Ukraine and Russia: What you need to know right now

* A missile attack on the city of Zaporizhzhia in the southern region of the same name left some people buried under the rubble, the regional governor said, and was a reminder of Moscow's ability to strike targets even at a time when its forces have been pushed back in the south and east. * A Russian-backed official in Ukraine publicly criticised President Vladimir Putin's "generals and ministers" for failing to understand the problems on the front lines.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine's forces were swiftly recapturing more territory, especially in the south while Russia's military leadership faced rare domestic public backlash over its handling of the war. CONFLICT

* U.S. President Joe Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin's threat to use nuclear weapons threatens to bring about the biggest such risk since the Cuban Missile Crisis, adding Washington was "trying to figure out" Putin's off-ramp. * A missile attack on the city of Zaporizhzhia in the southern region of the same name left some people buried under the rubble, the regional governor said, and was a reminder of Moscow's ability to strike targets even at a time when its forces have been pushed back in the south and east.

* A Russian-backed official in Ukraine publicly criticized President Vladimir Putin's "generals and ministers" for failing to understand the problems on the front lines. * Ukraine's armed forces have advanced up to about 55 km (34 miles) over the last two weeks in a counteroffensive against Russian forces in the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine, a Ukrainian general said. Reuters could not independently verify the remarks.

ENERGY * International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Grossi said the U.N. nuclear watchdog considered the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to be a Ukrainian facility.

* A crime scene investigation of the damages on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines has strengthened suspicions of "gross sabotage", Swedish security police said. * Norway said it would impose limits on Russian fishing vessels using its ports, in a further tightening of security following last week's leaks in the pipelines.

RAMIFICATIONS * Putin said he expected sanctions pressure on the Russian economy to intensify, in televised remarks from a meeting with government officials.

* The Kremlin denied reports that 700,000 Russians have fled the country since the announcement of a mobilization drive to call up hundreds of thousands to fight in Ukraine. * U.S. intelligence agencies believe parts of the Ukrainian government authorized a car bomb attack near Moscow in August that killed Darya Dugina, the daughter of a prominent Russian nationalist, the New York Times reported.

QUOTES Kirill Stremousov, the Russian-installed deputy head of the annexed Kherson region: "Many say: if they were a defence minister who had allowed such a state of affairs, they could, as officers, have shot themselves."

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy: "In Zaporizhzhia, after the first rocket strike today, when people came to pick apart the rubble, Russia conducted a second rocket strike. Absolute vileness." 

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)