This is CNBC’s live blog tracking Friday’s developments on the war in Ukraine. See below for the latest updates.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, says the team of inspectors at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine will stay at the facility.
“We are not going anywhere,” Grossi told reporters. “The IAEA is now there, it is at the plant and it is not moving. It is going to stay there.”
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned Moldova that any threat against the security of Russian forces in the breakaway region of Transnistria would be considered an attack against Moscow.
His comments have renewed fears that the region could be at risk of being drawn into the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Russia warns Moldova not to threaten troops
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned the eastern European country of Moldova that any threat against the security of Russian forces in the breakaway region of Transnistria would be considered an attack against Moscow.
“Everyone should understand that any kind of actions that will raise a threat to the security of our servicemen will be considered in accordance with international law as an attack on the Russian Federation,” Lavrov said, according to the Associated Press.
Internationally recognized as part of Moldova, Transnistria is situated on Ukraine’s southwestern border and is home to a sizeable pro-Russian separatist population.
Lavrov’s comments have renewed fears that the region could be at risk of being drawn into the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Moldova’s foreign ministry reportedly summoned the acting Russian ambassador to clarify the situation.
— Sam Meredith
UN inspectors at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant ‘not going anywhere’
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog, is adamant that the team will maintain a continued presence at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine.
His comments come as both Russia and Ukraine say they fear a possible radiation disaster as a result of intense shelling at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant. The IAEA was finally able to visit the site on Thursday after a delay of several hours.
“We are not going anywhere,” Grossi told reporters. “The IAEA is now there, it is at the plant and it is not moving. It is going to stay there. We are going to have a continued presence there at the plant.”
Asked whether the world should be concerned about the Zaporizhzhia plant, Grossi replied: “I did not need to come here to worry about the plant. I worried, I worry and I will continue to be worried about the plant until we have a situation that is more stable, that is more predictable.”
— Sam Meredith
Russia’s energy influence over Europe may be coming to an end
Russia’s energy influence over Europe appears to be coming to an end, energy and political analysts say, potentially alleviating the risk of further supply disruptions.
Europe in recent months has endured a sharp drop in gas exports from Russia, traditionally its largest energy supplier.
A bitter gas dispute between Brussels and Moscow following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has exacerbated the risk of recession and a winter gas shortage. What’s more, many fear Russia could soon turn off the taps completely.
Asked whether Russia’s energy influence over Europe may be coming to an end, Agathe Demarais, global forecasting director at The Economist Intelligence Unit, told CNBC, “Yes. Actually, very much so.”
“Europe is heading towards a very difficult winter, probably two years of a very difficult adjustment with a lot of economic pain. But then Europe is essentially going to become more independent with a more diversified mix,” Demarais said.
“And what that means is that Russia’s energy weapon is going to become moot,” she added.
Reuters reported that an unnamed European G-7 official said “a deal is likely,” adding the extent of the specifics that will be publicized remains unclear.
More than 7 million Ukrainians have become refugees from Russia’s war
More 7 million Ukrainians have become refugees and moved to neighboring countries since Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, the U.N. Refugee Agency estimates.
Nearly 4 million of those people have applied for temporary resident status in neighboring Western countries, according to data collected by the agency.
“The escalation of conflict in Ukraine has caused civilian casualties and destruction of civilian infrastructure, forcing people to flee their homes seeking safety, protection and assistance,” the U.N. Refugee Agency wrote.
— Amanda Macias
Zelenskyy said that journalists were barred from touring Zaporizhzhia plant with IAEA inspectors
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a nightly address that both Ukrainian and international journalists were not allowed to tour the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant with IAEA representatives.
“Today, the IAEA mission arrived at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. It is good that it happened, the fact itself, despite all the provocations of the Russian military and the cynical shelling of Enerhodar and the territory of the station,” said in an update on the Telegram messaging app, according to an NBC News translation.
Zelenskyy added that the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, promised him that independent journalists would accompany the inspectors.
“Unfortunately, IAEA representatives did not protect representatives of independent media,” Zelenskyy added.
Authorities say a plane that was circling over northern Mississippi and whose pilot had threatened to crash it into a Walmart store landed safely on Saturday.
Gov. Tate Reeves announced on Twitter that the “situation has been resolved and that no one was injured.” He thanked law enforcement agencies that helped in bringing the aircraft down.
The pilot, identified as 29-year-old Cory Wayne Patterson, was in custody and charged with grand larceny and making terroristic threats, Tupelo Police chief John Quaka said during a Saturday afternoon press conference.
Patterson, an employee at the airport in Tupelo, allegedly stole the Beechcraft King Air C90A just after 5 a.m. — when the air traffic control tower was unmanned. He does not have a pilot’s license or experience in landing planes but has had some flight instruction, Quaka said. His job at the airport involves refueling planes.
A Walmart in the town was evacuated just after 5:20 a.m. after Patterson called 911 and reported that he was going to fly the plane into the store, Quaka said. Major streets in Tupelo were also shut down.
Negotiators subsequently made contact with Patterson and were able to convince him not to fly the plane into the Walmart, according to Quaka.
The Beechcraft was in the air for more than five hours, circling over Tupelo and another community nearby. An online flight tracking service showed the plane meandering in the sky for several hours and following a looping path.
Law enforcement told the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal shortly after 8 a.m. that the plane had left the airspace around Tupelo and was flying near a Toyota manufacturing plant in nearby Blue Springs.
Just after 9:30 a.m. local time, Patterson posted on Facebook from the plane. At the conclusion of the post he wrote “goodbye,” Quaka said. The plane was low on fuel. But, with some instruction from a private pilot, Patterson was able to land the plane about 30 minutes later.
The plane sustained minimal damage during the landing, Quaka said. The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane touched down in a field several miles northwest of Ripley Airport in Ripley, Mississippi.
No one was injured in the incident.
CBS affiliate WCBI-TV posted video of the plane flying over the area.
Leslie Criss, a magazine editor who lives in Tupelo, woke up early and was watching the situation on TV and social media. Several of her friends were outside watching the plane circle overhead.
“I’ve never seen anything like this in this town,” Criss told The Associated Press. “It’s a scary way to wake up on a Saturday morning.”
Former state Rep. Steve Holland, who is a funeral director in Tupelo, said he had received calls from families concerned about the plane.
“One called and said, ‘Oh, my God, do we need to cancel mother’s funeral?'” Holland said. “I just told them, ‘No, life’s going to go on.'”
Patterson will likely face federal charges as well, Quaka said.
Multiple federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security and the FAA, were involved in the investigation. They are still working to discern a motive.
The airplane drama unfolded as tens of thousands of college football fans were headed to north Mississippi for Saturday football games at the University of Mississippi in Oxford and Mississippi State University in Starkville. Tupelo is between those two cities.
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