188th day of fighting: the main thing

IAEA mission arrives in Kiev

• CNN reported that an IAEA mission of 14 experts from different countries arrived in Kiev. The delegation does not include experts from the UK and the US.

In the morning, the Russian Defense Ministry again accused Ukraine of shelling the station from drones. The attack, according to the department, was repelled, the drones were intercepted. Also, attacks were carried out from artillery.

The Ukrainian side reports that Russia plans to attack the mission's routes, writes BBC. According to adviser to the head of the office of the President of Ukraine Mikhail Podolyak, the Russian authorities plan to offer passage through the Crimea and the areas of the LDNR occupied by Russian troops.

At the same time, in the morning briefing, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the IAEA mission is very important for Russia, and Moscow is interested in their arrival, writes . Kommersant

• The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the counter-offensive of the Ukrainian troops. But, according to the department, attempts in several directions: Nikolaev, Kherson and Krivoy Rog - were unsuccessful, the Armed Forces of Ukraine suffered significant losses. At the same time, CNN, citing a Ukrainian official , reported that Russia had lost control over 4 settlements.
• In Kharkov, after the shelling, were killed civilians . First, there was a morning shelling - five people are known to have died, said the mayor of the city, Igor Terekhov. Another seven people were injured. But in the evening, Terekhov reported on new shelling: a fire broke out in a high-rise building.

The Russian Defense Ministry did not comment on the strike. In a summary for August 30, the department reported on the defeat of "the control points of the nationalist formation in the city of Kharkov."

• The Washington Post reports that Russia has attacked wooden dummies of American HIMARS missiles. The military could not distinguish them from the real ones from the drones. According to US and Ukrainian officials, at least 10 expensive Caliber long-range cruise missiles were fired at the dummies. Kiev plans to expand the production of such "false targets".
• Reuters and the Washington Post wrote today, citing US officials, that Russia received drones from Iran. But there were many problems with them. The Russian military planned to use them in Ukraine for targeting, attack and reconnaissance. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called this publication "stuffing", writes Kommersant . But he called relations between Russia and Iran dynamic, and, in his opinion, they will develop.
• The Air Force reported that a Red Cross base in Slavyansk was damaged after shelling by Russian troops. Volunteers were not injured, but the building was destroyed and three cars were damaged. The group in Slavyansk was engaged in evacuation. There are no military installations nearby.
• British intelligence writes that the Armed Forces of Ukraine have stepped up shelling in southern Ukraine. Ukrainian long-range precision strikes interfere with the supply of Russian troops.

But since the beginning of August, Russia has significantly strengthened its positions on the western bank of the Dnieper in the Kherson region. Most likely, units of the Eastern Military District were deployed to the place, to the troops of the Southern Military District. Despite this, most units around Kherson are likely undermanned and dependent on fragile supply lines via ferry and pontoon bridges across the Dnieper.

If Ukraine succeeds in holding sustained offensive operations, the cohesion of this untested structure, formed by Russia to reinforce positions from the troops of the Southern and Eastern Military District, is likely to be a key factor in the stability of Russian defense in the south.

• Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) also confirmed that a Ukrainian counter-offensive had begun. Both Russian and Ukrainian sources spoke about this. And despite the Russian victories, which the Ministry of Defense announced, it is possible that the Armed Forces of Ukraine really managed to liberate several settlements.

Regarding the IAEA mission, analysts said that according to the Russian side, on August 29, Ukrainian forces shelled the Khmelnitsky nuclear power plant deep in western Ukraine and far from the front line. Kyiv denied these reports. Russia also claimed that several members of the IAEA from the current mission would remain at the ZNPP on a permanent basis. But there is no confirmation of this information.