Closing summary
It’s 9pm in Kyiv. Here’s where we stand:
Rafael Grossi, the chief international nuclear inspector, has said he saw “the key things I needed to see” and his team was able to gather “a lot of information” during a long-awaited visit to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia plant in Ukraine. “We have achieved something very important today and the important thing is the IAEA is staying here – let the world know that the IAEA is staying at Zaporizhzhia,” Grossi said in a video from Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency.
The plant’s operator, Energoatom, said Grossi had left the site after a visit that was delayed by several hours because of shelling. Five International Atomic Energy Agency representatives would remain, probably until Saturday. Grossi said his team would be staying on and maintain a “continued presence” at the plant.
Grossi’s comments came after both sides accused each other of trying to sabotage the IAEA visit, with Moscow and Kyiv trading blame for shelling. Enerhodar, the city beside the plant, came under fire at dawn, its mayor said, and Russian forces reportedly shelled the pre-agreed route the inspectors were meant to take. Moscow claimed to have thwarted a Ukrainian attempt to capture the plant.
The Red Cross has issued an urgent call for an end to all military operations around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, warning the consequences of a strike could be “catastrophic”. It was “high time to stop playing with fire and instead take concrete measures” to protect the plant from any military operations, director general of the ICRC, Robert Mardini, said. The stakes were “immense”, he added.
Ukrainian authorities are making “all efforts” to switch the fifth reactor of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant back on after it shut down due to shelling earlier today, the head of Ukraine’s state nuclear company said. The long-awaited visit by IAEA inspectors to the plant would be successful if it led to the “demilitarisation” of the facility, Petro Kotin, the head of Energoatom, said.
Boris Johnson has said the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant is Ukrainian and the Ukrainians should “have it back in their control”. The PM said it was Russia’s “explicit” objective to unplug the nuclear plant from the Ukrainian grid and plug it into the Russian grid.
Russian forces have been forcibly transferring Ukrainian civilians to Russia or areas of Ukraine under their control, according to Human Rights Watch. Forced transfers are “a serious violation of the laws of war that constitute war crimes and potential crimes against humanity”, HRW said.
Away from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Thursday marked the start of the school year in Ukraine. The Guardian spoke with teachers at School No 2 in Borodianka, where in-person classes remain online after it was trashed by occupying Russian forces in March.
The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, has warned Moldova that any actions seen as endangering the security of Russian troops in the breakaway region of Transnistria would be considered an attack on Russia. “Everyone should understand that any action that would threaten the security of our troops (in Transnistria) would be considered under international law as an attack on Russia,” Lavrov warned.
Vladimir Putin will not attend the funeral of the last Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, on Saturday because of schedule constraints, the Kremlin has said. Putin was pictured visiting Gorbachev’s open coffin earlier today, where he laid flowers at Moscow’s central clinical hospital.
The chairman of Russia’s second-largest oil producer Lukoil, Ravil Maganov, has died after falling from a hospital window in Moscow, according to reports. Maganov is the second top Lukoil executive to die in mysterious circumstances in recent months. Lukoil was one of the few major Russian companies to call for an end to the Ukraine war. According to the Russian state-owned news agency Tass, Maganov had taken his own life.
Russia has stopped the flow of gas via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Europe, citing the need to carry out repairs. The German government rejects the claim, calling it a “pretence”. It said Nord Stream was “fully operational” and that there were no technical issues. The halt on the Baltic Sea pipeline at 5am on Wednesday would last for three days, said Gazprom, the Russian state energy company.
A British man has died while volunteering as a medic in Ukraine, his family has said. Craig Mackintosh, from Thetford in Norfolk, died “in the line of duty” on 24 August, his sister Lorna Mackintosh said.
That’s it from me, Léonie Chao-Fong, and the Russia-Ukraine war blog today. Thank you for reading. I’ll be back tomorrow.
IAEA chief 'will worry until situation at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant becomes stable'
Here’s more from the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, who said nuclear experts would maintain a continued presence at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant following his visit today.
Grossi, who visited the plant for several hours, admitted to reporters he would continue to worry until the situation at Zaporizhzhia had stabilised.
He said:
We are not going anywhere. The IAEA is now there, it is at the plant and it is not moving - it’s going to stay there.
The UN nuclear watchdog will have “a continued presence” at the nuclear plant with some of his experts who would provide an impartial neutral technically sound assessment of what was happening on the ground, he said.
Grossi added:
I worried, I worry and I will continue to be worried about the plant until we have a situation which is more stable, which is more predictable.
Updated
IAEA chief says team will maintain presence at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, has said his team of nuclear inspectors have completed their first tour of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in south-east Ukraine.
In a video published on his Twitter feed, Grossi said:
We are finishing our long-awaited visit to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. I have just completed a first tour of the key areas that we wanted to see in this first approach to the whole facility.
There is “a lot more to do”, Grossi said, adding that his team would be staying on.
He added:
Most importantly, we are establishing a continued presence from the IAEA.
I am finishing my first visit to #Ukraine’s #Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant.@IAEAorg is here to stay and will maintain a continued presence at #ZNPP. pic.twitter.com/k4zO3IMe2I
— Rafael MarianoGrossi (@rafaelmgrossi) September 1, 2022
Updated
Ukrainian authorities are making “all efforts” to switch the fifth reactor of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant back on after it shut down due to shelling earlier today, the head of Ukraine’s state nuclear company said.
The long-awaited visit by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors to the Russian-occupied nuclear plant in south-eastern Ukraine would be successful if it led to the “demilitarisation” of the facility, Petro Kotin, the head of the Ukrainian state energy company Energoatom, said in an interview with Reuters.
Ukraine’s top priority was to demilitarise the plant and the surrounding area in order to avoid a nuclear accident, he said.
Kotin said:
If this mission helps to do that, then it will be successful.
He said the fact that the IAEA mission had been able to visit the nuclear plant after months of negotiation marked progress, but accused Russia of trying to propagandise the visit by excluding independent journalists.
Updated
Russian forces have been forcibly transferring Ukrainian civilians to Russia or areas of Ukraine under their control, according to Human Rights Watch.
Ukrainian civilians, including those fleeing hostilities, are being “left with no choice but to go to Russia”, the rights organisation warned in a report.
The report documents the transfers of Ukrainian civilians, many of whom were fleeing the devastated port city of Mariupol. Others were from the Kharkiv region in eastern Ukraine.
One woman transferred from Mariupol told the organisation:
Of course, we would have used the opportunity to go to Ukraine if we could have. But we had no choice, no possibility to go.
Forced transfers are “a serious violation of the laws of war that constitute war crimes and potential crimes against humanity”, HRW said. It added:
Russian and Russian-affiliated authorities also subjected thousands of Ukrainian citizens to a form of compulsory, punitive, and abusive security screening called “filtration”.
Another civilian from Mariupol said that, after being detained by Russian troops, he and dozens of others were held “like hostages” in a village schoolhouse for two weeks under filthy conditions before undergoing filtration.
Updated
Ukraine’s state nuclear company, Energoatom, has confirmed that the director general of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, has left the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Five IAEA representatives will remain at the site of the plant, probably until 3 September, the company added.
Updated
The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, said he was able to look at the “key things” he needed to see while visiting the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant today, Russian media have reported.
The UN nuclear agency’s mission was able to gather “a lot” of information in a few hours, Grossi told reporters in a video released by the Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti.
Grossi said:
We were able, in these few hours, to gather a lot, a lot of information. The key things I needed to see, I saw.
Grossi left the plant following the visit, the news agency reported.
Updated
IAEA inspectors seen leaving Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
Some members of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspection team have left the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant after spending several hours at the site, Reuters reports.
Four of the nine vehicles from the mission have left the nuclear plant’s territory, according to Russia’s Interfax news agency.
Summary of the day so far
It’s 6pm in Kyiv. Here’s where we stand:
UN inspectors have arrived at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in south-eastern Ukraine. The plant’s operator, Ukraine’s state nuclear company Energoatom, confirmed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission was on site. A Ukrainian source said the mission could be “shorter than planned”.
The IAEA mission to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant was delayed for several hours by reports of shelling around Europe’s biggest atomic facility. Enerhodar, the city beside the plant, came under fire early on Thursday, its mayor said, and Russian forces reportedly shelled the pre-agreed route the inspectors were meant to take. Moscow claimed to have thwarted a Ukrainian attempt to capture the plant.
Ukraine cannot guarantee security for the team of UN inspectors at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the country’s energy minister Herman Halushchenko has said. The situation around the Russian-held nuclear power plant remains “a mess”, Halushchenko said, adding that he told the director general of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, that security is “your own responsibility”.
The Red Cross has issued an urgent call for an end to all military operations around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, warning the consequences of a strike could be “catastrophic”. It was “high time to stop playing with fire and instead take concrete measures” to protect the plant from any military operations, director general of the ICRC, Robert Mardini, said. The stakes were “immense”, he added.
Boris Johnson has said the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant is Ukrainian and the Ukrainians should “have it back in their control”. The PM said it was Russia’s “explicit” objective to unplug the nuclear plant from the Ukrainian grid and plug it into the Russian grid.
Away from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Thursday marked the start of the school year in Ukraine. The Guardian spoke with teachers at School No 2 in Borodianka, where in-person classes remain online after it was trashed by occupying Russian forces in March.
Ukraine’s counteroffensive to reclaim Kherson has not stalled or failed, a senior adviser to Ukraine’s president has said. Oleksiy Arestovych added that Ukraine’s armed forces struck strategic bridges in the southern Kherson region to isolate Russian troops located on the right bank of the Dnieper.
The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, has warned Moldova that any actions seen as endangering the security of Russian troops in the breakaway region of Transnistria would be considered an attack on Russia. “Everyone should understand that any action that would threaten the security of our troops (in Transnistria) would be considered under international law as an attack on Russia,” Lavrov warned.
Vladimir Putin will not attend the funeral of the last Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, on Saturday because of schedule constraints, the Kremlin has said. Putin was pictured visiting Gorbachev’s open coffin earlier today, where he laid flowers at Moscow’s central clinical hospital.
Finland has announced that it will provide €8.3m (£7.16m) in further defence aid to Ukraine. The announcement by Finland’s defence minister, Antti Kaikkonen, takes the total donations to Ukraine from Finland to €92.3m.
The chairman of Russia’s second-largest oil producer Lukoil, Ravil Maganov, has died after falling from a hospital window in Moscow, according to reports. Maganov is the second top Lukoil executive to die in mysterious circumstances in recent months. Lukoil was one of the few major Russian companies to call for an end to the Ukraine war. According to the Russian state-owned news agency Tass, Maganov had taken his own life.
Russia has stopped the flow of gas via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Europe, citing the need to carry out repairs. The German government rejects the claim, calling it a “pretence”. It said Nord Stream was “fully operational” and that there were no technical issues. The halt on the Baltic Sea pipeline at 5am on Wednesday would last for three days, said Gazprom, the Russian state energy company.
A British man has died while volunteering as a medic in Ukraine, his family has said. Craig Mackintosh, from Thetford in Norfolk, died “in the line of duty” on 24 August, his sister Lorna Mackintosh said.
Hello everyone, it’s Léonie Chao-Fong still here to bring you all the latest news from the war in Ukraine. Feel free to get in touch on Twitter or via email.
Updated
Across the river from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant lies the city of Nikopol, which is being pounded regularly with Russian rocket fire. Each night residents go to sleep not knowing if they will wake up.
World leaders have expressed increasing alarm at Europe’s largest nuclear plant becoming a war zone. Any radiation leak could be catastrophic for Ukraine and the wider continent.
Kyiv says Russian forces are using the plant as a shield, hiding military equipment there knowing they cannot be targeted.
Moscow claims Ukraine is shelling the plant and its surroundings.
The Guardian’s Luke Harding and Christopher Cherry visited Nikopol to speak to residents the morning after an attack:
Updated
Ukraine cannot guarantee security for IAEA mission, says minister
Ukraine cannot grant security for the team of UN inspectors at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the country’s energy minister Herman Halushchenko said.
The situation around the Russian-held nuclear power plant remains “a mess”, CNN cites Halushchenko as saying in Novooleksandrivka in the Zaporizhzhia region, where he accompanied the IAEA delegation before they travelled on to the Russian-occupied territory.
Halushchenko said he told the director general of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, that security is “your own responsibility”.
Grossi seemed “confident to assume the risk,” he added. He also said:
Ukraine fulfilled all international obligations and gave every possibility for this mission to come.
The Ukrainian minister said he understood the IAEA mission has “some security agreement with the Russians” and suggested several members of the team would stay onsite “for several days”.
Grossi is due to arrive back in Novooleksandrivka today, he added.
Isobel Koshiw reports for the Guardian from Borodianka:
The children and teachers gathered on the grass outside School Number 2 in Borodianka on Thursday morning for the first day of the academic year. There were speeches and a recital of the Ukrainian national anthem, and as is traditional the girls wore white scrunchies in their hair, the boys white shirts. They brought flowers to give to their teachers.
But there will be no lessons in the classrooms of School Number 2 this year. Borodianka, a town just north of Kyiv, was occupied by Russian forces in March. The invading soldiers used the school as a base, before trashing it as they left.
The teachers described returning to the school after it was liberated and finding the soldiers had used several classrooms as toilets, left rubbish everywhere and needlessly destroyed whiteboards, PE equipment, TVs and computers. They also graffitied anti-Ukrainian and pro-Russian slogans on the walls and dug trenches behind the school.
The speeches on Thursday morning stuck to familiar themes of defiance against the odds and freeing Ukraine of the “enemy”. They ended with a minute’s silence for those who have died defending the country. After the ceremony, the teachers and students returned home to start their lessons on their smartphones and laptops. Only year 1 will be learning in person, joining another first-year class at the only school in the town left undamaged.
Read more of Isobel Koshiw’s report from Borodianka: Children return to Ukrainian school trashed by occupying Russian forces
Finland has announced that it will provide €8.3m (£7.16m) in further defence aid to Ukraine.
Reuters reports that Finland’s defence minister, Antti Kaikkonen,said in a statement “Ukraine’s defensive fight continues, the need for aid remains high”.
It takes total donations to Ukraine from Finland to €92.3m. The Finnish defence ministry gave no description of the materiel or timeline for its delivery for security reasons.
Updated
Here are some images showing UN inspectors arriving at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southern Ukraine.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission was delayed for several hours by reports of shelling around Europe’s biggest atomic facility that led to one of its two working reactors being shut down.
Vladimir Putin visited the open coffin of the last Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, earlier today.
The Russian president laid flowers at Moscow’s central clinical hospital, where Gorbachev died earlier this week aged 91.
The Kremlin said Putin would not attend Gorbachev’s funeral this weekend because of schedule constraints.
Updated
Johnson: Ukrainians should have Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant 'back in their control'
Boris Johnson has said the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant is Ukrainian and the Ukrainians should “have it back in their control”.
The British prime minister was asked about the risks of the Zaporizhzhia plant after delivering a speech in Sizewell in Suffolk.
Johnson said:
It’s clearly the objective of the Russians about which they are absolutely ... explicit ... they want to unplug it from the Ukrainian grid and plug it into the Russian grid.
And there are much greater nuclear experts than me in this room … I’m told that that has all sorts of risks, doing something like that. We don’t want to take any risk with Zaporizhzhia.
He added:
I think it’s important that Mr Grossi and the IAEA are allowed to get into it and do their inspection. But I’ve got to tell you I think that Zaporizhzhia is a Ukrainian plant and the Ukrainians should have it back in their control.
Updated
The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, has warned Moldova that any actions seen as endangering the security of Russian troops in the breakaway region of Transnistria would be considered an attack on Russia.
Russia has stationed peacekeeping troops in Transnistria since the early 1990s, when an armed conflict saw pro-Russian separatists wrest most of the region from Moldovan control. Russian forces also guard a large ammunition dump in the region.
Russia has said its army is there to maintain peace and stability, but Moldova wants Moscow to withdraw its forces.
In April, tensions in Moldova soared after a series of sporadic attacks were reported in Transnistria.
In an address at Russia’s top foreign affairs school, Lavrov said:
Everyone should understand that any action that would threaten the security of our troops (in Transnistria) would be considered under international law as an attack on Russia.
Updated
Ukraine’s state nuclear company Energoatom has confirmed that the IAEA mission has arrived at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.
Euromaidan Press has a video reportedly showing the UN team arriving at the plant:
Footage of reportedly the @iaeaorg mission entering the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) September 1, 2022
📹via https://t.co/imkoyKlpdr pic.twitter.com/NmN3w33J5g
The IAEA’s mission to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant may turn out to be “shorter than planned”, according to reports.
The head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, had previously said the planned visit was expected to last “a few days” and that the agency planned to establish a permanent presence at the plant.
But on Tuesday, the head of the Russian-installed local administration said the visit was designed to take just one day.
Yevgeny Balitsky, who on Monday said he did not expect much from the IAEA visit, told the agency the inspectors “must see the work of the station in one day”.
Updated
IAEA team arrive at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
UN inspectors have arrived at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in south-eastern Ukraine, Reuters reports.
The team from the International Atomic Energy Agency were seen arriving at the plant in a large convoy with a heavy presence of Russian soldiers nearby.
The delegation had been delayed after reports of fighting earlier today around Europe’s biggest nuclear plant.
Updated
‘Time to stop playing with fire’: Red Cross calls for end to fighting near Zaporizhzhia plant
The Red Cross has issued an urgent call for an end to all military operations around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, warning the consequences of a strike could be “catastrophic”.
It was “high time to stop playing with fire and instead take concrete measures” to protect the Russian-held nuclear plant from any military operations, director general of the ICRC, Robert Mardini, told reporters in Kyiv.
The stakes were “immense”, Mardini said. He added:
The slightest miscalculation could trigger devastation that we will regret for decades.
He also said:
When hazardous sites become battlegrounds, the consequences for millions of people and the environment can be catastrophic and last many years.
In the event of a nuclear leak, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to provide humanitarian assistance.
The Ukrainian president’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, has accused Russia of seeking to “wreck” the International Atomic Energy Agency’s inspection visit to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Russia was acting like a “terrorist state” by shelling the territory of the plant as well as Energodar, the town which neighbours the plant, Yermak claimed on Twitter.
He added:
It is Russia that is responsible for everything happening at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and in Energodar.
Russia shelled Energodar and the territory of the Zaporizhzhya NPP. They want to disrupt the visit of the @iaeaorg mission. These are the actions of a terrorist state afraid of the world learning the truth.
— Andriy Yermak (@AndriyYermak) September 1, 2022
RF is responsible for everything happening at the ZNPP and Energodar.
Russia has accused Ukraine of attempting to seize the nuclear plant, after it said up to 60 Ukrainian soldiers crossed the frontline Dnieper River in boats early today.
It has not been possible to verify the reports of either side.
Updated
The chairman of Russia’s second-largest oil producer Lukoil, Ravil Maganov, has died after falling from a hospital window in Moscow, according to reports.
The company confirmed his death but said Maganov, 67, had died following a “serious illness”.
Several Russian outlets reported that he died after falling out of a window of a Moscow hospital. According to the Russian state-owned news agency Tass, Maganov had taken his own life.
Maganov is the second top Lukoil executive to die in mysterious circumstances in recent months, after the billionaire Alexander Subbotin was found dead in a shaman’s home in Mytishchi in May.
Lukoil was one of the few major Russian companies to call for an end to the Ukraine war. In March, it released a statement calling for a “fast resolution” to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and expressing its “sincere empathy for all victims, who are affected by this tragedy”.
Updated
Kremlin: Putin will not attend Gorbachev funeral
Vladimir Putin will not attend the funeral of the last Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, on Saturday because of schedule constraints, the Kremlin has said.
In his regular briefing with reporters, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the Russian president had paid his respects on Thursday morning by visiting Moscow’s Central clinical hospital, where Gorbachev died aged 91 on Tuesday.
Peskov said:
Unfortunately, the president’s work schedule will not allow him to do this on 3 September, so he decided to do it today.
Russian news agencies reported yesterday that Gorbachev’s funeral will take place on Saturday in Moscow’s Hall of Columns, the same place where Josef Stalin’s body was put on display following his death in 1953.
Sources told the Interfax news agency there were no plans to organise a state funeral for the former Soviet president.
Speaking with reporters today, Peskov said Gorbachev’s funeral would have “elements” of a state funeral, including a guard of honour, and that the state was helping with the organisation.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Kremlin broke its silence over Gorbachev’s death with an official statement from Putin who described him as “a politician and statesman who had a huge impact on the course of global history”.
Hello everyone. It’s Léonie Chao-Fong here, taking over the live blog from Martin Belam to bring you all the latest developments on 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
IAEA team determined to reach Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant despite conflicting reports of shelling
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team seeking to inspect the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) occupied by Russian forces in southern Ukraine has said that it is determined to reach the plant today, despite being held up at a checkpoint amid reports of increased military activity in the vicinity of Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant.
Reports say the UN convey is being held some 20km from the frontline.
The IAEA inspectors are being led personally by the director general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, who told the media earlier: “There has been increased military activity including this morning, until very recently, a few minutes ago … but weighing the pros and cons and having come so far, we are not stopping.”
Early today, the ZNPP operator Energoatom said that “due to another mortar shelling by the Russian occupying forces … the emergency protection was activated and the operating power unit five was shut down.”
The city mayor of Energodar, where the plant is located, posted images to Telegram purporting to show damage to buildings. Dmytro Orlov, said “several civilian objects were hit”.
For their part, Russian’s ministry of defence has claimed that earlier today it repulsed an attempt by Ukrainian forces to sabotage or retake the ZNPP. It said a small number of Ukrainian troops had launched two amphibious attacks. It also alleged that Ukrainian fire had come within 400 metres of the ZNPP.
The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said at an event in Moscow: “We are doing everything to ensure that this station is safe, that it functions safely. And for the mission there to carry out all its plans.”
The adviser to Ukraine’s president, Mykhailo Podolyak, said Russia’s actions today around the ZNPP demonstrate “the true weight of Russian ‘guarantees’ for any intermediaries”.
Updated
IAEA mission to Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant now at Ukrainian checkpoint about 20km from frontline
The IAEA mission to the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant is waiting at a Ukrainian checkpoint after fresh shelling around the plant on Thursday, but remains determined to reach the plant today, a spokesperson has told Reuters.
Ukraine’s state nuclear company Energoatom confirmed that the IAEA convoy is at a Ukrainian checkpoint about 20km (12.4 miles) from the frontline, and is waiting for the situation near the plant to become safer.
Updated
Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are on their way to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, despite reports of shelling in the area. The IAEA director general, Rafael Grossi, said the mission understood the high risk from the “increased military activity” between Ukrainian and Russian defence lines but was going ahead with its plans to visit the plant. Here is a video clip of their departure.
The Russian ministry of defence has said the situation around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which it occupies, is “difficult, but remains under full control”. In a statement posted to Telegram it said:
Despite the attempts of the Kyiv regime to disrupt the arrival of a group of IAEA experts at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the Russian side confirms its readiness to accept them with full safety for further work. The situation in the area of the nuclear power plant is difficult, but remains under full control.
Russia has alleged this morning that Ukrainian forces attempted to launch an amphibious mission to sabotage or recapture the power plant. The attack, as described by Russian sources, would have involved a significant crossing of the Dnieper River, which Roland Oliphant, foreign correspondent at the Telegraph, has assessed as “bold/suicidal”.
Updated
Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said this morning that Russia was doing everything to ensure that Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant could operate safely, and for visiting inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency to be able to complete their tasks.
Speaking at an event to celebrate the opening of the school year in Moscow, Lavrov said: “We are doing everything to ensure that this station is safe, that it functions safely. And for the mission there to carry out all its plans.”
Russian forces have occupied Europe’s largest nuclear power plant since March.
Updated
Away from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant for a moment, 1 September marks the start of the school year in Ukraine. Oleksiy Kuleba, governor of Kyiv, has posted to Telegram to say:
This year it is unusual for all of us – without traditional lines, without a large crowd of schoolchildren. There is a full-scale war in the country and this is our new reality. The first thing we think about is the safety of our young citizens. Despite everything, we are starting the school year. Educational institutions of the region will work in face-to-face, mixed and distance formats.
Updated
Mykhailo Podolyak, who is an adviser to Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has said that the actions today around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant demonstrate “the true weight of Russian ‘guarantees’ for any intermediaries”. He has tweeted:
Russia carries out demonstrative strikes on Energodar, hitting the official route of the IAEA mission. To blame it on Ukraine. Houses were destroyed. This is a demonstration of the real ‘interest’ of the Russian Federation in the inspection. And this is another proof of the true weight of Russian ‘guarantees’ for any intermediaries.
Росія завдає демонстративних ударів по Енергодару, б'ючи по офіційному маршруту місії МАГАТЕ. Щоб звинуватити в цьому 🇺🇦. Зруйновано будинки. Це демонстрація справжньої «зацікавленості» Рф у перевірці. І це ще один доказ справжньої ваги 🇷🇺 «гарантій» для будь-яких посередників.
— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) September 1, 2022
Updated
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has issued its daily operation briefing, in which it claims to have killed 450 members of the pro-Russian forces occupying Ukraine in the previous 24 hours, taking the total number of claimed casualties to “about 48,350”.
The statement also says that “[the] Russian enemy suffered the greatest losses (of the past day) at the Donetsk and Kurakhove directions.”
The claims have not been independently verified.
The Interfax-Ukraine news agency is reporting that the IAEA inspectors are at a checkpoint in Novooleksandrivka, which is about 20km away from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant they are attempting to visit. The agency writes:
A source close to the mission told Interfax-Ukraine. ‘You can hear the arrivals here. But in the distance,’ it said. The movement of the column is stopped. As one of the members of the mission told the agency, ‘we are waiting when it will be safe.’
The report has also been distributed on Telegram by Energoatom, the Ukrainian operator of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Updated
The Russian defence ministry has issued additional details of what it claims is an attempt by Ukrainian forces to sabotage or recapture the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) in southern Ukraine which Russian forces have been occupying since March.
Without offering any evidence, the ministry said:
At 6.20am Moscow time, on the coast of the Kakhovka Reservoir, 3km northeast of the ZNPP, the Kyiv regime landed two sabotage groups of the armed forces of Ukraine with a total number of up to 60 people on seven high-speed motor boats. The saboteurs were blocked by units of the Russian guard, which were guarding the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, and units of the Russian armed forces approached them to reinforce them. Currently, the destruction of the sabotage group of the armed forces of Ukraine with the involvement of army aviation helicopters is underway.
At about 7am Moscow time, units of the Russian armed forces thwarted an attempt to land a tactical assault force of the armed forces of Ukraine on two self-propelled barges that left Nikopol a few kilometres from the ZNPP. As a result of the fire damage of the Russian armed forces, two self-propelled barges were sunk.
The claims have not been independently verified. An earlier statement by the ministry gave the time of the attack as 6am.
Updated
British volunteer medic killed in Ukraine, sister says
A British man has died while volunteering as a medic in Ukraine, his family has said. Craig Mackintosh, from Thetford in Norfolk, died “in the line of duty” on 24 August, his sister Lorna Mackintosh said.
She has raised more than £5,000 on a GoFundMe page to bring her brother’s body back to the UK. The UK Foreign Office said it was supporting the family.
Writing on the fundraising page, Mackintosh said: “Our brother bravely volunteered to go to [Ukraine] as a medic to help save lives in this war-torn country. This selfless man is currently stranded in a morgue in Ukraine and there is no help to get him home.”
She said it would cost about £4,000 to return his body to the UK.
“He gave his life to save others and he needs to come back home to have the service he deserves. A true hero’s service surrounded by his family and friends. Please, please help to bring our hero home.”
Read more of Caroline Davies’ report here: British volunteer medic killed in Ukraine, sister says
Updated
Here are some of the images that have been sent to us over the news wires of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team departing this morning in their attempt to visit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Updated
The Ukrainian operator of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Energoatom, has posted again to the Telegram app to restate what it claims is the local situation. At 9.41am Kyiv time, it posted:
On the morning of September 1, Energodar, a satellite city of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, came under fire from the occupying forces. A group of Russian K-52 attack helicopters “worked” over the city, striking residential areas. A mortar attack was carried out in the immediate vicinity of the territory of the ZNPP and nuclear reactors.
The claims have not been independently verified.
Earlier this morning, Ukraine’s city mayor of Energodar, Dmytro Orlov, posted some images which he claimed showed damage to civilian targets this morning. The images have not been independently verified.
Updated
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) head, Rafael Grossi, has said the agency would consider establishing a continued presence at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
“There has been increased military activity including this morning, until very recently, a few minutes ago … but weighing the pros and cons and having come so far, we are not stopping,” Reuters reports he told journalists before setting out for the nuclear power plant.
Updated
Russia’s ministry of defence has issued a statement in which it describes what it says is the latest situation around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant (ZNPP) this morning.
Without presenting any evidence, the statement reads:
Today, at about 6am Moscow time, Ukrainian troops landed on the coast of the Kakhovka Reservoir, 3 km northeast of the ZNPP plant in two sabotage groups of up to 60 people in seven boats and attempted to seize the power plant. Measures have been taken to destroy the enemy, including with the use of army aviation.
In addition, from 8am Moscow time, the armed forces of Ukraine have been shelling the meeting point of the IAEA mission in the area of the settlement of Vasylivka and the ZNPP. Four shells exploded at a distance of 400m from the first power unit.
The provocation of the Kyiv regime is aimed at disrupting the arrival of the IAEA working group at the ZNPP.
The claims have not been independently verified.
This is Martin Belam in London taking over the live blog from my colleague Samantha Lock. You can contact me at martin.belam@theguardian.com
Ukraine has continued offensive operations in southern Ukraine, supported by intensive long-range strikes against Russian command and logistics locations across the occupied zone over 30-31 August, the UK Ministry of Defence has said.
The latest British intelligence report reads:
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence also released video footage of Ukrainian aircraft operating high speed anti-radiation missiles (HARMs). Russian has previously claimed that it has recovered fragments of these types of weapons, which are designed to locate and destroy radars.
Russia prioritises strong ground-based air defences – the radar coverage which enables this is a critical capability in its Ukraine operation.
A substantial, sustained degradation of Russia’s radars with HARMs would be a major set-back to Russia’s already troubled situational awareness.”
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 1 September 2022
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) September 1, 2022
Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/EzSR28cY3k
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/9d6zzhqegk
Summary so far
It is approaching 9am in Ukraine. Here is where things stand:
The Russian-held city of Energodar, home to Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, has come under attack early this morning, Ukrainian officials have said. “Since five o’clock in the morning, constant mortar attacks on the city have not stopped,” the Ukrainian operator of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Energoatom, said in an update on its official Telegram channel.
Energodar city mayor, Dmytro Orlov, said “several civilian objects were hit” and confirmed there were victims from the attack in a separate post to his Telegram channel. Orlov published a series of images purportedly showing damage to apartment buildings, homes and shops. Thick black smoke can be seen rising in front of one large apartment block while shopfront windows appear shattered. Another photo shows two helicopters in the sky.
Today’s UN nuclear watchdog mission to inspect the Zaporizhzhia plant may be in jeopardy as Russia shells the pre-agreed route to the site, Ukrainian officials say.
Russian forces are shelling the pre-agreed route to the Zaporizhzhia plant, the regional state administrative head of the Zaporizhzhia region has said. Just before 8.30am on Thursday, Oleksandr Starukh posted an update to his Telegram channel, saying: “The Russians are shelling the pre-agreed route of the IAEA mission from Zaporizhzhia to the ZNPP. The UN advance team cannot continue the movement due to security reasons.”
Uncertainty hangs over the planned inspectors’ visit to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. “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,” said the IAEA chief, Rafael Grossi. On Wednesday the Russian-occupying authorities said the team would be given access for one day.
Ukraine’s counteroffensive to reclaim Kherson has not stalled or failed, a senior adviser to Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has said. “The fact that we have not taken Kherson yet does not mean that the operation in the south has stalled or failed,” Oleksiy Arestovych said in a video messaged posted to Telegram early on Thursday morning. “It is carried out in a planned manner. We destroy enemy logistics, air defence systems, fuel and ammunition depots.” Arestovych cautioned Ukrainians to be patient, adding “there will be no quick wins”.
Ukraine’s armed forces struck strategic bridges in the southern Kherson region to isolate Russian troops located on the right bank of the Dnieper, Arestovych added. Ukraine’s defence ministry said the Kakhovsky and Daryiv bridges, used by Russia to transport equipment and ammunition to the region, were “disabled” in an update posted to Telegram early on Thursday.
The Russian military has “severe manpower shortages” and is seeking to recruit contract service members and may even draw in convicted criminals, a US official has said, citing US intelligence. The official said this may include “compelling wounded soldiers to re-enter combat, acquiring personnel from private security companies, and paying bonuses to conscripts”.
Russia has stopped the flow of gas via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Europe, citing the need to carry out repairs. The German government rejects the claim, calling it a “pretence”. It said Nord Stream was “fully operational” and that there were no technical issues. The halt on the Baltic Sea pipeline at 5am on Wednesday would last for three days, said Gazprom, the Russian state energy company.
The EU has agreed to suspend a visa travel deal with Moscow. The bloc aims to curb the number of Russian nationals entering for holidays and shopping, but is stopping short of a full tourist visa ban. Meeting in Prague, the EU’s 27 foreign ministers promised to suspend the 2007 visa facilitation agreement with Russia that makes it relatively easy to obtain travel documents.
Russia shelling pre-agreed route to Zaporizhzhia plant, mayor says
Today’s UN nuclear watchdog mission to inspect the Zaporizhzhia plant may be in jeopardy as Russia shells the pre-agreed route to the site, Ukrainian officials say.
Earlier this morning we reported that the Russian-held city of Energodar, home to Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, came under attack, according to Ukrainian officials in the region.
The regional state administrative head of the Zaporizhzhia region is now saying Russian forces are shelling the pre-agreed route officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) would be taking to access the nuclear plant.
Just before 8.30am on Thursday, Oleksandr Starukh posted an update to his Telegram channel, saying:
The Russians are shelling the pre-agreed route of the IAEA mission from Zaporizhzhia to the ZNPP. The UN advance team cannot continue the movement due to security reasons.
Ukraine continues to make efforts to organise safe access of the international IAEA mission to the ZNPP. We demand that the Russian Federation stop the provocations and grant the IAEA unhindered access to the Ukrainian nuclear facility.”
Energodar city mayor, Dmytro Orlov, has released some more information regarding the shelling on the city next to the nuclear plant this morning.
Orlov published a series of images purportedly showing damage to apartment buildings, homes and shops. Thick black smoke can be seen rising in front of one large apartment block while shopfront windows appear shattered.
Another photo shows two helicopters in the sky. Orlov writes:
The very murderers of the civilian population, who are shelling Energodar in the morning with mortars, machine guns and shelling, have used aviation (helicopters are circling over the city) have already reported the dead and wounded as a result of their shelling‼️
The mayor added that he has received information that there may be civilian casualties and residential buildings have been hit.
City home to Zaporizhzhia plant under fire - reports
The Russian-held city of Energodar, home to Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, has come under attack early this morning, Ukrainian officials say.
The Ukrainian operator of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Energoatom, posted an update to its official Telegram channel just before 8am local time.
Since five o’clock in the morning, constant mortar attacks on the city have not stopped.”
Energodar city mayor, Dmytro Orlov, said “several civilian objects were hit” and confirmed there were victims from the attack in a separate post to his Telegram channel.
No ‘quick wins’ in Kherson, Zelenskiy adviser says
Ukraine’s counteroffensive to reclaim Kherson has not stalled or failed, a senior adviser to Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has said.
Oleksiy Arestovych reiterated the offensive was still very much underway in a video messaged posted to Telegram early on Thursday morning.
The fact that we have not taken Kherson yet does not mean that the operation in the south has stalled or failed. It is carried out in a planned manner. We destroy enemy logistics, air defence systems, fuel and ammunition depots.
… There will be no quick wins. Initially, a strategy was taken to systematically grind Putin’s army.
It is long, so there is a lot of work to be done.
Ukraine’s armed forces struck strategic bridges in the southern Kherson region to isolate Russian troops located on the right bank of the Dnieper, Arestovych added.
Ukraine’s defence ministry said the Kakhovsky and Daryiv bridges, used by Russia to transport equipment and ammunition to the region, were “disabled” in an update posted to Telegram early on Thursday.
Nuclear inspectors due at Zaporizhzhia plant
Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are due to inspect the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant today after arriving in Ukrainian-controlled Zaporizhzhia city on Wednesday.
The technical mission aims to prevent a nuclear accident.
However, uncertainty hangs over the planned inspectors’ visit.
IAEA chief, Rafael Grossi, told reporters from Zaporizhzhia city on Wednesday:
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.”
On Wednesday the Russian-occupying authorities said the team would be given access for one day.
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.
Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are due to inspect the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant today after arriving in Ukrainian-controlled Zaporizhzhia city on Wednesday. The technical mission aims to prevent a nuclear accident.
Meanwhile, a senior Ukrainian presidential adviser has said Ukraine’s counteroffensive to reclaim the souther region of Kherson has not stalled or failed.
It is 7.30am in Kyiv. Here is where things stand:
Ukraine’s counteroffensive to reclaim Kherson has not stalled or failed, a senior adviser to Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has said. “The fact that we have not taken Kherson yet does not mean that the operation in the south has stalled or failed,” Oleksiy Arestovych said in a video messaged posted to Telegram early on Thursday morning. “It is carried out in a planned manner. We destroy enemy logistics, air defence systems, fuel and ammunition depots.” Arestovych cautioned Ukrainians to be patient, adding “there will be no quick wins”.
Ukraine’s armed forces struck strategic bridges in the southern Kherson region to isolate Russian troops located on the right bank of the Dnieper, Arestovych added. Ukraine’s defence ministry said the Kakhovsky and Daryiv bridges, used by Russia to transport equipment and ammunition to the region, were “disabled” in an update posted to Telegram early on Thursday.
Uncertainty hangs over the planned inspectors’ visit to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. “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,” said the IAEA chief, Rafael Grossi. On Wednesday the Russian-occupying authorities said the team would be given access for one day.
The Russian military has “severe manpower shortages” and is seeking to recruit contract service members and may even draw in convicted criminals, a US official has said, citing US intelligence. The official said this may include “compelling wounded soldiers to re-enter combat, acquiring personnel from private security companies, and paying bonuses to conscripts”.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy addressed the Venice film festival, describing Russia’s war on Ukraine as “a primitive plot in three acts for the world to make three dramatic mistakes: to get used to the war, to put up with the war, to forget about the war”. Zelenskiy told the audience “not to remain silent” and “not to remain neutral”.
Russia has stopped the flow of gas via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Europe, citing the need to carry out repairs. The German government rejects the claim, calling it a “pretence”. It said Nord Stream was “fully operational” and that there were no technical issues. The halt on the Baltic Sea pipeline at 5am on Wednesday would last for three days, said Gazprom, the Russian state energy company.
Estonia aims to stop most Russians from entering within weeks, its foreign minister, Urmas Reinsalu, has said. “It takes some time, but I think timing is also critical, looking at these vast numbers of Russian citizens entering.”
The EU has agreed to suspend a visa travel deal with Moscow. The bloc aims to curb the number of Russian nationals entering for holidays and shopping, but is stopping short of a full tourist visa ban. Meeting in Prague, the EU’s 27 foreign ministers promised to suspend the 2007 visa facilitation agreement with Russia that makes it relatively easy to obtain travel documents.
Zelenskiy welcomed the EU visa measure. “I think it is humiliating for Europe when it is considered as just one big boutique or restaurant,” he said. “When the citizens of the state that wants to destroy European values use Europe for their entertainment or shopping, for the vacation of their mistresses while they themselves work for the war or to simply silently wait out the immoral fall of Russia.”
The US obtained a warrant to seize a $45m airplane owned by Russian energy firm Lukoil, the US justice department said, though the aircraft is currently believed to be in Russia. The aircraft reportedly flew into and out of Russia in violation of US department of commerce sanctions.
G7 finance ministers will discuss the Biden administration’s proposed price cap on Russian oil when they meet on Friday, the White House said. “This is the most effective way, we believe, to hit hard at Putin’s revenue and doing so will result in not only a drop in Putin’s oil revenue, but also global energy prices as well,” said White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre.
