Live from Ukraine Summary of the war in Ukraine – day no. 188 ONLINE Load new news 13:58 The President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe (RE), Leendert Verbeek, warned on Thursday against fictitious Russian referendums on the occupied Ukrainian territories. Against the background of growing indications of possible “pseudo-referendums” in the Ukrainian territories currently occupied by Russia, Verbeek called on the Russian authorities to refrain from such plans. 13:36 Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) arrived on Thursday at the Russian-controlled Zaporozhye nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine. 13:31 The Kremlin on Thursday condemned the European Union’s decision to suspend the simplified visa regime for Russian tourists. He called this move “absurd” and bad news for the citizens of Russia. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia is exploring options to respond to the EU move, which is another response to Russia’s continued aggression against Ukraine. EU foreign ministers agreed on Wednesday to suspend an agreement with Russia that allows its citizens to obtain visas faster and cheaper. However, they did not agree on a complete ban on issuing visas for Russians, as requested by several member states. 13:20 The US presidential administration has limited the sale of microchips for computers to Russia and China, writes the New York Times. These are products of the world’s largest companies Nvidia and AMD. The information was brought by Nexta. 13:14 From Thursday, Finland is reducing the number of visas granted to Russian citizens to one tenth of the usual amount. Russians will be able to apply for visas only once a week and only in four Russian cities located near the border with Finland: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Murmansk and Petrozavodsk. It is an expression of solidarity with Ukraine, which was invaded by Russian forces on February 24 and the war there has been going on for over half a year. 12:59 Danish Foreign Minister arrived in Kyiv Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod announced on September 1 that he arrived in Kyiv to show Denmark’s “unwavering support” to Ukraine. It was reported by The Kyiv Independent. 11:16 a.m. On Thursday, the Red Cross called for a halt to all military operations in the vicinity of the Russian-occupied Zaporozhye Atomic Power Plant (ZAES) in southern Ukraine and warned that the consequences of a potential combat attack could be catastrophic. It’s high time to stop playing with fire and take concrete steps to protect this facility and others like it from any military operations,” Director General of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Robert Mardini told journalists in Kyiv. “Even the slightest mistake would could have unleashed a wave of devastation that we will regret for decades to come,” Mardini was quoted as saying. 11:07 UK Intelligence: Ukraine continues offensive in southern areas. On September 1, the UK Ministry of Defense reported that Ukraine was stepping up its offensive in the south country with intensive long-range attacks on Russian positions. This was reported by The Kyiv Independent. 10:18 a.m. One of the two reactors currently operating at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant in Ukraine had to be shut down due to Russian shelling. This was announced on Thursday by the operator of this power plant, Enerhoatom, which was reports the Reuters agency. “As a result of another death due to shelling by Russian forces at the site of the Zaporizhia Atomic Power Plant, emergency protection was activated and the fifth operable reactor was shut down,” wrote Enerhoatom on the Telegram social platform, saying that backup generators had been started. 10:14 a.m. Russia accused Ukraine of deploying up to 60 saboteurs at the Russian-occupied Zaporozhye Atomic Power Plant (ZAES) shortly before the arrival of the UN inspectors team. The inspection of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), led by its head Rafael Grossi, is expected to arrive at the power plant as early as Thursday. “Around 06:00 (05:00 CEST), a group of saboteurs from the Ukrainian army, numbering up to 60 people… landed… approximately three kilometers from the Zaporozhye power plant,” the Russian Ministry of Defense said. Russian military units have already taken steps to destroy this enemy, including using aviation, the Russian ministry added in a statement. 10:10 a.m. Italian authorities seized 11 villas of Russian billionaire Vyacheslav Kantor. The list also included those purchased from the family of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. The information was brought by Nexta. 9:56 Russian forces are shelling the IAEA’s prearranged route to the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant. The governor of the Zaporozhye region, Oleksandr Starukh, informed that Russian forces are shelling the pre-arranged route of the IAEA mission from Zaporozhye to ZNPP. It was reported by The Kyiv Independent. 9:02 AM An inspection team from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Thursday vowed to go ahead with plans to visit the Russian-occupied Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZAES) in southern Ukraine, despite an early morning artillery attack on Enerhodar, a town close to the plant. “We are familiar with the current situation. There is military activity there – there was also this morning, a few minutes ago… but we will not stop,” IAEA chief Rafael Grossi, who heads the UN inspection delegation, told reporters. His comments were in reference to a claim by Ukraine, which on Thursday accused Russia of shelling Enerhodar, a power plant town about two hours’ drive from Zaporozhye, with heavy weapons. 8:15 a.m. Ukrainian officials accused Russia on Thursday of shelling the city of Enerhodar, located near the Zaporozhye Atomic Power Plant (ZAES). This plant for the production and distribution of electricity is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe and is currently being inspected by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Since dawn, Moscow’s military units have been “shelling Enerhodar with artillery shells, while also using automatic weapons and rockets,” Enerhodar mayor Dmytro Orlov wrote on the Telegram social network. At the same time, he also published photos from this Russian-occupied territory – destroyed buildings and smoke swirling above them. 7:36 Ukrainian government to double payments to individuals who house internally displaced people Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said that Ukrainians who provide housing to internally displaced people will receive about $25 per person per month starting October 1. It was reported by The Kyiv Independent. 6:50 AM Russia has damaged more than 200 religious buildings since February 24. The Ukrainian State Service for Ethnic Affairs and Freedom of Conscience reported on August 31 that 205 religious buildings had been destroyed or partially damaged since the beginning of the large-scale Russian invasion. It was reported by The Kyiv Independent. 6:00 Russian forces hit 3 communities in the Sumy region. The governor of the Sumy region, Dmytro Zhyvytskyi, reported that Russia shelled three communities. There were no reports of damage to infrastructure or casualties. It was reported by The Kyiv Independent. Don’t expect quick successes “It’s a very slow process, because we value people, because we need as many Ukrainians as possible to return home,” Arestovych said. “Quick success will not come…quick success always means a lot of blood,” the adviser said in an interview posted on YouTube. Earlier on Wednesday, a regional official said Ukrainian armed forces had made “successes” in three parts of the Russian-occupied Kherson region in southern Ukraine. On Monday, August 29, Kyiv announced that it had begun a long-announced counter-offensive in the south, the goal of which is to recapture this Ukrainian territory from the Russians.
Lack of weapons Independent Russian investigative portal The Insider wrote that Russia will exhaust its stocks of guided missiles, artillery shells and armored vehicles by the end of this year if the intensity of the fighting continues. The news was picked up on Wednesday by the website of the British station Sky News. The insider said that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has already led to “huge losses” of weapons and military equipment. Photo gallery (2) Source: SITA/Russian Ministry of Defense/AP Photo The portal explained that due to Western sanctions, Russia is unable to continue the proper industrial production of weapons to replace rapidly depleting stocks. Although the Soviet Union (USSR) had huge reserves of artillery ammunition, most of it could not be stored for long.