Closing summary
It is 9pm in Kyiv. Here’s where we stand:
Ukrainian forces have had “successes” in three areas of the Russian-occupied region of Kherson, according to a Ukrainian regional official. Yuriy Sobolevskyi, the deputy head of Kherson’s regional council, said Ukrainian troops had enjoyed successes in the Kherson, Beryslav, and Kakhovka districts, without providing details.
Russia’s defence ministry has claimed, however, that Ukraine’s attempts to mount a counter-offensive in the south of the country had failed. In its daily briefing, it said Ukraine’s forces had suffered heavy losses in equipment and men. It has not been possible to independently verify either side’s claims.
Ukraine has accused Russian forces of firing on a town near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant as inspectors from the UN nuclear watchdog were en route to inspect the facility. One of the shells hit the building where Energodar’s city council is located, according to its mayor Dmytro Orlov.
The alleged Russian attack on Energodar occurred hours after a team led by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, set off from Kyiv to visit the Russian-held power plant. The team arrived in the Ukrainian-held city of Zaporizhzhia, 55km (34 miles) away from the plant, on Wednesday afternoon.
IAEA chief, Rafael Grossi, said his agency will seek to establish a permanent presence at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to avoid “a nuclear accident” at the facility. He added that the agency’s visit to the plant will last a few days. Russian-installed officials in the area near the power station previously suggested the visit might last only one day.
Russia has the potential to open up a “second theatre of war” should it choose to do so, Germany’s chief of defence has warned. Russia is “very well capable of expanding the conflict regionally” and will not run out of ammunition any time soon, according to Gen Eberhard Zorn, the highest-ranking soldier of the Bundeswehr.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said “heavy fighting” continues in “almost the entire territory” of Kherson. A spokesperson for Ukraine’s southern command, Natalia Humeniuk, said Ukraine’s forces had succeeded in damaging bridges that join Kherson across the river, rendering them “impassable for heavy machinery”.
Ukraine continues its offensive against Russia’s forces across southern Ukraine, pushing the frontline back “some distance in places”, according to British intelligence. Russia will likely now attempt to plug the gaps in its line using pre-designated mobile reserve units, the latest update by the UK Ministry of Defence said.
Russia has stopped the flow of gas via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Europe, in a move that has heightened already acute nervousness over the reliability of winter energy supplies. The halt on the Baltic Sea pipeline at 5am on Wednesday would last for three days, Gazprom, the Russian state energy company said, citing the need to carry out repairs.
EU foreign ministers have agreed to fully suspend a visa facilitation agreement with Russia. The move will mean that Russian citizens applying for EU visas will find it more costly and time-consuming. Today’s announcement stops short of a blanket ban of travel visas for Russians which eastern EU states and the Nordic countries were calling for. The move to restrict travel visas for Russians is a step “in the right direction”, Finland’s foreign minister Pekka Haavisto said.
Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have said they are considering barring Russian travellers from entry if the EU fails to do so. The move should contain exceptions “for dissidents as well as other humanitarian cases”, the four countries – which all border Russia – said in a joint statement published before the EU’s visa deal suspension announcement.
The funeral of the Soviet Union’s last leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who died on Tuesday aged 91, will take place in Moscow on Saturday, Russian news agencies reported, citing Gorbachev’s daughter and his foundation. The ceremony will be held on 3 September in the Moscow Hall of Columns, the same place where Joseph Stalin’s body was put on display following his death in 1953, the Interfax news agency reported, citing Gorbachev’s daughter Irina.
Vladimir Putin has sent official condolences to the family of Mikhail Gorbachev as the Kremlin broke its silence over the death of the last leader of the Soviet Union. But it has demurred on whether Gorbachev will receive a state funeral or be dealt a final snub by a successor who tore down his legacy.
Germany’s economy ministry has asked the country’s domestic intelligence agency to investigate two senior ministry officials over allegations of spying for Russia. German intelligence services opened an inquiry after senior economy ministry staff shared their concerns when the two civil servants showed “sympathy for the Russian view” on questions of energy policy, according to Die Zeit.
That’s it from me, Léonie Chao-Fong, and the Russia-Ukraine war blog today. Thanks for reading. I’ll be back tomorrow.
The Biden administration is expected to announce additional security aid for Ukraine shortly, according to White House national security spokesman John Kirby.
Kirby said at a news briefing:
We ... committed more than $13 billion of security assistance to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and we will continue to do that. And there will be announcements of future security assistance in the coming days.
The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, said his agency will seek to establish a permanent presence at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to avoid “a nuclear accident” at the facility.
The 14-strong team from the UN nuclear watchdog is expected to arrive at the Russian-held nuclear plant in southern Ukraine on Thursday.
Speaking to reporters, Grossi said:
My mission is... to prevent a nuclear accident and preserve the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.
The “real work” begins tomorrow, he said, adding that he was going to “try to establish a permanent presence for the agency” at the nuclear plant.
A delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency has arrived in the city of Zaporizhzhia, from where they plan to travel to Russian-controlled territory to inspect Europe’s biggest power plant.
Recent bombardment in the area has led to fears of a catastrophe, with Ukraine and Russia trading blame for the attacks.
“My mission is a technical mission. It is a mission that seeks to prevent nuclear accident,” says Rafael Grossi, the IAEA chief. He added that the plant was a Ukrainian facility despite being currently occupied by Russian forces.
Gorbachev funeral to be held on Saturday – reports
The funeral of the Soviet Union’s last leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who died on Tuesday aged 91, will take place in Moscow on Saturday, Russian news agencies reported, citing Gorbachev’s daughter and his foundation.
The ceremony will be held on 3 September in the Moscow Hall of Columns, the same place where Joseph Stalin’s body was put on display following his death in 1953, the Interfax news agency reported, citing Gorbachev’s daughter Irina.
The same day, Gorbachev will be buried at Moscow’s central Novodevichy cemetery, Russian state-owned news agency Tass cited Vladimir Polyakov, press secretary for the Gorbachev Foundation, as saying.
A source close to the Gorbachev family had earlier told Tass that he would be buried next to his wife Raisa, who died in 1999.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said earlier that the Kremlin would decide on Wednesday whether Gorbachev would be given a state funeral, and whether President Vladimir Putin would be in attendance.
The EU’s move to restrict travel visas for Russians is a step “in the right direction”, Finland’s foreign minister Pekka Haavisto said.
Finland and other members of the European bloc that share a land border with Russia, including the Baltic states and Poland, have been calling for an EU-wide tourist visa ban for Russians.
Speaking to reporters following the EU’s announcement, Haavisto said:
This goes in the right direction but once again we saw that so far there has been a lot of talk and little action.
He added:
When Russia is invading Ukraine and we receive refugees from Ukraine and try to help Ukraine in every way, this is not a time for holidaymaking and luxury tourism (for Russians).
Germany’s economy ministry has asked the country’s domestic intelligence agency to investigate two senior ministry officials over allegations of spying for Russia, Die Zeit has reported.
German intelligence services opened an inquiry after senior economy ministry staff shared their concerns, according to the weekly.
The two civil servants drew the attention of colleagues by showing “sympathy for the Russian view” on questions of energy policy, including on the decision to block the approval of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany, it said.
The pair are said to have an “emotional proximity to Russia”, according to the report, though as yet authorities had no “hard evidence” of spying or corruption.
Summary of the day so far
It’s 6pm in Kyiv. Here’s where we stand:
Ukrainian forces have had “successes” in three areas of the Russian-occupied region of Kherson, according to a Ukrainian regional official. Yuriy Sobolevskyi, the deputy head of Kherson’s regional council, said Ukrainian troops had enjoyed successes in the Kherson, Beryslav, and Kakhovka districts, without providing details.
Russia’s defence ministry claimed, however, that Ukraine’s attempts to mount a counter-offensive in the south of the country had failed. In its daily briefing, it said Ukraine’s forces had suffered heavy losses in equipment and men. It has not been possible to independently verify either side’s claims.
Ukraine has accused Russian forces of firing on a town near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant as inspectors from the UN nuclear watchdog were en route to inspect the facility. One of the shells hit the building where Energodar’s city council is located, according to its mayor Dmytro Orlov.
The alleged Russian attack on Energodar occurred hours after a team led by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, set off from Kyiv to visit the Russian-held power plant. The team arrived in the Ukrainian-held city of Zaporizhzhia, 55km (34 miles) away from the plant, on Wednesday afternoon.
IAEA chief, Rafael Grossi, said the mission’s visit to the nuclear plant was a “technical mission” that aimed to prevent a nuclear accident. He added that the agency’s visit to the plant will last a few days. Russian-installed officials in the area near the power station previously suggested the visit might last only one day.
Russia has the potential to open up a “second theatre of war” should it choose to do so, Germany’s chief of defence has warned. Russia is “very well capable of expanding the conflict regionally” and will not run out of ammunition any time soon, according to Gen Eberhard Zorn, the highest-ranking soldier of the Bundeswehr.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said “heavy fighting” continues in “almost the entire territory” of Kherson. A spokesperson for Ukraine’s southern command, Natalia Humeniuk, said Ukraine’s forces had succeeded in damaging bridges that join Kherson across the river, rendering them “impassable for heavy machinery”.
Ukraine continues its offensive against Russia’s forces across southern Ukraine, pushing the frontline back “some distance in places”, according to British intelligence. Russia will likely now attempt to plug the gaps in its line using pre-designated mobile reserve units, the latest update by the UK Ministry of Defence said.
Russia has stopped the flow of gas via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Europe, in a move that has heightened already acute nervousness over the reliability of winter energy supplies. The halt on the Baltic Sea pipeline at 5am on Wednesday would last for three days, Gazprom, the Russian state energy company said, citing the need to carry out repairs.
EU foreign ministers have agreed to fully suspend a visa facilitation agreement with Russia. The move will mean that Russian citizens applying for EU visas will find it more costly and time-consuming. Today’s announcement stops short of a blanket ban of travel visas for Russians which eastern EU states and the Nordic countries were calling for.
Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have said they are considering barring Russian travellers from entry if the EU fails to do so. The move should contain exceptions “for dissidents as well as other humanitarian cases”, the four countries – which all border Russia – said in a joint statement published before the EU’s visa deal suspension announcement.
Vladimir Putin has sent official condolences to the family of Mikhail Gorbachev as the Kremlin broke its silence over the death of the last leader of the Soviet Union. But it has demurred on whether Gorbachev will receive a state funeral or be dealt a final snub by a successor who tore down his legacy.
Hello everyone. It’s Léonie Chao-Fong still with you with all the latest developments from Ukraine. Feel free to get in touch on Twitter or via email.
Updated
Russia could open up ‘second theatre of war’, warns German defence chief
Russia has the potential to open up a “second theatre of war” should it choose to do so and should not be underestimated, Germany’s chief of defence has warned.
Gen Eberhard Zorn, the highest-ranking soldier of the Bundeswehr, told Reuters in an interview:
The bulk of the Russian land forces may be tied down in Ukraine at the moment but, even so, we should not underestimate the Russian land forces’ potential to open a second theatre of war.
Russia also has a navy and air force at its disposal as well as substantial reserves, he added.
He said:
Most of the Russian navy has not yet been deployed in the war on Ukraine, and the Russian air force still has significant potential as well, which poses a threat to Nato too.
Russia is “very well capable of expanding the conflict regionally”, he said.
The dynamic of Russia’s attack had slowed down but Moscow’s forces were “supported by massive artillery fire” and still pressing steadily ahead, “regardless of civilian Ukrainian casualties”, Gen Zorn said.
He also suggested Russia was not about to run out of ammunition any time soon, adding:
The Russians have enormous quantities of ammunition at their disposal. This ammunition is partly old and very inaccurate but it is exactly this that causes great destruction to civilian infrastructure. They fire around 40,000 to 60,000 rounds of artillery ammunition per day.
Updated
EU suspends visa deal with Russia
EU foreign ministers agreed on Wednesday to fully suspend a visa facilitation agreement with Russia, making it harder and more costly for Russian citizens to enter the bloc, reports Reuters.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borell told a news conference in Prague:
We agreed on … full suspension of the European Union-Russia visa facilitation agreement.
This will significantly reduce the number of new visas issued by the EU member states. It’s going to be more difficult, it’s going to take longer.
The suspending of the visa facilitation agreement means that Russian citizens applying for EU visas will find it more costly and time-consuming.
Today’s announcement stops short of a blanket ban of travel visas for Russians that eastern EU states and the Nordic countries were calling for.
However, an agreement on an outright ban could not be reached after Germany and France warned their peers that such a move would be counter-productive.
Some eastern states have said they will press ahead with a visa ban themselves if there is no EU agreement.
More than 1 million Russian citizens have entered the bloc through land border crossing points since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, most of them via Finland and Estonia, the bloc’s border agency Frontex said.
BREAKING: EU foreign ministers have just agreed to fully suspend the union's 2007 visa facilitation agreement with 🇷🇺#Russia, announces 🇪🇺foreign affairs chief @JosepBorrellF in Prague.
— Dave Keating (@DaveKeating) August 31, 2022
He says Russians entering neighboring EU states present a "security risk" pic.twitter.com/ysZYinnsSq
Updated
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, said today that the agency’s first planned visit to Ukraine‘s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant will last a few days.
Russian-installed officials in the area near the power station previously suggested the visit might last only one day, Reuters reports.
Grossi told reporters at a hotel in Zaporizhzhia:
The mission will take a few days. If we are able to establish a permanent presence, or a continued presence, then it’s going to be prolonged. But this first segment is going to take a few days.
We have a very important task there to perform – to assess the real situation there, to help stabilise the situation as much as we can.
He added that the IAEA team had guarantees from both Russia and Ukraine enabling it to enter the war zone.
Updated
Politicians from around the world paid have tribute to Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, who has died aged 91.
“Gorbachev is one of those people who changed the world, and unquestionably changed it for the better,” said the British prime minister, Boris Johnson.
Similar sentiment was expressed from leaders across the globe. Japan’s prime minister, Fumio Kishida, highlighted Gorbachev’s role in overcoming division in Europe, while the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, called him a “courageous reformer”.
Updated
Ukraine accuses Russia of shelling town by Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
Ukraine has accused Russian forces of firing on a town near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant as inspectors from the UN nuclear watchdog were en route to inspect the facility.
Evhen Yevtushenko, head of Nikopol district military administration, said the Russian army was shelling Energodar, adding:
These provocations are dangerous.
One of the shells hit the building where Energodar’s city council is located, according to its mayor Dmytro Orlov. He posted pictures of a damaged high-rise with a hole punched into the side and debris littering the ground.
The attack occurred hours after a team led by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, set off from Kyiv to visit the Russian-held power plant.
The team have arrived in the Ukrainian-held city of Zaporizhzhia, 55km (34 miles) away from the plant. Grossi said the mission’s visit to the nuclear plant was a “technical mission” that aimed to prevent a nuclear accident.
Updated
Sweden will donate artillery ammunition worth around 500m krona (£40m) to Ukraine, the Swedish government has said.
The announcement comes after Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, called on Sweden to provide Ukraine with Archer artillery systems, RBS-70 air-defence systems, and more artillery shells.
The “best thing Sweden can do in the field of defence” in the coming weeks is to provide Ukraine with more weapons, Kuleba said in a joint press conference on Monday with Sweden’s prime minister, Magdalena Andersson, and foreign minister, Ann Linde.
He added:
As strange as it may sound, the best way to save human lives, including the lives of civilians, and to save more Ukrainian villages and towns from destruction, is to give Ukraine more weapons so that we can repel Russian aggression and the Russian army.
Kuleba also thanked Sweden for allocating a new aid package to Ukraine, which will be divided into reconstruction and defence aid.
Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have said they are considering barring Russian travellers from entry if the European Union as a whole fails to do so.
In a joint statement obtained by AFP, the four countries, which all border Russia, said the suspension of a 2007 visa facilitation agreement between the EU and Russia was “a necessary first step”.
The move, proposed by the presidency and backed by many EU members, would make EU visas more costly for Russian travellers and lift a deadline on visa issuance times.
The statement added:
But we need (to) drastically limit the number of visas issued, above all tourist visas, to decrease the flow of Russian citizens into the European Union and the Schengen area.
The move should contain exceptions “for dissidents as well as other humanitarian cases”, they said.
Until such measures are in place on the EU level, we … will consider introducing on the national level temporary measures of visa ban, or restricting border crossing for Russian citizens holding EU visas.
Speaking to reporters in Prague, Estonia’s foreign minister, Urmas Reinsalu, called for a “ban of entry of Russian Federation citizens into the European Union”. He added:
Timing is crucial and the loss of time is paid by the blood of Ukrainians.
Meanwhile, Hungary’s foreign minister Peter Szijjarto announced on Facebook that the EU will suspend the 2007 visa facilitation agreement. There will not be a blanket visa ban imposed as there is no unanimity on that, he added.
Updated
UN nuclear inspectors arrive in Zaporizhzhia city
A delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has arrived in the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia ahead of a visit to a Russian-held nuclear power plant.
A convoy brought in the 14-strong team, led by the head of the IAEA Rafael Grossi, which had left Kyiv in the morning.
The city is normally about a two-hour drive from the plant but it is unclear how or when the team will reach the site given the complexities of crossing into Russian-held areas.
Before heading off with his team to Zaporizhzhia this morning, Grossi told reporters they planned to spend “a few days” at the plant and would report back afterwards.
Updated
A delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency has left Kyiv for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, in a region of Ukraine occupied by Russia, for an inspection after bombardment in the area led to fears of a catastrophe.
The IAEA mission, comprising representatives from countries deemed neutral by both sides, will inspect the plant and lend technical assistance.
The visit was reportedly intended to last four days. But the Russian-occupying authorities said on Wednesday that the IAEA will be given access for one day. They also said that the mission will be expected to join the queue of civilians who cross back and forth to the occupied territories. If this happens, it could delay or disrupt the visit.
These potential obstacles come in addition to safety concerns. Ukraine and Russia have given their security guarantees for the mission to travel to the plant and the neighbouring areas, Rafael Grossi, the head of the agency, said before leaving Kyiv.
The plant and the surrounding towns continue to come under shelling. Last week, fighting in and around Europe’s largest nuclear plant damaged vital electricity supplies prompting global concern.
Grossi described the mission as “very complex”. “We are going to a war zone,” he said.
Grain silos in Mykolaiv ‘on fire’ after Russian shelling, says Ukraine
Grain silos in Ukraine’s second biggest port, Mykolaiv, caught fire after they were struck by Russian shelling of the city, Ukraine’s emergency service has said.
In a statement on Facebook, Ukraine’s emergency service said:
As a result of the shelling of Mykolaiv, grain silos at an infrastructure facility in the Korabelny district caught fire. Firefighting continues.
It published photos showing holes in the metal roofs of at least two silos and fire brigades pouring water on damaged facilities.
Russian military units are reportedly locking conscripts in hot rooms without water until they agree to sign up to fight in Ukraine, Russian media has reported.
Russian outlet Ridus has reported that a local military recruitment centre in the Tver region has received complaints that conscripts are being coerced through psychological pressure into signing military contracts.
The outlet cited the mother of a conscript in the Tver region as saying:
Guys in this military unit, on the orders of the political officer, are gathered in the club in enormous heat and with the windows closed. They don’t let them leave and they don’t let them drink water.
It has not been possible to independently verify this information.
Such pressure tactics, if true, highlight some of the difficulties the Russian army has faced as a result of the Kremlin’s political decision not to formally declare war on Ukraine – preferring instead to describe the invasion as a “special military operation”.
Under Russian military rules, only contract soldiers can be sent to the frontline.
Ukraine claims ‘successes’ in Kherson counter-offensive
Ukrainian forces have had “successes” in three areas of the Russian-occupied region of Kherson, according to a Ukrainian regional official.
Yuriy Sobolevskyi, the deputy head of Kherson’s regional council, said Ukrainian troops had enjoyed successes in the Kherson, Beryslav, and Kakhovka districts.
Sobolevskyi did not provide any details about the alleged success of the Ukrainian troops, but his comments came as Russia’s defence ministry claimed that Ukraine’s attempts to mount a counter-offensive in the south of the country had failed.
In its daily briefing, the Russian defence ministry said Ukraine’s forces had suffered heavy losses in equipment and men.
It also said its forces had shot down three Ukrainian helicopters and that Ukraine had lost four fighter jets during two days of fighting around the Mykolaiv-Kriviy Rih frontline and in other areas of southern Ukraine.
It has not been possible to independently verify either side’s claims.
Hello everyone, it’s Léonie Chao-Fong with you again today with all the latest developments from the war in Ukraine. Feel free to drop me a message if you have anything to flag, you can reach me on Twitter or via email.
Updated
Summary
It is just after 1pm in Ukraine. Here is what you might have missed:
A team of nuclear experts are en route by car to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant amid international concern of a potential accident or radiation leak. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) envoy set off from Kyiv this morning to the plant in south-eastern Ukraine, a Reuters witness reported from the scene. UN nuclear chief Rafael Grossi told a briefing in Kyiv as reported by Ukrainian media outlet Ukrinform: “We are finally leaving after six months of effort. The IAEA is heading to the Zaporizhzhya NPP. As you know, we have a very important task there – to work and examine the real situation there, to help stabilise the situation as much as possible.”
However, the UN nuclear inspectors who set off on Wednesday morning from Kyiv might not visit the facility until Thursday. A Reuters reporter travelling in a convoy with the team from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it was likely the inspectors would stay overnight in the nearby city of Zaporizhzhia before visiting the plant, which is on territory controlled by Russia, on Thursday.
Ukraine has accused Russia of deliberately shelling corridors to make it unsafe for the IAEA inspectors to visit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in the south of the country. A key adviser to Ukraine’s president Mykhailo Podolyak said Russia was attempting to force the mission from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) through Crimea and parts of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions temporarily occupied by Moscow’s forces.
Ukraine’s counteroffensive to retake Kherson will be a “slow operation to grind the enemy”, the senior presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych has said. “Of course, many would like a large-scale offensive with news about the capture by our military of a settlement in an hour,” he wrote. “But we don’t fight like that … Funds are limited.”
Russia has halted gas supplies via a major pipeline to Europe, citing a need for maintenance on its only remaining compressor and raising the prospects of recession and energy rationing throughout the region. The outage for maintenance on Nord Stream 1 means that no gas will flow to Germany between 1am GMT on Wednesday and 1am GMT on Saturday 3 September, according to Russian state energy giant Gazprom. Data from the Nord Stream 1 operator’s website, as cited by Reuters, showed flows at zero for 4-5am Central European Time (2-3am GMT) on Wednesday. European governments fear Moscow could extend the outage in retaliation for western sanctions imposed.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said “heavy fighting” continues in “almost the entire territory” of Kherson. A spokesperson for Ukraine’s southern command, Natalia Humeniuk, said Ukraine’s forces had succeeded in damaging bridges that join Kherson across the river, rendering them “impassable for heavy machinery”.
The UN’s cultural agency has said it supports a bid by Ukraine to put its port city of Odesa on the Unesco world heritage list of protected sites. The historic centre of Odesa has already been struck by artillery fire and is located only a few dozen kilometres from the frontline, the agency said in a statement.
Ukraine continues its offensive against Russia’s forces across southern Ukraine, pushing the frontline back “some distance in places”, according to British intelligence. The full report released by the UK Ministry of Defence added that Russia “continues to expedite attempts to generate new reinforcements for Ukraine.”
Boris Johnson has paid tribute to Mikhail Gorbachev, describing him as a man “who changed the world and unquestionably changed it for the better”. Johnson added the Kremlin is “intent on undoing the good” of Gorbachev and attempting to “recreate that Soviet empire” with its war in Ukraine, PA Media reports. The former leader of the Soviet Union died on Tuesday night at the age of 91.
A Moscow-installed leader of occupied Kherson has reportedly fled to Russia. When asked by the Guardian about his location, Kirill Stremousov said he was “travelling around Russian cities, meeting different people for work”.
The previous head of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service, MI6, welcomed Ukraine’s counterattacks in Kherson, saying it is a key moment in the war. Sir Alex Younger told the BBC that the fightback from Kyiv showed the two opposing forces had “reached some kind of balance, which is an unexpected and frankly welcome situation”.
Ukraine is using wooden decoys of advanced US rocket systems to trick Russia into wasting its missiles on them, according to the Washington Post. The decoy versions of US-supplied rocket launcher systems drew at least 10 Russian Kalibr cruise missiles, leading Ukraine to further boost its production of replicas, in an effort to lure Moscow into firing its expensive long-range missiles on fake targets, the publication said.
The last Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, has died in Moscow aged 91. Gorbachev’s reforms led to the unlooked-for break-up of his own country, and to the demise of communism across central and eastern Europe. He died after a “difficult and protracted illness”, Russian news agencies cited hospital officials as saying on Tuesday. Recent reports suggested he was had a kidney ailment.
Ukraine’s parliament endorsed several laws and ratifications on Tuesday to bring the country closer to the European Union, Volodymyr Zelenskiy said. “We are moving step by step towards full membership in the EU,” he added.
Zelenskiy met with the UN nuclear watchdog chief who will lead an expert team to inspect the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine this week. “It’s an important mission, and we’re doing everything we can for it to be safe and work at full capacity,” he said during a meeting with the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, on Tuesday. The head of the Russian-installed local administration, Yevgeny Balitsky, said he did not expect much from the IAEA visit and told the Interfax news agency the inspectors “must see the work of the station in one day”.
At least five people were killed and 12 wounded in Russian shelling of Kharkiv, Zelenskiy said. “Only one Russian shelling of Kharkiv took the lives of five people today, another 12 were wounded.”
The wholesale price of gas has dropped sharply in a rare respite from recent highs on signs that Europe is preparing to intervene directly in energy markets. The European Commission said it was working “flat out” on an emergency package, and on a longer-term “structural reform of the electricity market” to combat soaring prices while efforts to fill gas storage facilities appear to be ahead of schedule. The day-ahead UK wholesale gas price tumbled by more than 20% to 447p per therm on Tuesday, while the month-ahead contract dropped by a quarter, to 473p per therm.
Updated
Putin praises Gorbachev for 'huge influence on the course of global history'
Vladimir Putin said in a condolence telegram sent today that Mikhail Gorbachev had a “huge impact on the course of world history”.
Putin said the former Soviet leader, who died aged 91, “led our country through a period of difficult, dramatic change and substantial foreign policy, economic, and social challenges”.
The Russian president said that Gorbachev “deeply understood that reforms were necessary” and strove to offer his own solutions to the problems faced by the Soviet Union in the 1980s, reports Reuters.
Updated
UN nuclear inspectors visit of Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant could take place on Thursday
UN nuclear inspectors who set off for Ukraine‘s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant this morning from Kyiv might not visit the facility until Thursday.
A Reuters reporter travelling in a convoy with the team from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it was likely the inspectors would stay overnight in the nearby city of Zaporizhzhia before visiting the plant, which is on territory controlled by Russia, on Thursday.
There is confusion about how long the inspection will last after Russian-installed officials in the area suggested the visit might last only one day.
While the IAEA and Ukrainian officials suggested it could last several days.
Updated
There are widespread reports of an oil depot fire taking place in a village near the town of Dzhankoy, in Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014.
Authorities have not yet commented on the videos of the blaze that are being shared on social media.
Local Telgeram channels report that explosions could be heard in occupied #Krasnohvardiiske, #Crimea. pic.twitter.com/wPGd385shJ
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) August 31, 2022
Mykhailo Podolyak, a key adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said today that Russian forces are becoming “more active in the occupied territories”.
In a post on Twitter, he alleged they are robbing businesses, farmers and dismantling factories.
In recent weeks, criminal groups from ru-military and criminal sphere have become more active in the occupied territories. They rob businesses, farmers and dismantling factories , taking the loot to 🇷🇺. Special police operation and inevitable responsibility awaits the looters.
— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) August 31, 2022
Updated
The latest pictures from the newswires show the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) setting off today from the Ukrainian capital Kyiv towards the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Updated
Conservative leadership hopeful Rishi Sunak said the legacy of Mikhail Gorbachev will be “remembered by us all” and that he helped “bring peace to Europe”.
Gorbachev’s courage and vision helped bring peace to Europe and built a freer, more open society for millions.
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) August 31, 2022
His legacy will be remembered by us all.
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Boris Johnson has paid tribute to Mikhail Gorbachev, describing him as a man “who changed the world and unquestionably changed it for the better”.
Johnson added the Kremlin is “intent on undoing the good” of Gorbachev and attempting to “recreate that Soviet empire” with its war in Ukraine, PA Media reports.
The former leader of the Soviet Union died on Tuesday night at the age of 91.
Speaking outside a police station in Lewisham, south-east London, the prime minister said:
Mikhail Gorbachev is one of those people who changed the world and unquestionably changed it for the better. When you look at what he did to make Europe whole, free, to give freedom to the countries of the former Soviet Union – it was quite an extraordinary thing.
And of course, Mikhail Gorbachev is one of those people who triggered a change, a series of changes, that perhaps he didn’t anticipate.
Maybe he paid his own political price for it but when history is written, he will be, I think, one of the authors of fantastic change for the better in the world.
And what I worry about today is that the current leadership in Moscow is intent on undoing the good of Mikhail Gorbachev, and is intent on a revanchist attempt, a revenge-driven attempt, to recreate that Soviet empire, and you’re seeing that in Ukraine - that’s the tragedy, something that Mikhail Gorbachev would have thought was absolutely unthinkable, unwarranted.
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Ukraine‘s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba called on the European Union to ban Russian tourists, describing the measure as appropriate since a majority of Russians supported the country’s “genocidal war of aggression” against Kyiv.
Kuleba told Reuters as EU foreign ministers were set to meet in Prague on Wednesday for talks:
The time for half-measures is gone. Only a tough and consistent policy can produce results.
The ministers are expected to agree on suspending a visa facilitation agreement with Moscow, meaning that Russians will have to wait longer, and pay more, for visas, while the bloc is likely to stay split over an outright EU travel ban.
In a statement emailed to Reuters, Kuleba said:
A visa ban for Russian tourists and some other categories will be an appropriate response to Russia’s genocidal war of aggression in the heart of Europe supported by an overwhelming majority of Russian citizens.
He also proposed launching a special programme for Russian soldiers who do not want to fight in Ukraine.
(The message): save yourself and leave. Lay down arms, surrender to Ukrainian forces, and get an opportunity to start a new life.
I am confident that this offer is worth making, because even if one Russian soldier lays down arms and decides to leave, it means saved Ukrainian lives and closer peace.
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Ukraine pushing Russia's frontline back in south: UK MoD says
Ukraine continues its offensive against Russia’s forces across southern Ukraine, pushing the frontline back “some distance in places”, according to British intelligence.
The full report released by the UK Ministry of Defence this morning reads:
Ukrainian armoured forces have continued to assault Russia’s Southern Grouping of Forces on several axes across the south of the country since Monday.
Ukrainian formations have pushed the front line back some distance in places, exploiting relatively thinly held Russian defences.
In line with its doctrine, Russia will likely now attempt to plug the gaps in its line using pre-designated mobile reserve units. These will likely include some of those from the Eastern Grouping of Forces.
Russia continues to expedite attempts to generate new reinforcements for Ukraine. Volunteer battalions of the new 3rd Army Corps had departed their home base near Moscow by 24 August, highly likely for onward deployment to Ukraine.
The operational effectiveness of these units is not known. The 3rd Army Corps is highly likely short of personnel and these troops have had limited training.”
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 31 August 2022
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) August 31, 2022
Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/IrSemluAXE
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/fq7A8OxekQ
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The UN’s cultural agency has said it supports a bid by Ukraine to put its port city of Odesa on the Unesco world heritage list of protected sites.
The historic centre of Odesa has already been struck by artillery fire and is located only a few dozen kilometres from the frontline, the agency said in a statement.
The protection of cultural heritage is a priority.@unesco will deploy new measures to protect cultural heritage in #Ukraine, particularly in Odesa and L’viv.
— UNESCO 🏛️ #Education #Sciences #Culture 🇺🇳😷 (@UNESCO) August 30, 2022
Learn more: https://t.co/eHWX2tz9bO #ProtectHeritage pic.twitter.com/fmXJzkHklq
The statement followed a meeting of the agency’s director, Audrey Azoulay, and Ukraine’s culture minister, Oleksandr Tkachenko, in Paris. The agency added:
On 24 July 2022, part of the large glass roof and windows of Odesa’s Museum of Fine Arts, inaugurated in 1899, were destroyed.
It said it had mobilised experts to support Ukraine so that the nomination can be examined urgently by World Heritage Committee member states.
The UN agency also said it wants to add Odesa, Kyiv and Lviv to the list of world heritage sites “in danger”.
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Russia switches off gas pipeline citing maintenance
Russia has halted gas supplies via a major pipeline to Europe, citing a need for maintenance on its only remaining compressor and raising the prospects of recession and energy rationing throughout the region.
The outage for maintenance on Nord Stream 1 means that no gas will flow to Germany between 1am GMT on Wednesday and 1am GMT on Saturday 3 September, according to Russian state energy giant Gazprom.
Data from the Nord Stream 1 operator’s website, as cited by Reuters, showed flows at zero for 4-5am Central European Time (2-3am GMT) on Wednesday.
European governments fear Moscow could extend the outage in retaliation for western sanctions imposed.
Further restrictions to European gas supplies would heighten an energy crunch that has already sent wholesale gas prices soaring over 400% since last August.
The upcoming work was announced less than two weeks in advance and is being carried out by Gazprom not Nord Stream AG, focusing on the last operating turbine at the station. Moscow blames maintenance issues and sanctions it says prevent the return and installation of equipment.
Gazprom said the latest shutdown is needed to perform maintenance on the pipeline’s only remaining compressor.
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Russia shelling routes to nuclear plant, Zelenskiy says
Ukraine has accused Russia of deliberately shelling corridors to make it unsafe for the IAEA inspectors to visit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in the south of the country.
A key adviser to Ukraine’s president Mykhailo Podolyak said Russia was attempting to force the mission from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) through Crimea and parts of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions temporarily occupied by Moscow’s forces.
Another senior presidential adviser Andriy Yermak said Russia aimed to force the UN team through Crimea and parts of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions temporarily occupied by Moscow’s forces.
🇷🇺 is deliberately shelling corridors for IAEA mission to reach ZNPP. All to offer passage through Crimea/ORDLO. 🇺🇦 position is the same. Access only through controlled territory of 🇺🇦. Nuclear power plant demilitarization. Ru-troops withdrawal. Only ua-personnel at the station.
— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) August 30, 2022
“Russia is trying to disrupt the visit of the IAEA mission to the nuclear power plant by simulating combat operations in Energodar and shelling the area near the nuclear power plant,” he said.
Zelenskiy also claimed Russia “does not stop provocations precisely in those directions from which the mission is supposed to arrive at the station”.
The occupiers have not abandoned the plant, they are continuing bombardments and are not withdrawing arms and ammunition from the site. They are intimidating our personnel. The risk of a nuclear catastrophe due to Russian actions is not diminishing for even an hour”, he added.
“An immediate and total demilitarisation in Zaporizhzhia is necessary”.
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Zelenskiy meets with UN nuclear chief
Zelenskiy met with the UN nuclear watchdog chief who will lead an expert team to inspect the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine this week.
Director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, arrived in the Ukrainian capital late on Monday at the head of a 14-strong team before a visit to the Russian-occupied plant.
Zelenskiy said the mission was “probably one of the top-priority questions regarding the safety of Ukraine and the world today”, and called for the “immediate de-militarisation of the plant” and its transfer to “full Ukrainian control”.
The @iaeaorg mission headed by the agency's general director @rafaelmgrossi met with @ZelenskyyUa in #Kyiv. The President of #Ukraine hopes that the mission will get to the #ZaporizhzhiaNPP through security corridors and will do everything "to avoid a global threat." pic.twitter.com/Y5vjsG7FdZ
— SUSPILNE NEWS 📰 (@suspilne_news) August 30, 2022
The Ukrainian president said he hoped the delegation would “find an opportunity, thanks to our special services, thanks to the security corridors, to get to the station and do the best to avoid all those threats on a global scale”.
He also urged the mission to do more than inspect the plant, saying that strategic decisions were required “regarding the urgent demilitarisation of the station, the withdrawal of all, any, military personnel of the Russian Federation with explosives, with any kind of weapon”.
UN nuclear envoy sets off for Zaporizhzhia
A team of nuclear experts are en route by car to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant amid international concern of a potential accident or radiation leak.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) envoy set off from Kyiv this morning to the plant in southeastern Ukraine, a Reuters witness reported from the scene.
UN nuclear chief Rafael Grossi told a briefing in Kyiv as reported by Ukrainian media outlet Ukrinform:
We are finally leaving after six months of effort. The IAEA is heading to the Zaporizhzhya NPP. As you know, we have a very important task there - to work and examine the real situation there, to help stabilise the situation as much as possible.”
👷 @RafaelMGrossi and a team of experts & inspectors have set off for the IAEA Support & Assistance Mission to #Zaporizhzhya (ISAMZ), to help ensure nuclear safety and security at #Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya NPP and undertake vital safeguards activities.
— IAEA - International Atomic Energy Agency (@iaeaorg) August 29, 2022
👉 https://t.co/IrcPxHuukI pic.twitter.com/0IzcLDYsxO
Grossi said he hoped to establish a permanent mission in Ukraine to monitor Europe’s largest nuclear plant before the mission’s departure.
These operations are very complex operations. We are going to a war zone. We are going to occupied territory. And this requires explicit guarantees from not only from the Russians, but also from the Republic of Ukraine.
We have been able to secure that ... So now we are moving.”
“I am really very conscious of the relevance of this moment but we are ready. The IAEA is ready. We will be reporting back after the mission. We are going to be spending a few days there,” he added.
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Summary and welcome
Hello and welcome back to the Guardian’s live coverage of the war in Ukraine.
I’m Samantha Lock and I will be bringing you all the latest developments for the next short while. Whether you’ve been following our coverage overnight or you’ve just dropped in, here are the latest lines.
A team of nuclear experts are en route to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant from Kyiv this morning amid international concern of a potential accident or radiation leak.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has accused Russia of deliberately shelling corridors to make it unsafe for the IAEA inspectors to visit the plant in the south of the country.
It is 7.30am in Kyiv. Here is where we stand:
Ukraine’s counteroffensive to retake Kherson will be a “slow operation to grind the enemy”, the senior presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych has said. “Of course, many would like a large-scale offensive with news about the capture by our military of a settlement in an hour,” he wrote. “But we don’t fight like that … Funds are limited.”
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said “heavy fighting” continues in “almost the entire territory” of Kherson. A spokesperson for Ukraine’s southern command, Natalia Humeniuk, said Ukraine’s forces had succeeded in damaging bridges that join Kherson across the river, rendering them “impassable for heavy machinery”.
A Moscow-installed leader of occupied Kherson has reportedly fled to Russia. When asked by the Guardian about his location, Kirill Stremousov said he was currently “travelling around Russian cities, meeting different people for work”.
The previous head of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service, MI6, welcomed Ukraine’s counterattacks in Kherson, saying it is a key moment in the war. Sir Alex Younger told the BBC that the fightback from Kyiv showed the two opposing forces had “reached some kind of balance, which is an unexpected and frankly welcome situation”.
Ukraine is using wooden decoys of advanced US rocket systems to trick Russia into wasting its missiles on them, according to The Washington Post. The decoy versions of US-supplied rocket launcher systems drew at least 10 Russian Kalibr cruise missiles, leading Ukraine to further boost its production of replicas, in an effort to lure Moscow into firing its expensive long-range missiles on fake targets, the publication said.
The last Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, has died in Moscow aged 91. Gorbachev’s reforms led to the unlooked-for break-up of his own country, and to the demise of communism across central and eastern Europe. He died after a “difficult and protracted illness”, Russian news agencies cited hospital officials as saying on Tuesday. Recent reports suggested he was had a kidney ailment.
The UN’s cultural agency has said it supports a bid by Ukraine to put its port city of Odesa on the Unesco world heritage list of protected sites. The UN agency also said it wants to add Odesa, Kyiv and Lviv to the list of world heritage sites “in danger”. Ukrainian officials said Moscow’s forces are approaching Odesa and analysts believe Russia could soon target the city to completely block Ukraine’s Black Sea access.
Ukraine’s parliament endorsed several laws and ratifications on Tuesday to bring the country closer to the European Union, Volodymyr Zelenskiy said. “We are moving step by step towards full membership in the EU,” he added.
Zelenskiy met with the UN nuclear watchdog chief who will lead an expert team to inspect the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine this week. “It’s an important mission, and we’re doing everything we can for it to be safe and work at full capacity,” he said during a meeting with the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, on Tuesday. The head of the Russian-installed local administration, Yevgeny Balitsky, said he did not expect much from the IAEA visit and told the Interfax news agency the inspectors “must see the work of the station in one day”.
Ukraine has accused Russia of deliberately shelling corridors to make it unsafe for the IAEA inspectors to visit the plant. The senior presidential adviser Andriy Yermak said Russia aimed to force the UN team through Crimea and parts of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions temporarily occupied by Moscow’s forces. “Russia is trying to disrupt the visit of the IAEA mission to the nuclear power plant by simulating combat operations in Energodar and shelling the area near the nuclear power plant,” he said. Zelenskiy also claimed Russia “does not stop provocations precisely in those directions from which the mission is supposed to arrive at the station”.
At least five people were killed and 12 wounded in Russian shelling of Kharkiv, Zelenskiy said. “Only one Russian shelling of Kharkiv took the lives of five people today, another 12 were wounded.”
The wholesale price of gas has dropped sharply in a rare respite from recent highs on signs that Europe is preparing to intervene directly in energy markets. The European Commission said it was working “flat out” on an emergency package, and on a longer-term “structural reform of the electricity market” to combat soaring prices while efforts to fill gas storage facilities appear to be ahead of schedule. The day-ahead UK wholesale gas price tumbled by more than 20% to 447p per therm on Tuesday, while the month-ahead contract dropped by a quarter, to 473p per therm.
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