Traffic on the Crimean Bridge temporarily disrupted
From CNN's Josh Pennington and Alex Stambaugh
A general view of the Crimea bridge on July 25. Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Traffic has resumed on the Crimean Bridge, also known as the Kerch Bridge, after being temporarily suspended early Sunday, according to the Russian-installed operator of the bridge.
The operator did not say why traffic was temporarily suspended, but it has been a frequent target for Ukrainian attacks,
"Those on the bridge and in the inspection area are asked to remain calm and follow the instructions of transportation security officers," the operator said on Telegram shortly before 4am local time.
On Saturday, Russia said it had stopped an overnight Ukrainian attack on the Crimean Bridge, which links the annexed Crimean peninsula to the Russian mainland.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said that Ukrainian forces attempted to attack the bridge with two unmanned explosive-laden boats.
Why the bridge matters: The bridge was opened with much fanfare by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2018 and is symbolic of his desire to take over Ukraine and bind it to Russia forever.
It’s also a vital supply link for Russia’s military operation in Crimea.
35 min ago
2 injured in Russian attack on port infrastructure in Odesa region
From CNN's Josh Pennington
Firefighters respond to fire after Russian drone attack in Odesa region. State Emergency Services of Ukraine
Two people were injured in Russian attacks on port infrastructure in the Odesa region in Ukraine overnight, according to a military spokesman.
"There was a hit to the port infrastructure, resulting in a fire that was quickly extinguished by firefighters," Serhiy Bratchuk, a spokesman for the Odesa military administration, posted on Telegram.
"The target of the enemy attack was the port infrastructure of the south of our region, including an attack on the Reni area, where our ports on the Danube are," he said.
In an update Sunday, Ukraine's air force said it destroyed 22 of the 25 drones launched overnight from the southern and southeastern directions in the attack on the Odesa region.
Some background: Russia has been focusing attacks on the southern Odesa region in recent months, targeting Ukrainian grain infrastructure following the collapse of the Black Sea grain deal.
It is not clear what facilities were hit but the Danube become a key way for Ukraine to export grain after the gain deal ended.
3 min ago
3 dead, several injured in Russian shelling near the frontline
From CNN's Yulia Kesaieva
Ukrainian military member with policeman stand near hole left by missile on September 2, in Kramatorsk, Donetsk region. Roman Chop/Global Images Ukraine/Getty Images
Three people have been killed and several injured in overnight Russian shelling in frontline areas of Ukraine.
In Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, two people were killed and two others wounded over the past day, according to Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of the Donetsk military administration.
Kyrylenko also said several homes and a cultural center were also damaged in the latest attacks.
Further south, in the Kherson region, at least one person was killed and six others injured in Russian attacks, according to Oleksandr Prokudin, the head of Kherson region military administration.
"Over the past day, the enemy shelled 79 times, launching 510 shells from mortars, artillery, tanks, Grad, UAVs, aircraft and ZU-23 systems," Prokudin said, adding Russia fired 14 shells at the city of Kherson.
Residential areas of the region's settlements were hit, as well as a religious building in Kherson city.
1 hr 52 min ago
Kyiv’s weapons industry is enabling it to project power beyond the front lines and into Russian territory
From CNN's Tim Lister
In the early hours of August 29, swarms of Ukrainian drones flew across seven Russian regions. Many were intercepted; some were not.
Several reached a Russian airbase in Pskov, some 600 kilometers (about 373 miles) from the Ukrainian border, destroying two Russian military transport aircraft and damaging two more.
It was the most dramatic evidence yet of a new dimension to the 18-month conflict: Ukraine’s growing appetite to take the war to Russian territory.
Aerial and marine drones, mysterious new missiles and sabotage groups are all part of the toolkit. Russian airfields, air defenses and shipping are among the targets.
These attacks far from the current front lines are evidence of an evolving Ukrainian capability to project power.
That projection very deliberately does not rely upon Western hardware but local adaptations, in terms of both technology and tactics.
Ukraine focuses on consolidating battlefield gains as US and Zelensky talk up the counteroffensive
From CNN's Olga Voitovych, Darya Tarasova, Andrew Carey and Andrew Millman
Ukrainian servicemen are seen at their positions at a front line near the village of Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, on August 25. Viacheslav Ratynskyi/Reuters
"Consolidation" remained the watchword for the Ukrainian Armed Forces on Saturday following recent modest gains in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, while political figures in Kyiv, as well as US officials, pushed back against suggestions the Ukrainian counteroffensive is moving too slowly.
“The Ukrainian Defense Forces continue to conduct the offensive operation on (the) Melitopol axis, consolidating their positions and conducting counter-battery fire,” the military's General Staff wrote in a Saturday update on Facebook. Melitopol is located south of Zaporizhzhia city.
Ukraine has been focusing efforts around the village of Robotyne in recent weeks as it tries to move south toward occupied cities on or near the coast of the Sea of Azov.
An unofficial Telegram channel belonging to Ukraine’s 46th Brigade suggested there had been limited Ukrainian gains to the southeast of Robotyne, posting: “There is an extension of the bridgehead along the enemy's defense line in the direction of Verbove. The area of control is being expanded for further actions.”
The channel also reported fighting on higher ground outside the neighboring village of Novoprokopivka.
What Russia says: Russia’s Ministry of Defense said Saturday it had repelled four Ukrainian attacks in the area around Robotyne and Verbove. The Russian military blogging site Rybar said Russian forces had put up stiff resistance around the settlement of Verbove. It said Robotyne was now fully under Ukrainian control, though it claimed Kyiv's forces had suffered severe losses in the fighting.
CNN is unable to immediately verify the battlefield claims of either side.
Pushing back about concerns over counteroffensive: Ukraine’s current counteroffensive against Russia’s occupying forces has been underway for three months, and there have been growing concerns that it is failing to achieve expected results.
John Kirby,coordinator for strategic communications at the White House National Security Council, addressed those concerns Friday, saying Ukrainian forces had made “notable progress” in the previous three days, achieving “some success against (the) second line of Russian defenses.”
Those comments were echoed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who posted on Saturday:
No matter what anyone says, we are advancing, and that is the most important thing. We are on the move.”
In an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour in Kyiv Friday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba also said Ukraine is “not failing” but “moving forward” in its counteroffensive.
The foreign minister added that those criticizing the speed of Ukraine’s counteroffensive should consider the soldiers fighting at the heart of it.
“You just lost two of your buddies. You were almost killed. You crawled one kilometer on your belly demining the field. You sacrificed yourself — you took the damn Russian trench in a fierce fight. And then you read someone saying, ‘Oh guys, you're too slow?'” he said.
“Our partners who are helping us, including the United States, they understand that things are moving in the right direction," he added.
Three people have died and others were injured in the latest Russian shelling on Ukrainian regions close to the frontline. Several homes and a cultural center were also damaged.
Russia also targeted port infrastructure in Odesa in overnight attacks. Moscow has been attacking the southern region following the collapse of a crucial grain deal.
Ukraine says it is focusing on consolidating battlefield gains as Ukrainian and US officials push back on claims the counteroffensive is moving too slowly. Progress has been slow but this week Kyiv breached Russian defenses.
A general view of the Crimea bridge on July 25. Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Traffic has resumed on the Crimean Bridge, also known as the Kerch Bridge, after being temporarily suspended early Sunday, according to the Russian-installed operator of the bridge.
The operator did not say why traffic was temporarily suspended, but it has been a frequent target for Ukrainian attacks,
"Those on the bridge and in the inspection area are asked to remain calm and follow the instructions of transportation security officers," the operator said on Telegram shortly before 4am local time.
On Saturday, Russia said it had stopped an overnight Ukrainian attack on the Crimean Bridge, which links the annexed Crimean peninsula to the Russian mainland.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said that Ukrainian forces attempted to attack the bridge with two unmanned explosive-laden boats.
Why the bridge matters: The bridge was opened with much fanfare by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2018 and is symbolic of his desire to take over Ukraine and bind it to Russia forever.
It’s also a vital supply link for Russia’s military operation in Crimea.
Firefighters respond to fire after Russian drone attack in Odesa region. State Emergency Services of Ukraine
Two people were injured in Russian attacks on port infrastructure in the Odesa region in Ukraine overnight, according to a military spokesman.
"There was a hit to the port infrastructure, resulting in a fire that was quickly extinguished by firefighters," Serhiy Bratchuk, a spokesman for the Odesa military administration, posted on Telegram.
"The target of the enemy attack was the port infrastructure of the south of our region, including an attack on the Reni area, where our ports on the Danube are," he said.
In an update Sunday, Ukraine's air force said it destroyed 22 of the 25 drones launched overnight from the southern and southeastern directions in the attack on the Odesa region.
Some background: Russia has been focusing attacks on the southern Odesa region in recent months, targeting Ukrainian grain infrastructure following the collapse of the Black Sea grain deal.
It is not clear what facilities were hit but the Danube become a key way for Ukraine to export grain after the gain deal ended.
Ukrainian military member with policeman stand near hole left by missile on September 2, in Kramatorsk, Donetsk region. Roman Chop/Global Images Ukraine/Getty Images
Three people have been killed and several injured in overnight Russian shelling in frontline areas of Ukraine.
In Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, two people were killed and two others wounded over the past day, according to Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of the Donetsk military administration.
Kyrylenko also said several homes and a cultural center were also damaged in the latest attacks.
Further south, in the Kherson region, at least one person was killed and six others injured in Russian attacks, according to Oleksandr Prokudin, the head of Kherson region military administration.
"Over the past day, the enemy shelled 79 times, launching 510 shells from mortars, artillery, tanks, Grad, UAVs, aircraft and ZU-23 systems," Prokudin said, adding Russia fired 14 shells at the city of Kherson.
Residential areas of the region's settlements were hit, as well as a religious building in Kherson city.
In the early hours of August 29, swarms of Ukrainian drones flew across seven Russian regions. Many were intercepted; some were not.
Several reached a Russian airbase in Pskov, some 600 kilometers (about 373 miles) from the Ukrainian border, destroying two Russian military transport aircraft and damaging two more.
It was the most dramatic evidence yet of a new dimension to the 18-month conflict: Ukraine’s growing appetite to take the war to Russian territory.
Aerial and marine drones, mysterious new missiles and sabotage groups are all part of the toolkit. Russian airfields, air defenses and shipping are among the targets.
These attacks far from the current front lines are evidence of an evolving Ukrainian capability to project power.
That projection very deliberately does not rely upon Western hardware but local adaptations, in terms of both technology and tactics.
Ukrainian servicemen are seen at their positions at a front line near the village of Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, on August 25. Viacheslav Ratynskyi/Reuters
"Consolidation" remained the watchword for the Ukrainian Armed Forces on Saturday following recent modest gains in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, while political figures in Kyiv, as well as US officials, pushed back against suggestions the Ukrainian counteroffensive is moving too slowly.
“The Ukrainian Defense Forces continue to conduct the offensive operation on (the) Melitopol axis, consolidating their positions and conducting counter-battery fire,” the military's General Staff wrote in a Saturday update on Facebook. Melitopol is located south of Zaporizhzhia city.
Ukraine has been focusing efforts around the village of Robotyne in recent weeks as it tries to move south toward occupied cities on or near the coast of the Sea of Azov.
An unofficial Telegram channel belonging to Ukraine’s 46th Brigade suggested there had been limited Ukrainian gains to the southeast of Robotyne, posting: “There is an extension of the bridgehead along the enemy's defense line in the direction of Verbove. The area of control is being expanded for further actions.”
The channel also reported fighting on higher ground outside the neighboring village of Novoprokopivka.
What Russia says: Russia’s Ministry of Defense said Saturday it had repelled four Ukrainian attacks in the area around Robotyne and Verbove. The Russian military blogging site Rybar said Russian forces had put up stiff resistance around the settlement of Verbove. It said Robotyne was now fully under Ukrainian control, though it claimed Kyiv's forces had suffered severe losses in the fighting.
CNN is unable to immediately verify the battlefield claims of either side.
Pushing back about concerns over counteroffensive: Ukraine’s current counteroffensive against Russia’s occupying forces has been underway for three months, and there have been growing concerns that it is failing to achieve expected results.
John Kirby,coordinator for strategic communications at the White House National Security Council, addressed those concerns Friday, saying Ukrainian forces had made “notable progress” in the previous three days, achieving “some success against (the) second line of Russian defenses.”
Those comments were echoed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who posted on Saturday:
No matter what anyone says, we are advancing, and that is the most important thing. We are on the move.”
In an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour in Kyiv Friday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba also said Ukraine is “not failing” but “moving forward” in its counteroffensive.
The foreign minister added that those criticizing the speed of Ukraine’s counteroffensive should consider the soldiers fighting at the heart of it.
“You just lost two of your buddies. You were almost killed. You crawled one kilometer on your belly demining the field. You sacrificed yourself — you took the damn Russian trench in a fierce fight. And then you read someone saying, ‘Oh guys, you're too slow?'” he said.
“Our partners who are helping us, including the United States, they understand that things are moving in the right direction," he added.
