August 16, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

By Kathleen Magramo, Adrienne Vogt and Aditi Sangal, CNN

Updated 2:43 a.m. ET, August 17, 2022
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2:28 p.m. ET, August 16, 2022

UN secretary-general is traveling to Ukraine this week to meet with Ukrainian and Turkish leaders

From CNN's Richard Roth

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks during a press conference on August 6 in Hiroshima, Japan.
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks during a press conference on August 6 in Hiroshima, Japan. (Yuichi Yamazaki/Getty Images)

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres will go to Ukraine this week, traveling to Lviv Thursday for bilateral issues and to Odesa on Friday to discuss the grain deal, the UN announced.

Guterres will hold a trilateral meeting with Ukrainian leaders and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to discuss the inner workings of the Black Sea grain deal, according to spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric. He also plans to hold a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the UN said.

In July, Ukraine and Russia agreed to a deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey to allow the resumption of vital grain exports from Ukrainian Black Sea ports.

Guterres will travel Saturday to Istanbul. The Russians are aware of the secretary-general's travel plans, Dujarric said.

7:16 p.m. ET, August 16, 2022

Russian attempt to break through north of Sloviansk foiled but fresh battles brew in southern Donetsk

From CNN's Tim Lister

Russian forces tried to advance again from north of Sloviansk but their offensive was unsuccessful and they withdrew, the Ukrainian military said.

The battle occurred near Mazanivka on the border of Donetsk and Kharkiv regions, an area that first saw Russian efforts to break through more than 40 days ago, according to the General Staff.

Another Russian assault further east also failed, despite support from combat aircraft, it added. "Near Ivano-Dariivka, with the support of aviation, the enemy conducted unsuccessful assault actions. It suffered losses and withdrew."

Fighting has been going on in that district for well over a month. 

Ukrainians say Russian objectives remain the same — they are "focused on conducting active offensive and assault actions in the Kramatorsk, Bakhmut, and Avdiivka directions," the General Staff said.

Bakhmut and Avdiivka have been within a few miles of the front lines for several months, but they remain in Ukrainian hands.

The Ukrainians say further efforts to advance in the Bakhmut area had been rebuffed.

"Offensive and assault actions of the occupiers in the Soledar, Zaitseve and Maiorsk districts ended with losses and withdrawal," it added, saying another attack just south of Bakhmut (in the Vershyna area) had also been foiled.

Meanwhile, the Russians appear to have put renewed effort into breaking through Ukrainian lines in southern Donetsk, between Pavlivka and Novomykhailivka, where "hostilities continue," according to the General Staff.

Further north, in the Kharkiv region, the Ukrainian General Staff said nearly 20 settlements had come under fire, including several close to the border with Russia.

The mayor of Kharkiv, Ihor Terekov, urged civilians to stay indoors after shells landed in the Saltivka district.

12:56 p.m. ET, August 16, 2022

UK rejects Russian claims that British reconnaissance aircraft violated Russian air border 

From CNN's Katharina Krebs in London 

The UK has denied Russia's claims that a British electronic surveillance aircraft violated their state border on Monday, saying Britain's Royal Air Force aircraft carried out a "routine operation" in international airspace over the Norwegian and Barents seas. 

“A Russian MIG-31 jet conducted an unsafe close pass of an RAF RC-135W Rivet Joint aircraft as it carried out a routine operation in international airspace over the Norwegian and Barents Seas on Monday 15 August. The UK aircraft was in communication with Russian civilian air traffic control and its crew operated in a safe and professional manner," a UK Defense spokesperson told CNN on Tuesday.

The spokesperson added that the RAF aircraft did not enter Russian sovereign space and later returned safely to its base in the UK.

12:17 p.m. ET, August 16, 2022

In call with Zelensky, Macron endorses IAEA proposal to send a mission to Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant

From CNN’s Joseph Ataman in Paris

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron speak during a press conference on June 16 in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron speak during a press conference on June 16 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Alexey Furman/Getty Images)

French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his support for a proposal by the International Atomic Energy Agency to deploy an agency mission to the Russian-occupied Ukrainian nuclear plant at Zaporizhzhia to examine the situation there, according to a readout of Macron’s call with his Ukrainian counterpart Tuesday. 

Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed the terms of such a mission, which would commence “as soon as possible” according to the proposal of the IAEA’s director general, according to the readout. 

Macron “underlined his concern” to Zelensky regarding the threat posed by the presence and actions of Russian forces around the nuclear plant and called for their withdrawal. 

Both Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of attacks near the plant. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres described recent artillery and rocket fire around it as “suicidal.”

The two presidents also discussed the cargo ship chartered by the UN to transport Ukrainian grains, which left Odesa earlier on Tuesday and is headed to Africa. 

Following the export of 2.8 million tons of Ukrainian grains via road and river “solidarity routes” in July, the pace of such exports ”continues to accelerate,” according to the readout. 

Zelensky also tweeted after the call, calling for more sanctions on Russia.

10:21 a.m. ET, August 16, 2022

Town near Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant is under Russian rocket fire again, Ukrainian officials say

From CNN's Kostan Nechyporenko

The town of Nikopol across the river from the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has again come under rocket fire from the Russians, Ukrainian authorities say.

Residential areas had been hit and four people were injured, said Valentyn Reznichenko, head of Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration.

Twenty rockets from multiple rocket launchers called GRAD and 10 shells from artillery hit Nikopol, he added.

Nikopol has frequently come under fire from Russian forces' base on the opposite bank of the river Dnipro, where the nuclear power plant is situated.

10:15 a.m. ET, August 16, 2022

Hydro plant in Kherson still working despite multiple attacks on bridge, Ukrainian state energy company says

From CNN's Julia Kesaieva

The sign of the the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP) in Kakhovka, near Kherson, Ukraine is seen on May 20.
The sign of the the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP) in Kakhovka, near Kherson, Ukraine is seen on May 20. (Sergei Ilnitsky/EPA/Shutterstock)

Ukraine's state hydro-electric power operator says that despite the damage at a critical bridge across the river Dnipro, the Kakhovka power plant is still operating.

Ukrainian technicians continue working at the plant, which is a Russian-controlled area.

The bridge adjacent to the plant at Nova Kakhovka has been severely damaged by repeated Ukrainian attacks apparently designed to render it inaccessible to Russian military vehicles rather than destroy it.

Ukrhydroenergo, the state company, told CNN the plant "is currently operating in basic mode with a load of 72 MW."

The installed capacity of the plan is 357 MW.

"Currently, three units out of six are operating. The operation of the station is provided 24 hours a day by personnel (the schedule may change due to hostilities)," Ukrhydroenergo told CNN.

"There is also a possibility to perform small amounts of repair work by repair personnel," the company added.

The company said: "Provided that there is no external interference in the operation of the station, it will be able to work for a long enough time. However, in the event of a forced stop, there will be no breach of the dam nor shallowing," suggesting that current river levels can be maintained.

9:07 a.m. ET, August 16, 2022

Russian FSB claims Ukrainians blew up power lines connected to Kursk nuclear plant

From CNN's Uliana Pavlova

The Federal Security Service of Russia (FSB) said on Tuesday that Ukraine undermined six power lines and disrupted processes at the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant. 

The FSB is currently searching for members of Ukrainian sabotage groups who blew up power lines connected to the Kursk plant, Russian state news agency TASS reported on Tuesday, citing the FSB. 

“Six pillars of high-voltage power lines (110, 330 and 750 kV) were blown up, through which the Kursk NPP supplies power to facilities,” the FSB statement said.

Two previous attempts to blow up power lines were made earlier this month on Aug. 4 and Aug. 9, according to the FSB.

CNN could not independently confirm Russia’s claims. 

Some more context: Both Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of threatening nuclear terrorism, particularly around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which Russia has controlled since March.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday called for tougher sanctions in response to what he described as Russia's "nuclear blackmail" around the Zaporizhzhia plant. 

9:05 a.m. ET, August 16, 2022

Russian defense ministry signs state supply contracts for ballistic missiles and air defense systems

From CNN's Uliana Pavlova and Radina Gigova

The Russian Ministry of Defense signed state contracts for the manufacturing and supply of ballistic missiles and air defense systems for Russian troops on Tuesday worth more than 500 billion rubles (more than $8 billion).

The ministry signed contracts for the manufacturing of Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), S-500 air defense systems and supply of Su-34 front-line bombers during the annual Army 2022 international military-technical forum held near Moscow, an announcer at the conference said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in June that the first Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile system would go on combat alert in Russia at the end of 2022, according to state news agency TASS. 

8:17 a.m. ET, August 16, 2022

Russian troops squeezed in south Ukraine as Kyiv ramps up strikes

From CNN's Tim Lister

Russian forces in the occupied Kherson region in southern Ukraine are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain the flow of ammunition, armor and fuel to front-line units, according to Ukrainian officials and Western analysts, thanks to a concerted Ukrainian campaign to cut off river and rail supply lines as well as target ammunition depots.

The Russians are moving command posts from the north of the Dnipro River to the south bank as bridges have been heavily damaged, Ukrainian officials say.

The first deputy head of Kherson regional council, Yuri Sobolevsky, claimed on his Telegram channel that a significant portion of the Russian military command had already left Kherson city. Ukrainian forces are about 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) north of the city, towards Mykolaiv.

Much of Kherson region has been occupied since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. As part of Kyiv's counteroffensive to try to retake lost territory in the south, Ukrainian forces are targeting critical bridges to disrupt supply routes in and around Kherson.

The Institute for the Study of War, a US-based think tank, said Sunday that the Russians may be leaving for the other side of the river "to avoid being trapped in Kherson city if Ukrainian strikes cut off all ground lines of communication connecting the right bank of the Dnipro River to the Russian rear."

Videos have appeared on social media in the past few days showing renewed long-range artillery attacks on the Antonivskyi bridge and a road bridge over the dam near Nova Kakhovka, rendering them impassable for heavily armored vehicles. In some areas, the river is up to 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) wide, making pontoon bridges impractical.

The Ukrainians have also targeted several railway lines from the Russian-occupied Crimea Peninsula into the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. On Tuesday, a series of fierce explosions rocked the town of Dzankhoy on the main line towards Kherson. Recent video showed a substantial stock of military vehicles and ammunition at the site.

Two railway lines from Crimea were struck in the last 10 days. Last week, local residents reported several hours of explosions in the Henichesk district, a port area along the Sea of Azov, and the railway further west at Brylivka was also struck.

"Within the last week we have destroyed over 10 ammunition warehouses and military equipment clusters. These hits do not allow for the heavy equipment to be transferred by these bridges," said the Ukrainian military's Operational Command South.

None of this suggests an imminent Russian withdrawal from Kherson.

Olga Voitovych, Yulia Kesaieva and Mariya Knight contributed reporting.

Read the full report here.