saint Sophia Orthodox Church on Joseph Street in Fairfield is splattered with red paint. DARREN STONE, TIMES COLONIST
Russia hits nuclear plant, sparks fire JIM HEINTZ, YURAS KARMANAU and MSTYSLAV CHERNOV The Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine — Russian forces shelled Europe’s largest nuclear plant early today, sparking a fire as they pressed their attack on a crucial energy-producing Ukrainian city and gained ground in their bid to cut off the country from the sea. Leading nuclear authorities were concerned — but not panicked — about the damage to the power station. The assault triggered phone calls between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. President Joe Biden and other world leaders. The U.S. Department of Energy activated its nuclear incident response team as a precaution. The attack on the eastern city of Enerhodar and its Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant unfolded as the invasion entered its second week and another round of talks between the two sides yielded a tentative agreement to set up safe corridors to evacuate citizens and deliver humanitarian aid. Nuclear plant spokesman Andriy Tuz told Ukrainian television that shells were falling directly on the facility and had set fire to one of its six reactors. That reactor is under renovation and not operating, but there is nuclear fuel inside, he said. Firefighters cannot get near the flames because they are being shot at, he said, and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted a plea to the Russians to stop the assault and allow fire teams inside. “We demand that they stop the heavy weapons fire,” Tuz said in a video statement. “There is a real threat of nuclear danger in the biggest atomic energy station in Europe.” The assault renewed fears that the invasion could damage one of Ukraine’s 15 nuclear
Stanislav, 40, says goodbye to his son David, 2, and his wife Anna on a train to Lviv at the Kyiv station in Ukraine on Thursday. Stanislav is staying to fight while his family is leaving the country to seek refuge in a neighbouring nation. EMILIO MORENATTI, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS reactors and set off another emergency like the 1986 Chernobyl accident, the world’s worst nuclear disaster, which happened about 110 kilometres north of the capital. U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm tweeted that the Zaporizhzhia plant’s reactors were protected by robust containment structures and were being safely shut down. In an emotional speech in the middle of the night, Zelenskyy said he feared an explosion that would be “the end for everyone. The end for Europe. The evacuation of Europe.”
“Only urgent action by Europe can stop the Russian troops,” he said. “Do not allow the death of Europe from a catastrophe at a nuclear power station.” But most experts saw nothing to indicate an impending disaster. The International Atomic Energy Agency said the fire had not affected essential equipment and that Ukraine’s nuclear regulator reported no change in radiation levels. The American Nuclear Society concurred, saying that the latest radiation levels remained within natural background levels.
“The real threat to Ukrainian lives continues to be the violent invasion and bombing of their country,” the group said. Jon Wolfsthal, who served during the Obama administration as the senior director for arms control and nonproliferation at the National Security Council, said the plant’s reactors have thick concrete containment domes that should protect them from tank and artillery fire. But he was concerned about a potential loss of power at the plant, which could imperil its ability to keep the nuclear fuel cool.
The mayor of Enerhodar said earlier that Ukrainian forces were battling Russian troops on the city’s outskirts. Video showed flames and black smoke rising above the city of more than 50,000, with people streaming past wrecked cars. Prior to the shelling, the Ukrainian state atomic energy company reported that a Russian military column was heading toward the nuclear plant. See UKRAINE, page A2 Refugee aid praised, A12 Donations pour in, A13
West Shore Mounties going electric with Tesla and Mustang DARRON KLOSTER Times Colonist Mounties at the West Shore RCMP detachment will be the first in Canada to start regular patrols and front-line police work in marked Tesla electric cars. The detachment will also introduce a Ford Mustang Mach-E GT into its fleet at some point this year for testing. Todd Preston, officer in
charge of the detachment, said two Tesla Model Y vehicles are being outfitted in Ottawa and will be on the streets of Langford, Colwood, Highlands, View Royal, Metchosin and the Esquimalt and Songhees First Nations within a few months. “They are super-peppy vehicles and can go 500 kilometres on one charge,” Preston said Thursday in Langford, where the city unveiled plans for the Island’s first Tesla sales, ser-
vice and delivery centre — a 35,000-square-foot facility that is expected to be completed by June 2023. “Our officers couldn’t be more excited about this,” Preston said of the electric cars. He said while West Shore RCMP is the first force in Canada to use Teslas for frontline policing and day-to-day use, about 30 departments in the U.S. are already using them. The RCMP, which has just
over 10,000 police vehicles, with a turnover of about 1,500 per year, has pledged to achieve netzero emissions by 2050. Preston said the Tesla Model Y is roomy and powerful and will be outfitted with all the equipment officers will need, including special bumpers and attachments to affix the light bars over the vehicle’s glass roof. Tesla said its Model Y has allwheel drive with two independ-
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