September 1, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

Shelling in Enerhodar, near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, has "not stopped since 5 a.m.," city mayor Dmytro Orlov told CNN Thursday. 

Russian-appointed regional officials also reported shelling across Enerhodar Thursday, claiming there had been "at least three" civilian casualties and five injuries, including a child.

CNN has not been able to independently verify claims from either side. 

The reports come as a team from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) make their way to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant to carry out a planned inspection of the facility, which has been held by Russian forces since March. 

In a series of statements, Russian and Ukrainian officials accused each other of shelling the IAEA’s prearranged route to the Zaporizhzhia plant. 

IAEA spokesperson Fredrik Dahl said the inspectors had been "delayed" for three hours on the Ukrainian-controlled side of the front line en route to the nuclear facility, prompting IAEA chief Rafael Grossi to personally negotiate with Ukrainian military authorities to allow the team to proceed. 

In a statement Thursday, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said it would provide the IAEA’s inspectors "full security for further work" upon their arrival at the plant.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission has been delayed on the Ukrainian-controlled side of the front line for about three hours en route to visit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP), and IAEA spokesman has said.

"Director general Grossi has personally negotiated with Ukrainian military authorities to be able to proceed and he remains determined that this important mission reaches the ZNPP today," Fredrik Dahl told CNN on Thursday.

Setting off for the plant from Zaporizhzhia city earlier Thursday, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said the mission would persevere despite the "inherent risks" his monitoring team would face. 

It is "high time to stop playing with fire" around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warned Thursday.

Speaking to reporters in Kyiv, ICRC director-general Robert Mardini urged "concrete measures" be taken "to protect this facility and others like it from any military operations."

"The slightest miscalculation could trigger devastations that we will regret for decades," he warned.

"In the event of a nuclear leak, it will be difficult if not impossible to provide humanitarian assistance."

A Ukrainian presidential adviser on Thursday accused Russian forces of trying to disrupt the visit of UN nuclear inspectors to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant by shelling the nearby city of Enerhodar.

Shelling has been ongoing in Enerhodar since Thursday morning, according to Ukrainian and Russian-installed regional officials as a team from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) traveled to the plant for a planned inspection of the facility in southeastern Ukraine, which has been held by Russian forces since March. 

Some context: CNN has not been able to independently verify claims from either side about the shelling near the facility. CNN reached out to the IAEA regarding any obstacles or security issues on its prearranged route to the plant but has not received a response. 

Setting off for the plant from Zaporizhzhia city earlier Thursday, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said the mission would persevere despite the "inherent risks" his monitoring team would face. 

Shelling in the city of Enerhodar near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power has been ongoing since Thursday morning, according to Ukrainian and Russian-installed regional officials. 

The Russian-appointed military-civilian administration of Enerhodar also claimed there had been "at least three" civilian casualties and five injuries, including a child. 

CNN has not been able to independently verify claims from either side. 

Inspectors on the way: The reports come as a team from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) traveled to the nuclear plant for a planned inspection of the facility in southeastern Ukraine, which has been held by Russian forces since March. 

CNN reached out to the IAEA regarding any obstacles or security issues on its prearranged route to the plant but has not received a response. 

Setting off from Zaporizhzhia city earlier Thursday, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi acknowledged the “inherent risks” his monitoring team would face after leaving the “gray zone” where the last line of Ukrainian defenses end but said the mission would persevere. 

The fifth reactor at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was shut down and its emergency protection system activated on Thursday due to shelling, Ukraine's nuclear operator Energoatom said in a statement.

The shutdown comes as a team of international experts were traveling to the Russian-occupied plant in southeastern Ukraine for a planned inspection amid fighting in the area that has sparked fears of a nuclear accident.

The plant, which was disconnected from the country's power grid last Thursday, has six reactors, only two of which have been functioning — number five and number six. 

Energoatom said the remaining reactor "continues to work in the energy system of Ukraine and at the same time feeds the ZNPP's own needs."

Some context: Nuclear plants use a number of auxiliary safety systems, such as diesel generators and external grid connections, to keep reactors cool. Zaporizhzhia also uses a spray pond, a reservoir in which hot water from inside the plant is cooled. If those systems failed, then the nuclear reactor would heat up swiftly, triggering a nuclear meltdown.

Ukraine has accused Russian troops of using the plant as a shield, risking a potential disaster at the plant. The Kremlin has in turn repeatedly accused Ukrainian forces of shelling the plant.

A team of international experts were traveling to Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant for a planned inspection of the facility on Thursday despite the "significant" risks of their mission, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi said. 

Upon arrival at the plant, the team will start an immediate "assessment of the security and safety situation,” Grossi told reporters, with the ultimate goal of “establishing a continued presence of the IAEA at the plant.”

The plant is near the front line of the war in southeastern Ukraine and was captured by Russian troops in March. Both sides have accused each other of shelling it.

It is uncertain how long the IAEA visit will last.

A rocket or missile fired from near the Russian city of Belgorod appears to have gone off course and crashed into a residential area, according to multiple social videos uploaded to the Telegram channel Belgorod Informant on Wednesday night.

It's unclear how much damage it caused, or whether there were any casualties. Videos show the projectile flying in a shallow arc across the city before coming down somewhere close by. Residents posted on Telegram that it had hit the Komsomolskiy district.

There has been no comment from local officials. 

Belgorod is close to the border with Ukraine. 

The United States believes that Russia is facing "severe" shortages of military personnel in Ukraine and is seeking new ways to increase its troop levels, two US officials told CNN.

The latest US assessment is based on downgraded intelligence and confirmed to CNN by two US officials. It is the latest effort by the Biden administration to downgrade and publicly release intelligence findings about Russia's war effort.

The officials also said that the US has "credible reporting" that Russia's Defense Ministry is "likely to begin" recruiting convicted criminals in Ukraine "in exchange for pardons and financial compensation."

As with previous releases of downgraded intelligence, the officials did not provide additional details about the intelligence behind these assessments.

Russian President Vladimir Putin last week ordered the military to increase the number of troops by 137,000, though it was not clear how the Russian Defense Ministry intended to reach that target.

The Pentagon estimated earlier this month that as many as 80,000 Russian troops have been killed or wounded during the war in Ukraine.