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6 mins ago
Several Ukrainian civilians killed in Russian missile attacks in the south
By Tim Lister, Oleksandra Ochman
This photo taken on August 17, 2022 shows the Mykolaiv Oblast Governor's Building following a missile attack in Mykolaiv, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
(Photo by BULENT KILIC/AFP via Getty Images)
Ukrainian officials reported missile and artillery attacks by Russian forces overnight on Thursday in several southern towns and cities, including Mykolaiv and Kryvih Rih.
The Mykolaiv regional administration said the river port was hit again with S-300 missiles.
Three missiles hit the Black Sea university Petro Mohyla, causing extensive damage.
South of the city, the town of Halytsynove was hit by Russian rockets on Thursday, destroying several residential buildings and injuring three people.
In neighboring Dnipropetrovsk, the head of the regional administration, Valentyn Reznichenko, said there was a night of "massive attacks by the enemy" with the cities of Nikopol and Kryvih Rih affected.
One man was killed in a village near Kryvih Rih, he said.
And a 12-year-old boy was injured when Russian missiles hit his home near Synelnykove, which is about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the front lines.
Nikopol — which is on the opposite bank of the Dnipro River from the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant — was hit by 10 artillery shells, according to Reznichenko.
Power was cut off and extensive damage was done, he said.
8 mins ago
Russia expects IAEA to visit Zaporizhia NPP soon
By Ulyana Pavlova
A view of the Zaporizhia plant from Nikopol, across the Dnipro River.
Russia declared that it hopes to soon receive the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine.
Ivan Nechaev, deputy director of the information and press department at the Russian Foreign Ministry, said during a press conference on Thursday: "We hope that in the very near future there will be a trip of IAEA experts to the Zaporizhia NPP, which was fully agreed upon in June and thwarted by the direction of the UN Secretariat".
Nechaev also called the proposal for a demilitarized zone around the facility "unacceptable" and blamed Ukraine for the provocations.
"To avoid a nuclear catastrophe, it is necessary to force the Ukrainian units to stop bombing," he said.
10 mins ago
Pro-Russian official says security around Zaporizhia NPP has been tightened
By Tim Lister
The Zaporizhia nuclear power plant on August 4 outside the Russian-controlled city of Enerhodar in Ukraine's Zaporizhia region.
(Photo: Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters/FILE)
A pro-Russian official in Zaporizhia says they have tightened protection around the nuclear power plant amid intensifying shelling.
"The protection system of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant has been strengthened due to a possible attempt by the Ukrainian army to attack the facilities," said Vladimir Rogov, an official with the administration of Russia's self-proclaimed Zaporizhzhia region.
Rogov declined to reveal further details.
CNN cannot verify Rogov's claim.
Both Russia and Ukraine blame each other for continued rocket and artillery attacks on and around the large nuclear complex.
A new video surfaced on the Internet on Friday showing Russian military vehicles inside a turbine hall connected to a nuclear reactor at the plant.
CNN geolocated and confirmed the authenticity of the video, but it remains unclear when the video was taken.
13 mins ago
Ukrainian Army Says Offensive In South Continues;
Russian counterattacks are foiled
By Oleksandra Ochman, Tim Lister
An image of the Antonovsky (Antonivskiy) Bridge in Kherson, which crosses the Dnipro River, caused by a Ukrainian rocket attack, amid ongoing Russian military action in Ukraine.
(Photo by STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images)
The Ukrainian army says it is continuing its offensive in the south to recapture the occupied Kherson region.
"During one of the attacks, we encountered two air assault units," Operational Command South said Thursday.
He added that Russian forces had "attempted to attack" in the direction of the towns of Oleksandrivka and Stanislav, but were ultimately "forced to withdraw" due to the loss of tanks, armored vehicles and personnel."
"There was no success. It was left with a loss," he said.
The command said "Ukrainian artillery and missile units have completed more than 200 firing missions," including destroying Russian plans to repair and continue using the Kakhovka bridge, one of several disabled by Ukrainian attacks.
16 mins ago
Russian vehicles are seen inside the turbine hall of the Ukrainian nuclear power plant
Russian military vehicles sit inside a turbine hall connected to a nuclear reactor at the Zaporizhzhia power plant.
(Photo: From Telegram)
In the last few hours, a new video has surfaced online showing Russian military vehicles inside a turbine hall connected to a nuclear reactor at the Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia, where intensifying bombing is fueling fears of a nuclear disaster.
CNN has geolocated and confirmed the authenticity of the video, which began to circulate on social networks this Thursday.
It is unclear when the video was taken.
The footage shows one of the six turbine halls located on the western side of the nuclear power plant, located in the southeastern city of Enerhodar.
Each turbine hall is connected to and integrated into a large building that houses a nuclear reactor.
The vehicles, which appear to be standard Russian military trucks, are located at the western end of the building, on the ground floor, just over 400 feet (130 meters) from the reactor.
The video shows at least five vehicles — one of them clearly marked with a pro-war “Z” symbol — with at least two tent-like structures nearby.
Near the vehicles are several pallets.
It is unclear from the video whether the pallets and tent-like structures are part of the Russian military or related to power plant operations.
Moscow has previously said that the only military equipment at the plant is related to surveillance tasks.
This Thursday, the Russian Ministry of Defense affirmed that the satellite images "show that the weapons, especially the heavy ones, are not placed in the territory of this plant."
CNN reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry for comment on what is in and around the military vehicles in the turbine hall, but did not immediately hear back.
Read the full note here.
19 mins ago
Russian troops 'can't advance further' in Ukraine, says former Ukrainian defense official
By Arnaud Siad
Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Zagorodnyuk speaks to CNN on Thursday, August 18.
(CNN)
Russia cannot capture more territory in Ukraine thanks to weapons provided by Western countries, former Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Zagorodnyuk told CNN on Thursday.
"The war is in a situation where the Russians cannot advance any further thanks to the weapons that the West provided us with. Now we have made them stop," Zagorodnyuk said.
"But unfortunately, at the same time we don't have enough weapons for a proper, serious and full-fledged counteroffensive," he added.
The former defense minister also said that the term "stalemate" was not applicable to the situation in Ukraine.
"Usually when people use the word stalemate, they assume a kind of stability and a kind of calm. But that's not the case, unfortunately. It's an extremely active war right now, people are dying every day and there are many operations, small operations that occur in almost all operational directions," Zagorodnyuk said.
Ukraine was behind at least three explosions in Crimea — an air base, an ammunition depot and an airfield — according to an internally distributed Ukrainian government report shared with CNN by a Ukrainian official on Wednesday.
war in ukraine
