Ukrainian forces have had “successes” in three areas of the Russian-occupied region of Kherson, according to a Ukrainian regional official. Yuriy Sobolevskyi, the deputy head of Kherson’s regional council, said Ukrainian troops had enjoyed successes in the Kherson, Beryslav, and Kakhovka districts, without providing details.

• Russia’s defence ministry claimed, however, that Ukraine’s attempts to mount a counter-offensive in the south of the country had failed. In its daily briefing, it said Ukraine’s forces had suffered heavy losses in equipment and men. It has not been possible to independently verify either side’s claims.

  • Ukraine has accused Russian forces of firing on a town near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant as inspectors from the UN nuclear watchdog were en route to inspect the facility. One of the shells hit the building where Energodar’s city council is located, according to its mayor Dmytro Orlov.

  • The alleged Russian attack on Energodar occurred hours after a team led by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, set off from Kyiv to visit the Russian-held power plant. The team arrived in the Ukrainian-held city of Zaporizhzhia, 55km (34 miles) away from the plant, on Wednesday afternoon.

    • AEA chief, Rafael Grossi, said the mission’s visit to the nuclear plant was a “technical mission” that aimed to prevent a nuclear accident. He added that the agency’s visit to the plant will last a few days. Russian-installed officials in the area near the power station previously suggested the visit might last only one day.

    • Russia has the potential to open up a “second theatre of war” should it choose to do so, Germany’s chief of defence has warned. Russia is “very well capable of expanding the conflict regionally” and will not run out of ammunition any time soon, according to Gen Eberhard Zorn, the highest-ranking soldier of the Bundeswehr.

    • Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said “heavy fighting” continues in “almost the entire territory” of Kherson. A spokesperson for Ukraine’s southern command, Natalia Humeniuk, said Ukraine’s forces had succeeded in damaging bridges that join Kherson across the river, rendering them “impassable for heavy machinery”.

      • Ukraine continues its offensive against Russia’s forces across southern Ukraine, pushing the frontline back “some distance in places”, according to British intelligence. Russia will likely now attempt to plug the gaps in its line using pre-designated mobile reserve units, the latest update by the UK Ministry of Defence said.

      • Russia has stopped the flow of gas via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Europe, in a move that has heightened already acute nervousness over the reliability of winter energy supplies. The halt on the Baltic Sea pipeline at 5am on Wednesday would last for three days, Gazprom, the Russian state energy company said, citing the need to carry out repairs.