[Korrespondent] 23:44 The United States did not transfer NASAMS anti-aircraft missile systems to Ukraine, since they have not yet been produced, Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder said. According to him, the complexes will be delivered to the country after the contract for their production is fulfilled.
23:38 Analysts suggest that by the end of 2022, Russia will experience an acute shortage of shells, artillery and armored vehicles. For more details, see Forecast for the Russian Army .
23:09 Zelensky said in an evening video message that he had held a meeting of the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief today: “I won’t voice the details now. I’ll just say one thing: I want to thank on behalf of our intelligence all those of our people who support us very strongly in the south of the country, and especially in the Crimea. The scouts are grateful for the information provided. And they will work it out to the maximum. Let the enemies not forget on whose peninsula they are located. They are temporarily located."
22:33 Employees of the Zaporizhzhya NPP are subjected to severe repressions, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reports. Some of the workers, whom the occupiers consider insufficiently "trustworthy", have disappeared, their fate and current whereabouts are unknown. Some of the employees who, for various reasons, agreed to cooperate with the occupiers, and a specially trained "mask meeting" should give the IAEA members the impression that local residents fully support the actions of the occupiers. Now Russian technologists are working with them to work out the scenario and create the "picture" necessary for the Kremlin.
21:48 The Ministry of Defense has developed and submitted to the Verkhovna Rada proposals for amendments to the law on conscription in terms of voluntary military registration of women, said Deputy Defense Minister Anna Malyar: "The experience of deploying all military units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations to full military personnel time shows that today in the state there is no urgent need to significantly increase the number of women on military records.
If changes to the law are adopted, the General Staff will also develop changes to the list of military specialties for women and reduce the list of optimal needs, the official added. "I remind you once again that we are talking about voluntary military registration. Let me remind you that since 2014, not a single woman has been forcibly sent to the front - only with her consent," Malyar emphasized.
21:19 The European Union has reached its goal of filling gas storage facilities two months ahead of schedule, said the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. This statement provoked a drop in gas prices, which were rapidly going up because of the Kremlin's blackmail. Obviously, Russia did not like the situation, and it again stopped the flow of gas through the Nord Stream. Read more in the material Putin's Blackmail Failed .
20:57 The Ukrainian military will advance along the entire front line, Podolyak said on TSN: "The heat begins along the entire front line. In the south, the number of high-precision attacks on the logistics and rear infrastructure of the Russian army has simply increased ... A counteroffensive in the Ukrainian sense is a little different the type of war we are waging is a modern type of war. It is Russia waging such a classic Soviet type of war - when they gathered a certain amount of manpower, several thousand, and went in a separate direction in order to take half a kilometer of territory. And how many people will die - for they don't make any difference."
"We are intensively destroying the entire warehouse infrastructure - warehouses of the first, second, third levels, fuel bases, operational-tactical headquarters. And in this way we bleed the military groups of the Russian Federation and gradually push them back from our territory. This is exactly what the counteroffensive will be like," the adviser to the head of the Presidential Office explained .
20:32 The Armed Forces of Ukraine repelled enemy offensive attempts in the Kharkiv, Bakhmut, Avdiivka directions, the General Staff said in an evening summary .
20:25 Zelensky, during his speech at the Forum 2000 in Prague, called on the EU to get rid of Russian TV channels and propagandists: "Europe must protect itself from Russian propaganda. Not a single Russian propagandist, not a single Russian TV channel should remain on the territory of the European Union" .
20:21 Poland, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia intend to take a number of measures to reduce the number of Russians entering their territory and the Schengen zone, the four states' foreign ministers said in a joint statement.
20:16 Washington will announce another package of military assistance to Ukraine in the coming days , said John Kirby, coordinator of the US National Security Council for strategic communications: "We have provided security assistance to the Armed Forces in the amount of more than $ 13 billion, and we will continue to do so. And in the coming days there will be announcements of future security assistance."
19:52 Aksyonov issued a "decree" that banned the sale and use of pyrotechnics in Crimea, as well as launching drones. The ban will be in effect until the end of the war in Ukraine.
19:34 After long discussions, the EU still did not dare to completely ban Russians from entering. The European Union will only suspend the 2007 agreement with Russia simplifying the issuance of visas, but there will not be a complete ban, since there is no unanimous opinion among the EU countries on this issue. More about this decision - in the material Not banned, but problems .
19:19 Estonia supports the termination of the EU visa facilitation agreement with the Russian Federation, but considers this step insufficient and plans to restrict the entry of Russian citizens with EU visas into the country, the Foreign Ministry said.
19:03 Deputy head of Iranian presidential administration Mohammad Jamshidi said that "one of the high-ranking leaders of Western Europe turned to the Iranian president with a request to mediate in the war in Ukraine." According to the ISNA agency, this European leader was Macron, with whom Zelensky had an off-the-record conversation the day before.
According to Jamshidi, Iranian Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian went to Moscow after the consultations. He arrived in the capital of the Russian Federation on the evening of August 30, and today he met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
18:48 South of Melitopol, about ten explosions were recorded, the mayor of the city Ivan Fedorov said. He clarified that the explosions were heard from the side of the Molochny estuary, where the occupiers brought their military equipment.
18:35 The head of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, hopes that the organization's inspectors will be able to stay at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant permanently: "We are preparing for the real work, which will begin tomorrow. We will try to establish a permanent presence of the agency from now on."
18:11 The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation announced that on September 1, 1,422 schools for 326.4 thousand children will be opened in the occupied territories of Ukraine. Moscow published and sent to the UN, international humanitarian organizations and the leadership of Ukraine the exact addresses of all these educational institutions in order to "prevent Ukrainian strikes on schools."
17:57 Belgian Foreign Minister Aja Labib, at a meeting with Kuleba, admitted that she had violated the law during her visit to Crimea last year, and asked for forgiveness. This is stated in a joint statement by the Foreign Ministries of Ukraine and Belgium. It also notes that Lyabib defends the status of Crimea as an integral part of Ukraine.
17:38 The Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation is preparing a textbook on the "classical Ukrainian language", said the head of the department, Sergei Kravtsov. According to him, students in the occupied Ukrainian territories "by the decision of parents and teachers" will be given the opportunity to learn the Ukrainian language. For this purpose, special curricula, methodological materials have been developed, teachers have undergone advanced training, Kravtsov said.
17:11 Podolyak announced a special police operation against Russian marauders: "In recent weeks, organized criminal groups from the Russian military and criminals have become more active in the occupied territories. They are robbing businesses, farmers and sawing up factories, taking stolen goods to Russia. All marauders are waiting for a special police operation and inevitable responsibility.
17:08 Borrell said that he had a meeting with Kuleba, exchanged views on recent events, as well as the next steps taken by the EU to support Ukraine and counter Russian aggression.
17:02 Director General of the IAEA Rafael Grossi said that the mission to the Zaporozhye NPP can be carried out safely. According to him, before leaving Kyiv, the IAEA managed to obtain "clear guarantees" from both the Russian and Ukrainian sides.
16:40 Borrell confirmed that the EU countries have reached an agreement on the complete rejection of the simplified visa regime with Russia. According to him, as a result, Russians will be issued significantly fewer Schengen visas. The European Commission has also been instructed to prepare recommendations on what EU countries should do with visas already issued to Russians.
In addition, according to the head of European diplomacy, the EU countries have agreed to issue visas to "specific groups of Russians." Since mid-July, the European Union has been observing a serious influx of Russian citizens to neighboring countries, which threatens the security of these states, Borrell stressed.
16:38 The "mayor" of Berdyansk Alexander Saulenko, appointed by the Russians, said that the "referendum" on the entry of the captured areas of the Zaporozhye region into the Russian Federation will be held in September, but the exact date has not yet been determined.
16:17 The new military aid package from Sweden worth almost 50 million euros will include a consignment of ammunition for artillery, Foreign Minister Ann Linde said. According to her, the possibility of transferring heavy weapons and air defense systems to Ukraine is also being studied. We are talking about the Swedish artillery installations Archer and man-portable anti-aircraft missile systems RBS70.
15:49 The Armed Forces of Ukraine consolidated fire control over the Kakhovsky and Antonovsky automobile bridges, and also attacked two command posts, two ammunition depots, air defense equipment, a radar station and enemy artillery concentration areas, OK Pivden reported.
15:21 Former State Duma deputy, and now a citizen of Ukraine, Ilya Ponomarev announced the creation of the Political Center of the Russian opposition in Kiev, which will coordinate its "armed resistance to Putin's fascism." The Declaration on Joint Actions was signed today in Irpin by the Legion of Freedom of Russia, the Russian Volunteer Corps and the National Republican Army, which earlier claimed responsibility for the murder of Daria Dugina.
15:08 Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said that the European Union decided by a majority vote to terminate the visa facilitation agreement with Russia. This regime, in particular, allowed Russians to obtain Schengen visas faster and cheaper (35 euros instead of 80) and assumed the widespread issuance of multiple visas.
15:57 The IAEA mission has arrived in the city of Zaporozhye, Reuters reports.
14:39 In Kiev, during the air raid, work will be suspended at construction sites. The relevant decision of the Kyiv Defense Council will be effective from September 1, the Kyiv City State Administration reported. Also, according to the decision of the Defense Council, from September 1, catering establishments in the capital will be able to work no later than until 22:00.
14:20 Ukraine handed over to the IAEA experts a list of indicators to be checked at the ZNPP, Minister of Energy German Galushchenko said: "We jointly discussed and handed over to the mission a list of technical and safety indicators that are important to check for international experts during a visit to the plant."
14:18 The "authorities" of the occupied Zaporozhye region said that they allegedly prevented a terrorist attack at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant - a group of "Ukrainian saboteurs" preparing it was detained in Energodar.
14:15 The invaders are blocking the IAEA mission, which went from Kiev to the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant. The occupation administration of Zaporozhye refused to provide the delegation with a special pass - it would have to queue at the Russian checkpoint to enter the occupied territories. Vladimir Rogov, a member of the "main council" of the occupied Zaporozhye region, said that the representatives allegedly could "quickly and without obstacles" get to the nuclear power plant from the territory of Russia. TASS writes that the occupying authorities are waiting for the mission to arrive at the ZNPP on the morning of September 1.
14:09 Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, more than 130 people have been illegally detained in Crimea, who resisted the occupation and supported Ukraine, Tamila Tasheva, permanent representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, said. At the same time, according to her, every day more and more citizens openly demonstrate resistance to the occupation and support for Ukraine.
Tasheva urged Ukrainians in Crimea to take basic security measures - to provide access to shelters and stay away from military installations, as well as to report information about the occupiers to Ukrainian special services "so that the liberation of Crimea happens faster."
13:44 Representatives of the "authority" of the occupied Kherson region have disappeared from public space, deputy of the Kherson Regional Council Sergei Khlan said: "Cut off from the necessary reinforcements and with daily arrivals at locations, the Russians realize that nothing good awaits them here. The FSB-shnoe" government " he understands this, therefore he no longer appears publicly, and Bulyuk and Semenchev are suspiciously inaudible.
13:32 The mayor of Kharkiv, Igor Terekhov, announced the shelling of the Kiev region. The blow fell on one of the enterprises of the city, a fire broke out, information about the victims is being specified.
12:55 The US State Department released a joint statement by the G7 group on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, which, in particular, states that representatives of the Russian Federation must leave the territory of the Zaporizhzhya NPP immediately and without additional conditions, there should be a 10-kilometer demilitarized zone around the plant.
12:33 Columns of military equipment have been going through Melitopol in the direction of Kherson since the morning. According to RIA Melitopol, today at 5:30 a.m. a column of seven Urals and KamAZ trucks with closed tents passed down the street of Warriors-Internationalists. At 6:00, another column of eight tarpaulin trucks proceeded from north to south along the Street of Warriors-Internationalists. At 6:30 45 Urals, KamAZ trucks with guns followed the same route.
12:29 Poland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania demand from the European Commission to tighten the visa policy towards Russia, and until this happens, they intend to restrict the entry of Russians themselves, writes FT with reference to the document. Borrell said that today in the second half of the day the EU countries should come to an agreement on visa policy for citizens of the Russian Federation.
12:24 Ukraine's underground gas storage facilities have already accumulated 13 billion cubic meters of gas, head of the GTS Operator Serhiy Makogon said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine: "Now there are 13 billion cubic meters of gas in underground gas storage facilities. By October 15, according to forecast calculations, there will be about 14.4 billion cubic meters of gas. With such reserves, it is realistic to get through a mild winter, since gas consumption has significantly decreased today."
12:06 Vladimir Leontyev, "head of the VGA" of the Kakhovka district, said that all night of August 31, the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station was subjected to shelling.
11:53 Today, planned demining will take place in the Kiev region, explosions can be heard, the State Emergency Service warns.
11:29 On August 31, the Russians launched new attacks on Energodar, as a result of which the building of the Energodar city council was damaged, the head of the Nikopol RVA Yevgeny Yevtushenko said: "The purpose of this action is to create an appropriate picture for the IAEA commission and form a pool of local residents who are under the media cameras report to the commission about the shelling of the city from our side of the reservoir."
In turn, the occupying "authority" claims that the strike was carried out by a Ukrainian drone.
10:45 In Russia, the military commissariats of the Moscow and Leningrad regions, including Moscow and St. Petersburg, received instructions on the mass conscription of local residents for military service. The military units deployed in the Crimea will be recruited during covert mobilization, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reports.
In addition, the commander of the Southern Military District, General of the Army Alexander Dvornikov, decided to send 1,200 conscripts to Crimea. Since there are no military operations on the territory of Crimea yet, these servicemen are not offered to sign a contract, which may indicate cost savings.
10:34 UNESCO plans to include Odessa in the World Heritage List, writes Reuters. They want to consider the application as soon as possible, which will finance the repair and restoration of historical monuments.
10:13 In Berdyansk, an explosion occurred at the headquarters of the organization We are together with Russia , said the "head of administration" of the occupied part of the Zaporozhye region Vladimir Rogov. According to him, there were no casualties. He also said that earlier there were attempts to blow up the headquarters of the organization in Melitopol and Priazovsky.
09:46 During the night, the enemy continued shelling Kharkov - from the MLRS Smerch, the Novobavarsky district was fired upon. The road surface was damaged, windows were broken in houses, Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA, said. Also, at about midnight, the enemy fired three rockets from Belgorod in the direction of Kharkov. One exploded on the territory of the Russian Federation, another - in the air over the territory of the Shevchenkovsky district of Kharkov. The last rocket hit near an educational institution in the Kiev region. Residential houses and office premises were damaged, fires broke out, two people were injured.
09:40 The General Staff announced the approximate losses of the enemy on the morning of August 31. The enemy suffered the greatest losses in the Donetsk and Kurakhov directions.
- personnel - about 47,900 (+350) people liquidated,
- tanks - 1974 (+20),
- armored combat vehicles - 4312 (+18),
- artillery systems - 1091 (+12),
- MLRS - 285 (+3),
- air defense systems - 152 (+1),
- aircraft - 234 (+0),
- helicopters - 204 (+0),
- UAV operational-tactical level - 849 (+2),
- cruise missiles - 196 (+0),
- ships/boats - 15 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tankers - 3236 (+19),
- special equipment - 103 (+0).
09:34 In Nikolaev, as a result of yesterday's shelling, one person died, two were injured, two fires broke out, one of which is still being localized, the head of the OVA Vitaly Kim said.
09:16 There is a powerful fire in Krasnogvardeisky in Crimea: local publics write that the construction supermarket Megastroy is on fire, the speaker of the Odesa OVA Sergey Bratchuk reports that the Russian tank farm is on fire.
08:59 British intelligence reports that during the counter-offensive in the south, the Armed Forces of Ukraine moved the front line some distance in places, using the relatively weakly fortified Russian defenses. Analysts predict that Russia is now likely to try to close gaps in its defense line using pre-assembled mobile reserve units. Among them, there will probably be representatives of the Eastern Group of Forces.
According to intelligence, Russia continues to accelerate efforts to create new reinforcements to use in Ukraine. Volunteer battalions of the new 3rd Army Corps left their base near Moscow by August 24, and it is very likely that they will be transferred to Ukraine. However, the operational effectiveness of these units is unknown, as the 3rd Army Corps is likely undermanned and these troops have limited training, analysts say.
08:53 In the Donetsk region on August 30, four civilians were killed by Russian shelling - two in Kleshcheevka, one each in Bakhmut and Korsunovka. Two more people were injured. Kramatorsk, Slavyansk, Chasov Yar and Kurakhovo were shelled at night, Pavel Kirilenko, head of the OVA, said.
08:50 At night, the enemy fired four times at the Nikopol district of the Dnipropetrovsk region from Gradov and heavy artillery, one person was injured, said the head of the OVA, Valentin Reznichenko.
08:47 Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekhov urged residents of Novobavarsky and Kholodnogorsky districts to be extremely careful: after yesterday's shelling of the city, there are a lot of unexploded cartridges from ammunition. He also said that as a result of yesterday's strike on the Kyiv region, a residential building and one office building were damaged, two people were injured.
08:33 At night, the Russians attacked the center of Kramatorsk. Multi-storey buildings were damaged, there are wounded, Mayor Alexander Goncharenko said.
08:12 The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) writes that Putin creates all the conditions for the Ukrainians forcibly relocated to the Russian Federation to erase their Ukrainian cultural identity and assimilate them into Russian culture.
Analysts also note that on August 29, the Armed Forces of Ukraine began to strike at Russian pontoon crossings across the Dnieper, which is consistent with the start of the Ukrainian counteroffensive. The Ukrainian counter-offensive is a well-coordinated process that takes time to complete. The Kremlin is likely using the lack of an immediate capture of Kherson or the silence of the Ukrainian military over the progress of the Ukrainian counteroffensive to portray the Ukrainian effort as a failure and undermine public confidence in its prospects, ISW experts say.
Meanwhile, Russian forces continue to adjust their positions throughout southern Ukraine, likely in response to a Ukrainian counteroffensive. In particular, they continue to transfer large columns of military equipment from the Crimea and Melitopol.
07:59 Since the beginning of this day, Ukrainian troops have been fighting fierce battles in the Donetsk region. Meanwhile, the Russian aggressors are regrouping units and divisions of the 3rd Army Corps for an offensive in the Zaporozhye region, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports in the morning summary .
06:48 Governor of the Belgorod region Vyacheslav Gladkov said that several explosions were heard in Belgorod this morning - it was the air defense system that worked.
06:36 The convoy with the IAEA mission moved out of Kiev on Wednesday morning towards the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, Reuters writes.
05:27 Nord Stream was completely stopped for three days for "maintenance of the only remaining turbine," Gazprom said.
00:45 According to preliminary information, as a result of the shelling of the Kievsky district of Kharkov, two people were injured, the head of the OVA Oleg Sinegubov said.