Ukraine war – live: Russia capable of expanding conflict in Europe, top general warns

The west must not underestimate Moscow’s military strength, German’s chief of defence has warned, saying Russia has the scope to open up a second front should it choose to do so.

“The bulk of the Russian land forces may be tied down in Ukraine at the moment but, even so, we should not underestimate the Russian land forces’ potential to open a second theatre of war,” General Eberhard Zorn, the highest-ranking soldier of the Bundeswehr, told Reuters.

He pointed to Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave inbetween Nato members Poland and Lithuania, as a potential hotspot. Russia threatened to station nuclear and hypersonic weapons there should Finland and Sweden join Nato.

Meanwhile, UN inspectors left for the Zaporizhzhia power plant this morning after warnings that fighting near the nuclear facility risked catastrophe.

Russia and Ukraine have spent weeks trading accusations of reckless bombing in the vicinity of the plant claimed by Moscow in the early days of a six-month war.

Earlier, an aide to Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that Russian defences in the Kherson region fell through hours after Kyiv launched a counter-offensive in the south and east of Ukraine. The claim could not be verified by The Independent.

Key Points

• Russian defences in Kherson ‘broken’, says Zelensky aide

• 117 Russian troops killed in battle in southern Ukraine, officials say

• Russia fully cuts off Germany’s biggest gas pipeline

• Nuclear squad leaves Kyiv for Zaporizhzhia plant inspection

• Ukraine-Russia maps: Where is war being waged?

Don't underestimate Russia's military strength, German defence chief warns

15:58 , Liam James

Germany’s chief of defence has warned that the West must not underestimate Moscow’s military strength, saying Russia has the scope to open up a second front should it choose to do so.

“The bulk of the Russian land forces may be tied down in Ukraine at the moment but, even so, we should not underestimate the Russian land forces’ potential to open a second theatre of war,” General Eberhard Zorn, the highest-ranking soldier of the Bundeswehr, told Reuters in an interview.

Beyond the army, Russia also has a navy and air force at its disposal, he added.

“Most of the Russian navy has not yet been deployed in the war on Ukraine, and the Russian air force still has significant potential as well, which poses a threat to Nato too,” Zorn said.

The Bundeswehr regularly supports Nato air policing missions over the Baltic states with fighter jets and, having one of the strongest fleets in the region, is also keeping a close eye on the developments in the Baltic Sea at its doorstep.

One potential hotspot there is Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave sandwiched between Nato members Poland and Lithuania, that hosts Russia’s Baltic naval fleet and is a deployment location for Russian nuclear-capable Iskander missiles.

Russia has threatened to station nuclear and hypersonic weapons in Kaliningrad should Finland and Sweden join Nato as they are in the process of doing.

Zorn, speaking before the start of an Ukrainian offensive in the south, stressed that Russia continued to have substantial reserves.

“As concerns its military, Russia is very well capable of expanding the conflict regionally,” the general said. “That this would be a very unreasonable thing for Russia to do is a different story.”

Referring to the military situation in Ukraine, Zorn said the dynamic of Russia’s attack had slowed down but Russia was still pressing steadily ahead.

“Supported by massive artillery fire, they are driving their advance forward - regardless of civilian Ukrainian casualties,” he said.

He also suggested that Russia was not about to run out of ammunition any time soon.

“The Russians have enormous quantities of ammunition at their disposal,” he said. “This ammunition is partly old and very inaccurate but it is exactly this that causes great destruction to civilian infrastructure. They fire around 40,000 to 60,000 rounds of artillery ammunition per day.”

German economic officials flagged over possible Russia ties – Die Zeit

15:40 , Liam James

The German Economy Ministry has asked the country’s domestic intelligence agency BfV to look into two senior ministry officials over concerns about their possible ties to Russia, Die Zeit weekly reported on Wednesday.

Die Zeit, citing its own research, said ministry officials had approached BfV in the spring about the officials’ allegedly pro-Russian stance on issues such as utility Uniper’s bailout or state intervention in Gazprom Germania.

Die Zeit did not name the officials.

The BfV looked into the officials’ backgrounds, personal relations and travel records, and found no solid evidence so far of spying or corruption, Die Zeit reported.

Ban all Russian media from EU, urges Zelensky

15:34 , Liam James

Volodymyr Zelensky urged the European Union to ban all Russian state TV channels and “propagandists”, an apparent reference to Russian state media employees.

The Ukrainian president made the remarks speaking via video link at the Forum 2000 event in Prague.

“Not a single Russian propaganda-monger should stay on the territory of the EU. Not a single Russian state TV channel should be allowed to keep working on the territory of the EU,” Mr Zelensky said through a translator.

The EU banned state-owned outlets RT and Sputnik one week after Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, though the organisations appear to have flouted the ban by using different domain names. A German version of RT can be accessed in the UK, where the outlet is also supposed to be banned.

EU reaches agreement on Russia visa deal

14:56 , Liam James

European Union foreign ministers agreed on Wednesday to fully suspend a visa facilitation agreement with Russia, making it harder and more costly for Russian citizens to enter the EU, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Josep Borell said.

“We agreed on ... full suspension of the European Union-Russia visa facilitation agreement,” he told a news conference at the end of a two-day gymnich – the word for an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers – in Prague.

“This will significantly reduce the number of new visas issued by the EU member states. It’s going to be more difficult, it’s going to take longer.”

Diplomats said the EU ministers could not agree immediately on a blanket ban of travel visas for Russians as member states were split on the issue.

Mr Borrell said there had been a substantial increase in border crossings from Russia into neighbouring states since mid-July.

“This has become a security risk for these neighbouring states,” he added. “In addition to that, we have seen many Russians traveling for leisure and shopping as if no war was raging in Ukraine.”

UN mission a step towards ‘deoccupying’ Ukraine – energy minister

14:25 , Liam James

The UN mission to the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southern Ukraine is a step towards “deoccupying and demilitarising” the facility, Ukraine’s energy minister said as inspectors arrived in the plant’s namesake city.

Speaking in Zaporizhzhia, some 34 miles away from the plant, German Galuschenko also said it was crucial for the mission, headed by International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi, to be allowed to speak to staff at the site.

“It is important from our view ... that the mission can speak to the staff, and get the real information, not Russian information, on what is inside,” Mr Galuschenko said.

Ukrainian staff are continuing to operate the plant under the supervision of the occupying Russian forces.

No state funeral for Gorbachev, says Russian media

13:59 , Liam James

There will be no state funeral for the former president of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, a Russian news agency reported on Wednesday.

“There are no plans to organise a state funeral for Gorbachev,” sources told the Interfax agency.

Earlier, his Gorbachev Foundation told the same agency that he would be buried at Moscow’s Novodevichy Cemetery next to his wife, Raisa, who died in 1999.

Mr Gorbachev died on Tuesday at a central Moscow hospital at the age of 91 after a long illness.

Mikhail Gorbachev death: No state funeral for the Russian leader, says state media

UN nuclear inspectors reach Zaporizhzhia

13:41 , Liam James

The UN mission to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant in southern Ukraine arrived in the Ukrainian-held city of Zaporizhzhia on Wednesday, from where they will travel to the Russian-occupied power station.

The International Atomic Energy Agency mission, headed by the organisation’s chief Rafael Grossi, intends to inspect the Zaporizhzhia plant after its territory was repeatedly shelled over the last month, with Ukraine and Russia trading blame over the attacks.

EU won’t ban Russian visas, says Hungarian foreign minister

13:06 , Liam James

The European Union will suspend an agreement with Russia that eases the visa process but a blanket visa ban has failed to win united support, Hungarian foreign minister Peter Szijjarto said.

Ukraine’s foreign minister Dymtro Kuleba called on his counterparts from the 27 EU nations to ban Russian tourists but the proposal was resisted by France, Germany and others.

Mr Szijjarto said Hungary, along with some other member states, opposed a Russian visa ban. He also announced that Hungary has signed a deal with Russia’s Gazprom on additional gas shipments from 1 September.

Kremlin pays tribute to Gorbachev but decries relationship with west

12:38 , Liam James

The Kremlin on Wednesday hailed late Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev as an extraordinary global statesman who helped end the Cold War, but said he had been badly wrong about the prospect of closer ties with the “bloodthirsty” west.

The comments underlined Vladimir Putin’s long-held feelings about the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, which Gorbachev unwittingly presided over, and which Putin has lamented as the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the twentieth century which he would reverse if given a chance.

In a carefully worded telegram to Gorbachev’s relatives on Wednesday, Mr Putin expressed his condolences, describing Gorbachev as someone who had an enormous influence over world history and had tried to offer solutions and reforms to overhaul the USSR.

“He led our country during a period of complex and dramatic changes and large-scale foreign policy, economic and social challenges,” said Mr Putin, who was serving in the KGB security service when Gorbachev was in power.

But Mr Putin, beyond that bare statement of facts, did not offer any assessment of Gorbachev’s 1985-1991 time in office.

Russia pins blame for energy rupture on Germany

12:02 , Liam James

Russia said the German government was doing everything it could to destroy its energy relations with Moscow, hours after state-controlled Gazprom halted gas supplies to Europe via the crucial Nord Stream 1 pipeline.

In a briefing in Moscow, foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said it was Germany, not the Kremlin, trying to completely rupture energy ties between the two countries.

Gazprom today halted gas supplies to Europe via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline for a three-day maintenance outage despite Germany’s claim that there were no technical issues.

Moscow has cut off or reduced gas supplies to 12 European countries, prompting European Union nations to agree to reduce consumption by 15 per cent.

Ukraine’s counter-offensive has failed, Russia claims

11:27 , Liam James

Russia’s defence ministry said on Wednesday that Ukraine‘s attempts to mount a counter-offensive in the south of the country had failed, with their forces suffering heavy losses in equipment and men.

A briefing from the Kremlin department said Russian forces had shot down three Ukrainian helicopters and that Ukraine had lost four fighter jets during two days of fighting around the Mykolaiv-Kriviy Rih frontline and in other areas of southern Ukraine.

Ukraine claims the counter-offensive started strong. Voodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian forces were attacking along the entire Russian front, while Oleksiy Arestovych, adviser to the Ukrainian president, said Russia’s defences in Kherson had been broken through within hours.

The Independent was not able to verify the battlefield reports.

Below map from the Institute for the Study of War shows the latest assessment of conflict zones in Ukraine:

UN to inspect Russian-held power plant in Ukraine war zone

11:08 , Liam James

UN inspectors headed into Ukraine’s battlefield on Wednesday to visit the Zaporizhzhia power plant after warnings that fighting near the nuclear facility risked catastrophe.

Russian-installed officials in Enerhodar, the occupied town neighbouring Zaporizhzhia, claimed that Ukrainian forces fired within the plant’s grounds overnight.

The two sides have spent weeks trading accusations of reckless bombing in the vicinity of the plant claimed by Russia in the early days of a six-month war.

UN to inspect Russian-held power plant in Ukraine war zone

Germany can cope so long as gas pipe doesn’t stay shut – regulator

10:49 , Liam James

Germany will be able to cope with a three-day gas shutdown of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline if Russia resumes deliveries at the reduced level of recent months, the president of Germany’s network regulator said this morning.

“I assume that we will be able to cope with it,” Klaus Mueller told Reuters TV in an interview. “I trust that Russia will return to at least 20 per cent from Saturday, but no one can really say.”

Russia halted gas supplies via Europe’s key supply route today, intensifying an economic battle between Moscow and Brussels, and raising the prospects of recession and energy rationing in some of the region’s richest countries.

Russia has cut off or reduced natural gas to a dozen European Union countries, yesterday further reducing supplies to France. EU leaders have agreed to cut gas use by 15 per cent over the colder months.

Yesterday, German chancellor Olaf Scholz insisted his country was well-prepared to tackle an energy shortage due to Russia‘s squeeze on European gas supplies, as fears grow about the rising prices that will hit consumers across the continent this winter.

He cited Germany’s decision to reactivate oil and coal-fired power plants, mandate the filling of natural gas storage facilities and lease floating liquefied natural gas terminals. A decision on extending the operating life of Germany’s three remaining nuclear power plants is also expected soon.

Ukraine fired near nuclear plant overnight, says Russia

10:08 , Liam James

Russia has accused Ukraine of firing on the grounds of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant ahead of a visit to the Moscow-occupied site by UN inspectors.

Kremlin-installed local authorities claimed that Ukrainian forces shelled near the plant and in the neighbouring town of Enerhodar overnight.

Zaporizhzhia was captured by Russia days after Vladimir Putin ordered his forces across the Ukrainian border in February, though Ukrainian workers keep the power plant running.

Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency set off on Wednesday morning from Kyiv to the site 280-miles southeast after warnings that nearby fighting risked a nuclear disaster.

As European foreign ministers met in Prague, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell renewed a call to Russia for the area around the power plant to be fully demilitarised.“They are playing games. They are gambling with the nuclear security,” Mr Borrell said. “We cannot play war games in the neighborhood of a site like this.”

Satellite images show damage to Ukraine nuclear plant buildings right next to reactor

09:23 , Liam James

New satellite images from Ukraine’s Russia-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant show damage caused to the buildings next to several reactors at the site (Arpan Rai writes).

High-resolution images taken by geospatial intelligence company Maxar Technologies on Monday confirmed damage to the roof of the building adjacent to several nuclear reactors at the largest power plant in Europe.

The photos also showed a group of armoured personnel carriers stationed along a road near the reactors, located in the city of Enerhodar.

A couple of brush fires seen outside the main power plant facilities also reflected damage to the surrounding environment.

Satellite images show damage to Ukraine nuclear plant buildings right next to reactor

Ukraine shelling Russian ferries to cut supplies, says Zelensky adviser

09:04 , Liam James

Ukrainian forces are shelling ferries used by Russia to supply its forces on the west bank of the Dnipro river, Oleksiy Arestovych, adviser to Volodymyr Zelensky, said.

The Ukraine military launched a counter-offensive in recent days aimed at pushing Russian forces out of territory captured during six months of war.

Military observers said the Ukraine started firing on Russian ferries on the Dnipro on Monday. The attacks make sense alongside Ukraine’s ground operations, the Institute for the Study of War said.

Britain’s Ministry of Defence said that since the beginning of August Russia had made efforts to reinforce its military postiion on the west bank of the Dnipro river by Kherson – a key target of the counter-offensive.

Ban Russian tourists, Ukraine urges EU

08:46 , Liam James

The European Union should ban Russian tourists, Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said this morning, urging a step the bloc’s foreign ministers gathered in Prague are unlikely to take due to deep divisions on the matter.

Mr Kuleba also proposed a program in which Russian soldiers who surrendered would be rewarded with “a new life”, though he did not say where.

Eastern and Nordic countries strongly back a tourism ban while Germany and France have warned their peers it would be counter-productive, saying ordinary Russians should still be allowed access to the West.

In a joint memo, France and Germany said that – while security checks were needed – students, artists and others should still be allowed to travel to the EU.

The EU ministers are expected to agree in principle on suspending a visa facilitation agreement with Moscow – meaning Russians would have to wait longer, and pay more, for visas – but not on an outright EU travel ban.

“The time for half-measures is gone,” Mr Kuleba told Reuters before meeting with the EU ministers, asking them to go further. “Only a tough and consistent policy can produce results.”

Putin intent on ‘undoing the good’ of Mikhail Gorbachev, says Boris Johnson

08:29 , Liam James

Vladimir Putin is intent on “undoing the good” of Mikhail Gorbachev and attempting to “recreate that Soviet empire”, Boris Johnson has said.

The prime minister paid tribute to the former Soviet Union leader, who has died at the age of 91, describing him as “one of those people who changed the world and unquestionably changed it for the better”.

Mr Johnson said: “When you look at what he did to make Europe whole, free, to give freedom to the countries of the former Soviet Union – it was quite an extraordinary thing.”

He added: “Maybe he paid his own political price for it but when history is written, he will be, I think, one of the authors of fantastic change for the better in the world.”

Putin intent on ‘undoing the good’ of Mikhail Gorbachev, says Boris Johnson

Russia fully cuts off Germany’s biggest gas pipeline

08:11 , Liam James

Russia’s Gazprom has shut off the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany.

The state energy giant has said the largest pipe supplying Germany will be out of operation for 72 hours was needed for maintenance.

Gazprom had been running the pipeline at only 20 per cent capacity prior to Wednesday’s full shutdown. Germany has said there were no technical issues.

Europe faces gas shortages this winter without Russian supplies. Governments fear Russia could extend the outage in retaliation for sanctions imposed on it and have accused Vladimir Putin of using energy supplies as a weapon.

Russia has denied that and blames sanctions for the drop in exports.

Ukraine firing on whole Russian front, says Zelensky

07:46 , Liam James

Ukrainian troops have attacked Russian positions along the entire front, Volodymyr Zelensky said, warning Moscow’s forces to flee or die.

“Active military engagement is now happening along the whole front line: in the south, in the Kharkiv region, in Donbas,” the Ukrainian president said in his nightly address on Tuesday.

He added: “If they want to survive, it’s time for the Russian military to run away. Go home.”

A aide to Mr Zelensky said that Russian defences in Kherson, a key target of Ukraine’s counter-offensive, had fallen within hours – though it was unclear which defences he was referring to.

Britain’s Ministry of Defence said Ukrainian forces had pushed the front line back in places but did not say where.

Ukraine wants Russian tourists banned by EU

06:44 , Arpan Rai

Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba has urged the European Union to ban Russian tourists reasoning that a majority of the Kremlin’s population supported Russia’s “genocidal war of aggression” against Ukraine.

“The time for half-measures is gone. Only a tough and consistent policy can produce results,” Mr Kuleba said ahead of EU foreign ministers meet in Prague on Wednesday for a second day of talks.

“A visa ban for Russian tourists and some other categories will be an appropriate response to Russia’s genocidal war of aggression in the heart of Europe supported by an overwhelming majority of Russian citizens,” the top Ukrainian official said.

He also suggested a special program for Russian soldiers who do not want to fight in Ukraine anymore.

“(The message): save yourself and leave. Lay down arms, surrender to Ukrainian forces, and get an opportunity to start a new life,” he said.

Mr Kuleba added: “I am confident that this offer is worth making, because even if one Russian soldier lays down arms and decides to leave, it means saved Ukrainian lives and closer peace.”

Russia to pour in more volunteer battalions in war after Ukraine’s assault in south

06:33 , Arpan Rai

Russian leader Vladimir Putin is likely to send in more volunteer battalions in war with Ukraine but the troops are believed to have limited training, the British defence ministry said today.

“In line with its doctrine, Russia will likely now attempt to plug the gaps in its line using pre-designated mobile reserve units. These will likely include some of those from the Eastern Grouping of Forces,” the British MoD said, sharing its latest intelligence update.

It added that Moscow continues to “expedite attempts to generate new reinforcements” for Ukraine.

“Volunteer battalions of the new 3rd Army Corps had departed their home base near Moscow by 24 August, highly likely for onward deployment to Ukraine,” the ministry said.

However, the operational effectiveness of these units is not known.

The 3rd Army Corps is highly likely short of personnel and these troops have had limited training, the ministry claimed.

This comes after the Ukrainian armoured forces continued to assault Russia’s southern grouping of forces on several axes across the south of the country since Monday.

“Ukrainian formations have pushed the front line back some distance in places, exploiting relatively thinly held Russian defences,” the British defence ministry said.

UN nuclear watchdog group leaves Kyiv for Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant

06:20 , Arpan Rai

Officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have left for Kyiv for Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the nuclear watchdog group’s chief said today.

IAEA chief Rafael Mariano Grossi said that the mission will cross the war zone’s frontline for the first time and requires security guarantees as he addressed a briefing in Kyiv.

Mr Grossi added that the Vienna-based nuclear agency intended to spend several days at the Zaporizhzhia plant to examine and stabilise the situation, as well as to establish permanent representation.

Read the full story here:

U.N. monitors head to troubled Ukraine nuclear plant

Situation at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant ‘extremely threatening’ - Zelensky

06:01 , Arpan Rai

Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that the situation at the Europe’s largest nuclear power plant Zaporizhzhia remains extremely threatening and said he hopes that the mission by the global atomic body International Atomic Energy Agency starts soon.

“Representatives of the IAEA have already arrived in our country and are to visit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. It’s an important mission, and we’re doing everything we can for it to be safe and work at full capacity,” Mr Zelensky said yesterday.

He added that the situation at the nuclear power plant, Ukraine’s Enerhodar where the plant is situated and in the surrounding areas, remains extremely threatening.

“The occupiers do not leave the plant, continue shelling and do not take away their weapons and ammunition from the territory of the NPP. They intimidate our plant’s staff. The risk of a radiation disaster due to Russian actions does not decrease for a single hour,” Mr Zelensky said.

Ukraine-Russia maps: Where is the invasion taking place

05:59 , Arpan Rai

Russia is now six months into its long-feared full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began on 24 February when Vladimir Putin announced his “special military operation” in a televised address to his citizens.

Ukraine’s cities have been under attack ever since, with the locals putting up a courageous resistance at street level to ensure the conquest is far from the formality Mr Putin and the Russian military appear to have assumed it would be.

Here are two maps to explain Ukraine’s frought situation as the conflict gets underway.

The first shows its borders within continental Europe (Moldova, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland lie to the south west and west while Belarus sits north) and its major cities.

The second details the incursions made by Russian troops, tanks, armoured vehicles and artillery units, which remain clustered to the east and south.

Look at the maps detailing Ukraine’s territory under Russian invasion here:

Map of Ukraine and surrounding areas as war rages in Eastern Europe

117 Russian troops killed in battle in southern Ukraine, officials say

05:29 , Arpan Rai

Ukrainian military officials said that the Russian forces have sustained significant losses in the besieged country’s southern part after Kyiv renewed its offensive on Moscow’s soldiers yesterday.

At least 117 Russian troops have been killed and over 30 units of military equipment including nine T-72 tanks, three “Grad” MLRS, one Giatsint-S self-propelled gun, one Msta self-propelled howitzer, and 18 units of armored vehicles have been destroyed, Ukraine’s operational command “South” said.

It added that the Ukrainian army also struck four Russian control points and four transportation routes, including two strikes on the Antonivsky bridge.

Volodymyr Zelensky said his troops have launched an active military engagement along the whole front line: in the south, in the Kharkiv region, in Donbas.

Russia will not have a single safe base in Ukraine, warns Zelensky

05:14 , Arpan Rai

Volodymyr Zelensky warned Russian troops will flee or surrender after Kyiv bolstered its offensive in southern Ukraine’ Mykolaiv and Kherson.

“Throughout the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine, from Crimea to the Kharkiv region, the Russian army does not have and will not have a single safe base, a single quiet place,” the Ukrainian war-time president said in his late night video address yesterday.

He warned Russia that his soldiers “will destroy all warehouses, headquarters of the occupiers, their equipment, wherever they are located.”

“This is Ukrainian land, and the occupiers can do only two things - flee or surrender. We leave them no other options,” Mr Zelensky said.

04:39 , Arpan Rai

Good morning! Welcome to our coverage of the Ukraine war for Wednesday, 31 August.