Russia's war in Ukraine

By Tara Subramaniam, Jack Guy, Ed Upright, Adrienne Vogt and Aditi Sangal, CNN

Updated 2:25 a.m. ET, August 31, 2022

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4:22 a.m. ET, August 30, 2022

UN nuclear inspectors arrive in Kyiv ahead of visit to Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant

From CNN's Kim Norgaard in Kyiv, Ukraine

A team of 14 experts from the United Nations' nuclear watchdog has arrived in Kyiv ahead of their planned visit to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine later this week.

Members of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) delegation were seen by CNN reporters at their hotel in the Ukrainian capital early Tuesday.

The visit comes amid renewed shelling at the facility and mounting fears over a potential nuclear accident.

The mission is headed by IAEA chief Rafael Grossi, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko said Monday.

Grossi tweeted Monday: "The day has come, @IAEAorg's Support and Assistance Mission to #Zaporizhzhya (ISAMZ) is now on its way. We must protect the safety and security of #Ukraine’s and Europe’s biggest nuclear facility."

4:04 a.m. ET, August 30, 2022

Water and electricity cut as Ukrainian forces attack Russian-occupied town in south, official says

From CNN's Sharif Paget and Josh Pennington

Ukrainian forces launched an attack on Monday at the Russian-occupied town of Nova Kakhovka in southern Ukraine, knocking out its electricity and water supply, according to Russian state media RIA Novosti, who cited a Moscow-appointed local authority.

RIA quoted the head of civil-military administration in the town, Vladimir Leontyev, as saying the consequences of the strike "will probably be terrible."

"You can't leave now. There was a lot of shelling, something exploded. There were strikes in the city and near the hydroelectric plant. We can see the fire in both places," Leontyev said.

After the city was left without electricity and water supply, authorities managed to outfit the hospitals with generators. They will start delivering water in the morning, Leontyev added.

2:57 a.m. ET, August 30, 2022

Ukraine retakes 4 villages near Kherson, military source tells CNN

From CNN's Olga Konovalova and Bex Wright

Destruction following a missile strike in Mykolaiv, on Monday. Ukrainian forces have started to retake the southern city of Kherson, which is currently occupied by Russian troops, a local government official said on Monday. (Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP/Getty Images)

Ukrainian troops have taken four villages back from Russian occupation in the south near the city of Kherson, a Ukrainian military source tells CNN. Their main "target" is Kherson, the source added.

“The operation began at night with massive shelling of Russian positions and the rear,” the source, who CNN is not naming for security reasons, said.

“The main direction of the attack was on Pravdyne. We hit their infantry from the DNR (Donetsk People's Republic) and LNR (Luhansk People's Republic), and they fled. The Russian landing force fled after them," the source told CNN.

“We have now liberated four villages. Their first line of defense has been broken through in three places,” the military source said.

The source said the village names are Nova Dmytrivka, Arkhanhel's'ke, Tomyna Balka and Pravdyne.

“Many of them were killed and captured, and a lot of [Russian] military vehicles [were destroyed].”

“We'll see how it goes from here. Our target is Kherson," the source said.

4:32 a.m. ET, August 30, 2022

Ukrainian counteroffensive underway in Russian-held south, former president says

From CNN's Jim Sciutto

A “long-awaited” Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russian forces is underway in southern Ukraine to retake Moscow-controlled territory, former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko told CNN on Monday.

“This is the long-awaited counteroffensive operation. It was started today at 7:00 a.m. (local time) with shelling and missiles attack," he told CNN's Jim Sciutto.
"This is first time since February 2022 when such a [concentration] of Ukrainian troops with Western artillery, with Western HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) and Western missiles was collected together for this counterattack.”

The counteroffensive comes as Russia's war in Ukraine has passed its six-month mark, with US assessments indicating that Russia has been able to deploy fewer units to the front lines than initially thought, according to a senior US official.

On Monday morning, Ukraine indicated that actions were underway.

"Ukrainian armed forces have started the offensive actions in several directions on the South front towards liberating the occupied territories," Natalia Humeniuk, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Operational Command South, told CNN.

"All the details will be available after the operation is fulfilled," she added.

9:08 p.m. ET, August 29, 2022

Ukrainian forces begin "shaping" battlefield for counteroffensive, senior US officials say

From CNN's Jim Sciutto

Ukrainian forces have begun "shaping" operations in southern Ukraine to prepare the battlefield for a significant Ukrainian counteroffensive, two senior US officials briefed on the intelligence told CNN.

Shaping operations are standard military practice prior to an offensive and involve striking weapons systems, command and control, ammunition depots and other targets to prepare the battlefield for planned advances.

The US believes the Ukrainian counteroffensive, which has long been anticipated, will include a combination of air and ground operations.

Ukraine indicated Monday morning that the actions were underway.

"Yes, (Ukrainian forces) have started the offensive actions in several directions on the South front towards liberating the occupied territories," Natalia Humeniuk, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Operational Command South, told CNN, adding, "All the details will be available after the operation is fulfilled."

The plans come as Russia's war in Ukraine has passed its six-month mark, with US assessments indicating that Russia has been able to deploy fewer units to the front lines than initially thought, according to a senior US official.

Read the full story here.