LIVE - Updated at 07:36
More than a dozen injured after warehouse hit in port city; Rafael Grossi, head of International Atomic Energy Agency, expected to visit nuclear power plant to assess its safety.
Suspilne reports that the number of people killed due to the rocket attack on Kryvyi Rih on Tuesday has increased to 12.
Citing the city authority, it said a 67-year-old wounded man died in the hospital overnight.
Dmitry Medvedev, long-term ally of Vladimir Putin and currently deputy chair of the security council of Russia, has said on Telegram that Russia needs to put in a demilitarised zone as far west as Ukraine's Lviv, which he referred to by its Russian name Lvov and German name Lemberg.
He went on to say that, as a result of the Nord Stream sabotage, for which he cited "western complicity", that Russia should have "no restrictions left to refrain from destroying the cable communications of our enemies, laid along the ocean floor".
Here are some images released by the emergency services in Ukraine showing the aftermath of the strikes in Kramatorsk and Kostyantynivka.
Russian-installed administrators of Nova Kakhovka have accused Ukrainian forces of shelling a residential area in the city, injuring one person.
Last week the Kakhovka dam in the city was destroyed, flooding swaths of land and forcing thousands to flee one of the biggest environmental disasters in Europe for decades.
The administration also said that shelling of the nearby village of Plodovoye disrupted power supply there.
Reuters could not independently verify the report.
Ukraine and Russia deny targeting civilians in their military operations. Each side has accused the other of shelling the flooded areas in the aftermath of the dam blast.
Separately, the administration said 7,200 people had been evacuated from the flooded areas in the past week, including 421 children.
- Reuters
Three people have been killed and another three injured in an early morning Russian attack on Kramatorsk and Kostyantynivka in Donetsk, according to the regional governor.
Suspilne, Ukraine's state broadcaster, reports that at least five houses were destroyed in Kramatorsk, and about 20 more were damaged, while in Kostyantynivka, two houses were destroyed and 55 were damaged. It cites regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko.
He stated that the attack happened at 5am local time (3am BST).
The UK's Ministry of Defence has issued its daily intelligence briefing on how it sees the situation on the ground in Ukraine. It claims:
In the last two weeks, there has been an uptick in Russian tactical combat air sorties, especially over southern Ukraine. This has almost certainly been in response to reports of increased Ukrainian offensive operations, as the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) attempt to support ground troops with airstrikes. Despite the uptick, VKS' daily sortie rate remains much lower than the peak of up to 300 daily missions early in the war.
This is Martin Belam taking over the live blog in London. You can contact me at martin.belam@theguardian.com.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko says he won't hesitate to use Russian tactical nuclear weapons if faced with an act of aggression.
Lukashenko's comment contract earlier statements by Russian President Vladimir Putin who has previously claimed any nuclear weapons stationed in Belarus would remain exclusively under control of Moscow
On Tuesday the Belarusian "everything is ready" for the Russian nuclear weapons' deployment, adding that "it could take just a few days for us to get what we had asked for and even a bit more."
Asked later by a Russian state TV host whether Belarus had already received some of the weapons, Lukashenko responded coyly by saying: "Not all of them, little by little."
He appeared to confirm that his government had taken possession of some weapons from Russian and added that they are three times more powerful than the atomic bombs dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
God forbid I have to make a decision to use those weapons today, but there would be no hesitation if we face an aggression.
But in a later media appearance on Russian TV on Tuesday, he clarified he would consult with Putin before using any of the weapons.
Listen, if a war starts, do you think I will look around? I pick up the phone, and wherever he is, he picks it up. If he calls, I pick it up any time. It's no problem at all to coordinate launching a strike.
Russian officials had no immediate comment on Lukashenko's remarks.
- AP
International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi is expected to visit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to "make [his[ own assessment" on the risks posed to the operation in the ongoing conflict.
Grossi met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Tuesday night ahead of his site visit to discuss the issue following the destruction of the Kakhovka dam which formed a reservoir that provided cooling water for the plant.
Speaking to journalists before his visit, Grossi said the situation complicated "an already precarious nuclear safety and security situation" .
It is a step in the wrong direction, it is yet another step in the weakening of the safety net that one has in any nuclear power plant.
Grossi said he will assess the integrity of the station's water channels, cooling pond and to clarify whether the pond has been mined.
I would say - again without having visited and on the basis of what my team there is informing me - there will be water (in the pond) for a few weeks, or maybe a month or two. There is no immediate situation: there is water there but it could be going down.
I would say - again without having visited and on the basis of what my team there is informing me - there will be water (in the pond) for a few weeks, or maybe a month or two.
There is no immediate situation: there is water there but it could be going down.
He also said that even if the reservoir empties "there are alternatives" such as pumping in water or drilling for ground water.
Three people have been killed and at least 13 injured in a Russian missile attack on the southern Ukrainian city of Odessa on Tuesday morning, Ukrainian forces have said.
Air defences downed two Kalibr missiles but authorities say the attack targeted civilian infrastructure including a business centre, an educational institution, a residential complex, restaurants and shops.
A warehouse of a retail chain was also hit in the attack, causing a fire to break out.
Work is underway to clear the debris and a search for people trapped under the rubble remains ongoing.
Hello and welcome back to our live coverage of Russia's war in Ukraine - this is Royce Kurmelovs bringing you the latest developments.
Three people have been killed and at least 13 injured during a missile attack on the city of Odesa, Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday. Authorities say the attack struck civilian infrastructure in the southern port city and work is underway to pick through the rubble in the search for survivors.
The head of the UN's nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, has met President Volodomyr Zelenskiy to discuss risks to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant ahead of a planned visit to the facility. Grossi told journalists following the meeting that he planned to travel to the plant on Wednesday so he can "make [his] own assessment" as to "what kind of danger we have".
Zelenskiy himself has praised the courage of Ukrainian troops during the early stages of his countries counter offensive and singled out units operating near the besieged city of Bakhmut saying "there is forward movement in various areas". Zelenskiy also praised several other units thanking them "for your strength".
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed Ukrainian losses during the conflict are near "catastrophic" and that the counterattack had not been successful in any area. The Russian president made the claim during televised meetings with war correspondents and military bloggers. "This is a massive counteroffensive, using strategic reserves that were prepared for this task," Putin said. "They lost over 160, we lost 54 tanks, and some of them are subject to restoration and repair."
In other news:
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said his country won't hesitate to use Russian nuclear weapons in the event his country is threatened with repression.
The US House of Representatives has voted unanimously on a resolution calling for Russia to immediately release imprisoned US journalist Evan Gershkovich.
Moscow has also flagged it may withdraw from the Black Sea grain deal, after Putin says he has been cheated by the west who have failed to deliver on a promise to help bring Russian agricultural goods to world markets.
A Russian missile strike on an apartment in Kryvyi Rih in central Ukraine has killed 11 and injured more than 30 people, according to an updated casualty list provided by Volodymr Zelenskiy on Tuesday.
US President Joe Biden has met with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg ahead of a major meeting of the alliance next month in Lithuania where questions about Ukraine's membership are expected to be addressed
The US government has announced a new military aid package for Ukraine worth $325m which includes artillery rounds, anti-aircraft systems and 15 new Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles. The UK Ministry of Defence has announced a $115m air defence package for Ukraine. Latvia has allocated another $460,000 in aid to Ukraine following the Kakhova Dam disaster.
Ukrainian forces have been confirmed to have liberated the village of Neskuchne on Tuesday after Reuters journalists were able to reach the area. Russia has not yet acknowledge any gains.