Image source, Reuters

More detail now on those reported drone attacks on Russian targets in Crimea.

One of the areas where Russian targets were reportedly attacked is Sebastopol, the home of Russia's Black Sea fleet in Crimea.

The Russian-installed regional head Mikhail Razvozhayev did not mention any damage caused, but said in a Telegram post that a Ukrainian drone had been shot down over naval headquarters and fell onto the roof of the building.

He posted a picture online, saying nobody was hurt.

"It was hit right above the fleet HQ. It fell on the roof and caught fire. They did not manage to carry out the strike. Good job, boys", he said.

Several other drone attacks were reported overnight in Crimea, including one at an airbase.

Russia-appointed head of Crimea Sergei Aksyonov has confirmed that an air-defence system was operating in Yevpatoria.

According to Aksyonov, no damage has been reported.

Further north, near the key city of Kherson, the Russians claim to have shot down six Ukrainian drones attacking the hydro-electric dam at Nova Kakhovka.

The BBC has not been able to verify the claims. Ukraine has not commented on the reported attacks.

Image source, Getty Images

We've just mentioned reports of attacks against Russian targets in Crimea, the peninsula Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

Western officials have said such strikes on Crimea are having major psychological and operational effects on Moscow's forces.

Explosions at the Saki airbase on 9 August and other assaults have put more than half of the Black Sea fleet's naval jets out of action, they said.

The officials, who spoke to journalists unattributably on background, meaning they cannot be named, said that Russia's Black Sea fleet has been reduced to little more than a coastal flotilla that is now having to adopt a cautious attitude due to Ukrainian attacks.

The fleet has a revered history, but it has suffered a series of humiliations since the invasion began in February.

Officials went to say that the setbacks have forced it to adopt a defensive posture.

In April, the fleet's flagship, the cruiser Moskva, was sunk by Ukraine. The 510-crew missile cruiser had led Russia's naval assault on Ukraine, and its sinking was a major symbolic and military blow.

Read more.

Image source, Reuters

More drone attacks against Russian targets have been reported in Crimea and other occupied parts of Ukraine.

"Smoke rises above the headquarters of the Black Sea fleet of the Russian Federation in Sevastopol," the Suspilne Ukrainian public broadcaster reported this morning, citing local media and posting video from the scene.

The BBC has not yet been able to verify the attacks.

Russian media said a raid against a port in the west of Crimea was thwarted on Friday.

Videos filmed in Crimea showed Russian air defence intercepting targets in the skies over Sevastopol, Yevpatoriya and Zaozerne. Russian occupying authorities said these were Ukrainian drones, but this has not been independently verified by the BBC.

There has been a string of attacks against Russian military sites and equipment in Crimea over the last week, which Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for.

The peninsula was annexed by Russia in 2014.

There were only minimal changes in territorial control along the front line in Ukraine last week, the UK's Ministry of Defence has said.

In its latest military intelligence assessment, external, the MOD says Russia has not made any major efforts to advance in the Zaporizhzhia or Kharkiv areas.

In the south-west, there have been no Ukrainian or Russian advances on the Kherson front line.

The MoD predicts it is unlikely the situation will significantly change in the next week, with Russian forces only prepared to undertake limited local assaults, rarely involving more than a company of troops.

It adds: "Over the coming months the initiative will go to whichever side manages to generate a credible, committed force for offensive operations."

Two more ships carrying grain have left Ukranian waters, according to Turkey’s Defence Ministry.

The Zumrut Ana and MV Ocean S are loaded with 6,300 tonnes of sunflower oil and 25,000 tonnes of wheat, it said.

This means a total of 27 vessels have left Ukraine’s Black Sea ports since a deal was brokered by the UN to allow safe passage.

A joint coordination centre, which was set up as part of the deal, did not say where the ships were heading.

But all ships are first checked in Turkey under the terms of the agreement.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is the biggest in Europe.

Russian forces have occupied the site since early March, and Ukraine says the situation at the plant is "approaching critical".

The UN's nuclear watchdog has called for an immediate end to any military action near the plant, warning of a "very real risk of a nuclear disaster".

The Russians have been urged to hand control of the plant back because of the dangers, and some staff there have told the BBC they're "being kept at gunpoint".

Ukrainian officials say the plant could be cut off from power as Moscow tries to redirect electricity to Crimea, which it annexed eight years ago.

Read in full: Preparing for the worst at Ukraine nuclear plant

Image source, .

Hugo Bachega
Reporting in Odeasa

More now on the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which has been under Russian control since March. Over the last week Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of shelling near the site, prompting concerns about the potential for a nuclear catastrophe.

On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said UN officials would be granted permission to visit and inspect the nuclear complex, which is the largest in Europe.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said a visit by international inspectors could enable safety to be restored at the site, but he added that specific details of the mission were still being discussed.

In his nightly video address, Zelensky said: "With this mission, the restoration of full security at the ZNPP and in Enerhodar [the city where the nuclear power plant is located] can begin."

But he warned that if Russian "blackmail with radiation" continues, "this summer may go down in the history of various European countries as one of the most tragic of all time".

Russia appears to have dropped its demand that inspectors should travel through Russian-controlled territory.

If confirmed, the mission could suggest a possible de-escalation in the crisis around the nuclear facility.

Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said he was willing to lead a visit to the station himself.

Image source, Reuters

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the war in Ukraine – 178 days since Russia launched the invasion.

We’ll bring you all the latest developments and analysis from our reporters on the ground throughout the day.

But first, here is what’s been happening:

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said the safety of the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine could start to be restored by a visit of international inspectors
• It follows Russian President Vladimir Putin agreeing to work towards organising a mission by the UN nuclear watchdog to the site
• The announcement was made after a call between Mr Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron
• Moscow and Kyiv have blamed each other for shelling the complex, sparking fears of a catastrophe
• The US has announced a new $775m (£655m) Ukraine military aid package including surveillance drones and for the first time mine-resistant vehicles
• And two more ships carrying grain have left Ukrainian waters, according to Turkey's defence ministry, following a deal brokered by the UN to allow safe passage