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Zelenskyy Vows to Liberate Crimea; Ukraine Fears Russian Damage to Major Nuclear Plant

Alexander Ermochenko | Reuters

This has been CNBC's live blog covering updates on the war in Ukraine. [Follow the latest updates here.]

Fears are growing over damage from Russian shelling to Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and from purported Russian plans to redirect power from the plant to Russian-annexed Crimea.

Russian forces have occupied the nuclear plant, the largest in Europe, since early March.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has meanwhile pledged to win back Crimea, one day after several explosions hit a Russian airbase on the annexed peninsula and killed at least one person. Ukrainian officials have not claimed responsibility for the attack.

Attacks on Europe’s largest nuclear power plant leave former worker 'very scared'

A Russian serviceman patrols the territory of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station in Energodar on May 1, 2022. The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station, seized by Russian forces in March, is in southeastern Ukraine and is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe and among the 10 largest in the world.
Andrey Borodulin | Afp | Getty Images
A Russian serviceman patrols the territory of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station in Energodar on May 1, 2022. The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station, seized by Russian forces in March, is in southeastern Ukraine and is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe and among the 10 largest in the world.

As Ukraine and Russia trade blame for shelling around Europe's largest nuclear power plant, one former employee said the consequences could be catastrophic and that she is terrified for her former colleagues at the facility in the town of Enerhodar. 

"The mood there is very sad. It is very scary for them to work," Alyona, 37, told NBC News on Tuesday from the city of Zaporizhzhia, which is still under Ukrainian control. 

NBC News isn't revealing her last name because she still has family in parts of the Zaporizhzhia region under Russian rule and she fears repercussions. Also, her husband is in the Ukrainian army. 

Alyona said she stopped going to work as an engineer at the nuclear plant after Russian forces seized it in March and escaped to Zaporizhzhia soon after.

She added that she is still able to call and exchange messages with some of her former co-workers at the plant, which was operated by around 11,000 people before the Russian invasion. The number of staff currently working there is unknown. 

Read more of this NBC News report here.

Ukrainian FM Kuleba calls on Western countries to stop issuing visas to Russian citizens

Russian flag flies with the Spasskaya Tower of the Kremlin in the background in Moscow, Russia, February 27, 2019.
REUTERS | Maxim Shemetov | File Photo
Russian flag flies with the Spasskaya Tower of the Kremlin in the background in Moscow, Russia, February 27, 2019.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called on the European Union and the G-7 countries to stop issuing visas to Russian citizens.

"Russians overwhelmingly support the war on Ukraine. They must be deprived of the right to cross international borders until they learn to respect them," Kuleba wrote on Twitter.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told The Washington Post that the only way to stop Russia from annexing any more of Ukraine's territory is for Western countries to ban all Russian citizens.

— Amanda Macias

More than $120K raised to make a Zelenskyy action figure

More than $120,000 has been raised to make a prototype of an action figure of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Brooklyn, N.Y.

A prototype of the Zelenskyy action figure in Brooklyn, NY, August 9, 2022.
Roselle Chen | Reuters
A prototype of the Zelenskyy action figure in Brooklyn, NY, August 9, 2022.
Jason Feinberg, FCTRY CEO & creative director, with a prototype of the Zelenskyy action figure in Brooklyn, NY, August 9, 2022. 
Roselle Chen | Reuters
Jason Feinberg, FCTRY CEO & creative director, with a prototype of the Zelenskyy action figure in Brooklyn, NY, August 9, 2022. 
Alyssa Zeller Feinberg, FCTRY chief design officer, with a prototype of the Zelenskyy action figure in Brooklyn, NY, August 9, 2022. 
Roselle Chen | Reuters
Alyssa Zeller Feinberg, FCTRY chief design officer, with a prototype of the Zelenskyy action figure in Brooklyn, NY, August 9, 2022. 
Alyssa Zeller Feinberg, FCTRY chief design officer, with a prototype of the Zelenskiy action figure in Brooklyn, NY, August 9, 2022. 
Roselle Chen | Reuters
Alyssa Zeller Feinberg, FCTRY chief design officer, with a prototype of the Zelenskiy action figure in Brooklyn, NY, August 9, 2022. 

- Roselle Chen | Reuters

Ukrainian agriculture exports could reach 5 million tons a month under grain initiative, UN says

Islam Yakut | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
An aerial view of Barbados flagged "Fulmar S" named empty grain ship as Representatives of Russia, Ukraine, Turkiye and the United Nations (UN) of the Joint Coordination Center (JCC) conduct inspection on vessel in Istanbul, Turkiye on August 05, 2022.

The U.N. group overseeing the July agreement to reopen Ukraine's ports for agricultural shipments said it expects export capacity to reach up to 5 million tons a month.

"Crops from Ukraine are sold around the world. Some of the food exported under the Initiative will go to countries experiencing food insecurity," the U.N. wrote in a fact sheet about the Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by the U.N., Ukraine, Russia and Turkey.

A caravan of three ships departed Ukraine's ports of Odesa and Chornomorsk, Ukraine's infrastructure minister said earlier. He added that the vessels are carrying 57,000 tons of Ukrainian corn.

— Amanda Macias

G7 ministers call on Russia to hand Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant back to Ukraine

The foreign ministers from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K., the U.S. and the European Union called on Russia to "immediately hand back full control" of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant to "its rightful sovereign owner, Ukraine."

"Ukrainian staff operating the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant must be able to carry out their duties without threats or pressure. It is Russia's continued control of the plant that endangers the region," the G7 foreign ministers wrote in a statement.

"We remain profoundly concerned by the serious threat that the seizure of Ukrainian nuclear facilities and other actions by Russian armed forces pose to the safety and security of these facilities, significantly raising the risk of a nuclear accident or incident and endangering the population of Ukraine, neighboring states and the international community," the ministers added.

— Amanda Macias

Nearly two-thirds of Ukraine’s children have been displaced by war, UNICEF official says

People, mainly women and children, make their way through Przemysl railway station after journeying from war-torn Ukraine on March 31, 2022 in Przemysl, Poland.
Jeff J Mitchell | Getty Images
People, mainly women and children, make their way through Przemysl railway station after journeying from war-torn Ukraine on March 31, 2022 in Przemysl, Poland.

The UN has determined that nearly two-thirds of Ukraine's children have been displaced since the start of Russia's war.

"I would say every single child in Ukraine, their lives have been touched by this war. They've either lost a family member or they have witnessed trauma themselves," said Afshan Khan, the regional director for the UN Children's Fund, or UNICEF.

"With two-thirds of the children in the country on the move, we cannot say that a single child's life has not been touched," added Khan, who traveled on a UN mission trip to cities in Ukraine.

— Amanda Macias

Russia is likely expanding ground forces with low-qualified volunteers, UK's MoD says

The U.K.'s Ministry of Defense believes Russia is building a new ground force formation, the 3rd Army Corps, or "3 AC." This force is likely drawing heavily on volunteer battalions, which accept conscripts up to 50 years of age and with only middle-school level educations, the ministry said in its daily intelligence briefing posted to Twitter.

"To support the Ukraine operation, Russia has almost certainly established a major new ground forces formation, 3rd Army Corps (3 AC), based out of Mulino, in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast east of Moscow," it said. "Russian regional politicians have confirmed that potential 3 AC recruits are being offered lucrative cash bonuses once they deploy to Ukraine."

The post read: "A Russian army corps typically consists of 15-20,000 troops, but it will probably be difficult for Russia to bring 3 AC up to this strength, given very limited levels of popular enthusiasm for volunteering for combat in Ukraine."

The ministry added that "3 AC's effect is unlikely to be decisive to the campaign."

— Natasha Turak

Russian missiles hit village outside of Zaporizhzhia, killing at least one

The village of Kushuhum just south of the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia was hit by four Russian missiles, killing a woman who was found beneath the rubble of a destroyed building, according to the region's governor.

"Four private buildings have been totally destroyed," the governor, Oleksandr Starukh, said in a post on Telegram. "Several dozen houses have been left without windows and roofs."

He added that gas and electricity for the village had also been disrupted.

— Natasha Turak

Zelenskyy vows to liberate Russian-annexed Crimea

People rest on a beach as smoke and flames rise after explosions at a Russian military airbase, in Novofedorivka, Crimea August 9, 2022. 
Stringer | Reuters
People rest on a beach as smoke and flames rise after explosions at a Russian military airbase, in Novofedorivka, Crimea August 9, 2022. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed in his nightly address that Ukraine would liberate its southern peninsula of Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014.

"This Russian war against Ukraine and against the entire free Europe began with Crimea and must end with Crimea – with its liberation," he said.

A Russian airbase on the western coast of Crimea, Novofedorivka, far from the frontline, was hit by large explosions Tuesday that killed at least one person and injured some 13 more, Crimea's health ministry said.

Ukraine says Russia lost nine planes as a result of the explosions, but Ukrainian officials did not claim responsibility for the attack. Ukraine's claims have not been independently verified.

— Natasha Turak

Ukraine warns Russian forces are connecting Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant to Crimea, causing damage

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, in the Russian-controlled area of Enerhodar, seen from Nikopol in April 27, 2022.
Ed Jones | Afp | Getty Images
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, in the Russian-controlled area of Enerhodar, seen from Nikopol in April 27, 2022.

Russian forces in charge of southern Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant are reconfiguring its power production to connect it to the annexed territory of Crimea, Ukrainian nuclear operator Energoatom said, warning that this meant causing damage to critical systems.

"To do this, you must first damage the power lines of the plant connected to the Ukrainian energy system. From 7-9 August, the Russians have already damaged three power lines. At the moment, the plant is operating with only one production line, which is an extremely dangerous way of working," Petro Kotin, president of Energoatom, said on Ukrainian television.

The facility can provide power to four million homes in Ukraine.

Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014. Russian forces have occupied the Zaporizhzhia plant — the largest nuclear power plant in Europe — since early March.

— Natasha Turak

Celebrity chef and humanitarian Jose Andres shares map of food centers in Ukraine

Celebrity chef and humanitarian Jose Andres shared a map showing the footprint of the World Central Kitchen, a humanitarian organization dedicated to feeding vulnerable communities, in Ukraine.

The Spanish chef and restaurateur brought the World Central Kitchen to Ukraine to address the food crisis triggered by Russia's war.

The two-star Michelin chef said that his organization has thus far served more than 130 million meals since Russia's war broke out more than five months ago.

— Amanda Macias

At least 366 Ukrainian health-care facilities have been attacked since war started, WHO says

A couple wounded in a shopping mall hit by a Russian missile strike hold hands in a hospital as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Kremenchuk, in Poltava region, Ukraine June 27, 2022.
Anna Voitenko | Reuters
A couple wounded in a shopping mall hit by a Russian missile strike hold hands in a hospital as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Kremenchuk, in Poltava region, Ukraine June 27, 2022.

Since the Kremlin invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, the World Health Organization's Surveillance System for Attacks on Health Care estimates that there have been at least 434 attacks on vital health services in the country.

The organization reports that health care facilities were damaged 366 times, ambulances were targeted in 65 cases and at least 104 attacks affected crucial medical supplies. The group also estimated that attacks on health services led to at least 85 deaths and 101 injuries.

The Kremlin has previously denied that it targets civilian infrastructure like hospitals, schools and apartment buildings.

— Amanda Macias

U.S. probes firm linked with Russian oligarch Abramovich over hedge fund investments

Paul Gilham | Getty Images
Former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich looks on from the stands during the Barclays Premier League match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Stamford Bridge on April 16, 2016 in London, England. Abramovich announced on in March 2022 that he was selling the club due to the ongoing situation in Ukraine. The UK government froze Abramovich's assets there days later due to his "close ties with (the) Kremlin."

U.S. authorities are investigating investment advisory firm Concord Management, which oversaw hedge fund investments worth billions of dollars for Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, the New York Times reported on Tuesday.

The investigation, being conducted by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, is partly focused on how Abramovich's associates used several offshore shell companies to invest $8 billion in hedge funds and private equity firms, the report added, citing people close to the firm.

Abramovich is one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's allies and has been sanctioned by nations across the world over his support of Russia in its invasion of Ukraine.

-- Reuters

U.N. chief condemns shelling of nuclear plant

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the weekend shelling of the Europe's largest nuclear plant in Southeastern Ukraine, calling any attack on nuclear plants "a suicidal thing."

Rockets have reportedly hit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in recent days, and three radiation sensors were damaged, CNBC's Shepard Smith reported Tuesday. Ukrainian and Russian officials traded blame over the attacks.

Russia seized the plant five months ago in the early stages of the war after it invaded Ukraine.

The head of the United Nations watchdog called on both countries to let experts visit and assess the site. Guterres said on Tuesday that conditions there are "completely out of control."

—Lee Ying Shan

Read CNBC's previous live coverage here:

Russia halts U.S. nuclear inspections; Biden ratifies Finland and Sweden's NATO membership

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