brent: this is dw news, live from berlin. night, the russian invasion of ukraine and the crimean effect. ukraine's president says the war will end only when the russian annexation of crimea ants. also coming up tonight, race in kenya, the top contenders may be headed for a runoff election.

and as europe looks to -- replace russian natural gas and oil, some returning to nuclear power. one solution, restoring radioactive waste. ♪ brent: i'm brent goff. to our viewers watching on pbs in the united states and to all of your around the world, welcome. we begin with an explosion at a russian air base in crimea. one person was killed and several others injured near an area used by russia to strike southern ukraine, which you see right there. moscow says the explosions were detonations of stored ammunitions and not an attack. ukraine has denied bombing the airbase but a senior official suggests it may have been sabotaged.

ukraine president zelenskyy has vowed to liberate the peninsula from russian occupation. >> a brilliant blue sky turned stark after several powerful blast. images of black smoke at a russian airbase on the black sea were posted on social media beachgoers in crimea, a popular holiday destination for many russians. these holidaymakers may now want to change their plans. tourists describe how they experienced the detonations. >> i was standing, and then it felt like either i flew in the air or fail underground. i was so scared. my husband jumped up. he was resting, and said, what happened? then i took a few steps back and immediately saw a cloud of smoke behind us. >> crimea was used by russia as one of the launch pads for its invasion of ukraine. moscow has had troops stationed on the peninsula since it

illegally annexed crimea in 2014. many ukrainians consider this to be t start of russia's invasion, including ukrainian president palat amir zelinski. >> this war against ukraine and against all are free you up began with crimea and must end with crimea, with its liberation. >> russia's defense ministry says the explosions were detonations of stored ammunition, and not the result of an attack. ukraine has denied it was responsible for the incident, which took place deep into russian occupied territory. but as senior ukrainian officials suggest work could have been the work of saboteurs or russian incompetence. so far ukraine has not reported carrying out any major attacks on russian targets in crimea. officials in moscow warned that would trigger massive retaliation, including strikes

on kyiv. brent: i spoke with our reporter in kyiv and ask if the war is expanding onto the crimean peninsula. reporter: it is hard to say it expanded, because crimea was part of this war, as we just heard, a launchpad for the invasion. it's highly militarized territory or russia has a lot of technology and is also home to the black sea fleet and headquarters of the black sea fleet that have been attacked by ukraine just a few days ago. so of course this is part of the war, but what is clear is that the people in crimea, tourists travel to crimea from russia, they did not expect this, and now there are long queues of people trying to leave the territory.

it was previously perceived as being off-site of the war, but it is of course part of this whole military game. brent: do these vacationers there in crimea, most of them are russians, obviously, is there a fear that there is going to be some type of retaliation? reporter: retaliation that russia has announced would obviously not target these vacationers, it would target, for example, us here in kyiv or in other places in ukraine. there are probably worries about that, but every strike in the war trigger some type of retaliation. i think people on crimea now are worried about being targeted again. brent: that's my point, is there a concern now with this last at the russian airbase in crimea,

is there a concern that crimea is going to be a new battlefield, if you will, in this war? reporter: well, ukraine has been striking beyond its borders, even onto russian territory. every supply line is a possible target, and of course one of the targets that many people here in ukraine talk about is a bridge that links crimea to russia, destroying this bridge would of course considerably disrupt russian supplies in the south and is definitely something that would be worth the ukrainian army to do so. i think that targets in crimea would probably be targeted again. brent: thank you.

a russian journalist who tried to get international attention by interrupting a television news broadcast in protest of the war in ukraine is now facing criminal charges. she is accused of spreading false information about russia's armed forces. she has appeared in court following police raids on her home. rerter: it was a moment which capture the world's attention. journalist interrupting a news broadcast at the russian state tv channel she worked at to protest the war in ukraine days after the invasion began. she dramatically defied the kremlin's narrative of a special military operation. don't believe the propaganda, they are lying to you, she said. many feared for her in the aftermath. after being fined, she continued to protest the war despite the door county and laws aimed at

suppressing dissent. last mth she held a solo antiwar picket directly in front of the kremlin, calling vladimir putin or murder and russian soldiers fascists. according to the report, that is what led to the criminal charges against her, allegedly spreading false information about the russian forces. she was brought to court on wednesday, following the raid on her home. after the raid, she was taken here. i am now waiting for an officer to come down for me to start investigative procedures. according to the early information, she is incriminated with an article of the criminal code. reporter: that ptest has already landed her with a 50,000 ruble fine, around $800 u.s.. limo charges mean much more severe consequences. if convicted, she faces 15 years in jail. despite full awareness of those

risks, she has remained unrepentant, seen recently at a court appearance in july. >> i'm staging pickets and protests as i am against the war. i'm not going to stay silent. this is my position. reporter: in a country where the government has been ruthless in its approach to critics, it is a stance which is both dangerous and remarkably brave. brent: here's a look at some of the other stories making headlines around the world. former u.s. president donald trump has refused to answer questions under oath in new york. the trump organization is being investigated in an three-year probe of its finances. the attorney general says there is evidence the organization lied about its assets. about 750 inmates have escaped from a prison in the democratic republic of congo. at least five people are dead, including two policemen.

sierra leone has imposed a nationwide curfew after clashes left to police officers dead. violence flared in the protest against economic hardship. they demanded the president stepped down. dozens of demonstrators were injured. a runoff vote may be needed in kenya as early election results show a tight race between the two main contenders to be the next president. the veteran opposition leader and the deputy president appear evenly matched. the result is expected later this week. reporter: these ballot boxes will seal kenya's fate for the next five years. after hours of voting described as peaceful, kenyans are now waiting to hear who will next lead their country. >> everything is going on well. reporter: some kenyans say they have ltle hope in politicians

after years which successive governments fail to meet the country's economic needs. voter turnout plunge compared to previous years, especially among kenya's younger voters. but observers say they can only do so much. >> you cannot push the citizens to come. no one is restricted or prevented from voting. the protest was calm, peaceful, orderly. so if someone has chosen not to exercise his or her right to elect, well. reporter: for many, memories of violent disputes over election results are not too distant. there is hope quick count will ease anxieties. >> for now, people are used to

such voting as in previous years. business is going on as usual. as you can see, there are quite a number of people. the common people, as we talk now, they are not in any way afraid. >> the candidates have vowed to accept the results without dispute. kenyans hope the promise will hold. brent: i'm joined by felix in nairobi. we know that votes are still being counted and we don't have results yet, and there is a lot of speculation. what can you tell us about the projections?

felix: so far, the votes that have been counted so far show they are tied at about 49%. there are still a lot of boats yet to be counted. they have only counted about 8.5 million votes so there are still about 6 million votes yet to be counted. so the race looks to be so tight, it is too close to call. you cannot say a direct prediction right now, but as soon as more results come in, we will be able to reject a specific direction. brent: if you look on social media, you may not get that impression. talk to me about how misinformation has played a role here. felix: it's very funny, because

supporters of different candidates have been posting images of congratulatory messages for their candidates, and immediately some announcements are made in the parliamentary elections, you find a completely different message for he was being congratulated. today there are so some statistics saying the total votes cast were around 12.6 million, and the two candidates had divided the votes. by the afternoon, the electoral commission came out and said there was a total of 14 million votes that had been cast. so people are pulling strings to have specific ends, and that has been confusing a lot of people who have been following trends. so people have been advised by the electoral commission to be patient and wait for the final

tally from the final deciding body in the election. brent: it appears the voters have not given any candidate a clear mandate, so whoever ends up winning, they will have to face some serious problems, aren't they? felix: yes, they are. some of the analysts that we have spoken to have said that whoever wins the presidency will need to unite the country. according to the voting patterns, it looks like the two sides are right at 50-50. youth unemployment and some of the other problems that have been facing people in the country are some of the things the leader who gets elected next will have to deal with immediately when he gets into office. brent: felix in direct -- nairobi with the latest election vote count still going on.

felix, thank you. in europe, countries are scrabbling to find new energy sources to replace russian oil and natural gas. some are turning to nuclear power, but storing nuclear waste that can remain radioactive for centuries remains a big problem. finland is now pioneering a system which is says will permanently contain all of its spent nuclear material. and for some, it is a welcome financial boost. our correspondent went to western fiand to find out more. reporter: who wants to live next to a nuclear site? well, this guy, for one, and evidently more of these some 9000 residents of this area, the proud home to three nuclear reactors, and opening soon, the world's first permanent storage site for high level radioactive waste. >> it's about 20 million for

year. >> the mayor says decades of good relations and no accidents with the nuclear power plant led his community to actively campaigno be chosen also as the location for the repository. the facility is being called a game changer in the nuclear power industry because the waste is deposited so deep in the earth, it will never have to be moved. he considers that a win for his town, long-term financial security. >> we are going to build a sports hall here. >> the economic boost from the nuclear industry is welcome, but embracing its waste requires deep trust in expertise and authority, part of the bedrock of finnish society. this country is making history, half a kilometer below ground.

when the site becomes operational within the next couple of years, we spent nuclear fuel will be transferred into steel canisters and then copper capsules lowered into tunnels and sealed off forever. at the moment, the site is still in its trial phase, as experts continue finalizing the details of permanently disposing of spent nuclear fuel. with such high-level radioactive waste, there is no room for missteps. >> this geologist says every because in is being taken. >> to ensure that also for the future, there are no pathways into the surface, so this facility will store the canisters for hundreds, thousands of years. >> t project has been underway for almost two decades but is getting new terest from abroad , due in part to the european

parliament's designation of nuclear power as a green fuel, and pushing europe to reduce dependence on russia as an energy supplier as it wages war on ukraine. so they are getting a lot of attention these days, and not only from scientists and journalists. 17,000 people for your come to see this interactive visitor center and take a tour of the facility. the head of communications for company responsible says his goal is to demystify the process of nuclear power generation. >> a lot of people say that nuclear is gd, but youave this waste of used nuclear fuel. we are sayinthat is not true, we do have a sution for that, and it is completely safe. >> he says he expects more european countries to follow finland's lead, now that they are forced to reconsider how to power their futures. brent: johan is the director of

m k.g. in sweden, and environmental group which looks at nuclear waste and how it is stored. he told me he is cautious about is new facility. >> i think it can certainly be question. in sden, we have the same method as in finland, using copper canisters. the copper canisters here, our program is delayed because of this problem. brent: are you surprised we are even talking about this right now? if you were to take russian invasion of ukraine out of the equation, we would still be talking about chernobyl, three mile island, fukushima. those dangers, that of -- those disasters have not gone away, have they? >> no, cerinly not. the risk accidents is always there. but it is important to understand that the production

of this long-lived waste is the main problem to deal with. it still remains questionable ether you can do this safely long-term. brent: instead of investing money in this solution, would it not make better economic sense, but also just be safer long term if you were to take those resources and invest them in developing more sustainable energy sources? >> this is certainly correct. ther is a lot of focus now on nuclear as a climate solution, but it ijust too little, too late. renewables and efficiency measures are not available at this moment to do a lot more, so it is important now to focus more on renewables and not put any major focus on nuclear issues. brent: are you surprised by the

people we saw in that report in finland, they want this disposal site because of the economic incentives. what is the situation in sweden, and we are used to hearing people say not in my backyard with your nuclear waste. >> actually the situati is quite similar in sweden in that the nuclear communities that are used to nuclear power and nuclear waste issues, they have also in sweden been accepting risk -- repository so the planned repository in a nuclear power plannorth of stockholm, it took a long ti to get there , and a long time to search. anywhere else in sweden it wasn't possible except right next to the power plant. so it is certainly a problem to find a place for a depository,

which is very clear in all other countries basically. brent: let's put back in the reality of the russian invasion of ukraine. energy prices are going to soar, they are soaring right now. this war, has resulted in maybe the sobering fact that we will not be done with nuclear power as soon as we would like to be done? >> i think it is the other way around, actuly. i think that probls of t nuclear power statis being part of the war in ukraine shows that nuclear has less importance in the future. as i was saying before, it's just too little and too late. renewables are the future. brent: we appreciate your time and your insights tonight. thank you. a huge wildfire has forced thousands of people to leave

their homes in southwest france. it was thought it was under control, but the flames have flared up again. summer heat waves that brought drought to france and other european countries, and with water getting scarcer, french authorities are imposing nationwide restrictions on its use. >> here, getting water has become an arduous task. in a measure recently proved by local authorities, farmers are pumping water from a lake to supply their animals. >> i've never experienced anything like this. sometimes things are critical in august, but never for this long. it's the first time of had to pump water from the lake. >> more than 100 places in france have been cut off from their water supply due to the ongoing drought. >> one of our two springs has dried up. only one is still flowing, providing 110 cubic meters a

day, but we need twice as much in the village. now a tanker comes every two days to supply us with water. >> the government says it is the worst drought france has ever seen. a state of emergency is in place in more than two thirds of the country. there are restrictions on water use most everywhere. in many places, farmers are not allowed to irrigate their fields. scientists say human-induced climate change is responsible. >> the extraordinary drought is becausehere has been too little rainfall. in addition, too much moisture isvaporating due to hot and dry air currents. >> the drought also means wildfires can spread more quickly. places are burning in several regions. brent: the 2022 football world cup in qatar is likely to start a day earlier. the change would allow qatar to

face ecuador in the opening game of the tournament. a final decision is yet to be made. a french free diver has broken the world record yet again by plunging 120 meters below the caribbean. watch this, he reached the depth off the bahamas with no breathing apparatus. he was underwater for 3.5 minutes. breaking his own world record, the latest in a string of firsts that he has set. what an amazing set of lungs. the danish toy maker is celebrating its 90th earth day with a very unconventional cake. the enormous plastic dessert is made of more than 90,000 pieces of legos spread across nine layers, one for each decade. it was made by employees and is

now on display in the town which is home of the lego brick. they are marking the celebration in stores around the world. a reminder of the top story we are following for you this hour, ukraine says nine russian warplanes have been destroyed addicts -- iexplosions at an airbase on the crimean peninsula. russia denies that the base came under attack. after a short break, i will be back to take you through "the day." after a short break, we will be right back. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

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♪ >> former president trump appears but refuses to answer questions under oath. the u.s. attorney general is investigating whether he falsely represented his assets. in ukraine, russian airstris killed 13 people in the south near a nuclear facility held by moscow. several others seriously injured. wildfires continue to rage