According to US intelligence, Russia cannot mobilize enough soldiers for the war in Ukraine.

"The Russian military is suffering from serious shortages of troops in Ukraine," a US intelligence official familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity.

The Russian Ministry of Defense tries to recruit armed forces, "among other things, by forcing wounded soldiers to go back into combat, by hiring personnel from private security companies, and by paying conscripts bonuses."

There are credible reports that Russia "is also likely to recruit convicted criminals in return for pardons and financial compensation." Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a decree last week to increase Russian troops from 1.9 million to 2

On Thursday night it became known that the United States had arrested a $45 million aircraft belonging to the Russian energy company PJSC Lukoil.

"The U.S. Court for the Southern District of Texas has approved the seizure," the U.S. Department of Justice announced.

The plane flew in and out of Russia in violation of US Commerce Department sanctions against Russia.

Local Atomic Energy Agency

After weeks of concern about the occupied Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are expected there on Thursday for an inspection.

This was announced by the Russian occupation administration in the conquered region.

The 14 experts, led by IAEA Director Rafael Grossi, arrived on Wednesday in the Ukrainian-owned city of the same name, Zaporizhia.

From there it is a 120 kilometer drive to the city of Enerhodar to Europe's largest nuclear power plant.

It has been shot at repeatedly in recent weeks.

After arriving in southern Ukraine, IAEA chief Grossi said the mission to the nuclear power plant would take several days.

"If we can establish a permanent presence, it will take longer," Grossi was quoted as saying in Ukrainian media reports.

"But this is our first stay, which will last several days." The Russian city manager of Enerhodar, Alexander Volga, also confirmed that the IAEA is planning a permanent presence of six to eight specialists in the nuclear power plant.

The nuclear specialists are to check the condition of the plant with its six reactors, the conditions under which the Ukrainian crew is working, and whether all the nuclear material is still there.

Russian soldiers are in the nuclear power plant.

The plant and its surroundings have come under repeated shelling in recent weeks, with Russians and Ukrainians blaming each other.

Internationally, there was great concern about damage to the plant and the release of radioactivity.

The experts are traveling in Ukraine with a convoy of powerful United Nations off-road vehicles.

On the way to the nuclear power plant, they have to cross the front into Russian-occupied territory.

Starting school in Ukraine

Thursday is the 190th day of Ukraine's defense against the Russian invasion.

At the same time, school starts again on September 1 after the summer holidays – this time under the conditions of the war.

According to Ukrainian information, 2,300 educational institutions had been damaged and 286 completely destroyed by mid-August, reported Federal Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP).

In Russia, too, school lessons will resume from September 1st.

In the Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine, schools have been converted to Russian curricula.

Because of the war, school classes in Ukraine will look different after the summer holidays.

In regions that are less affected by fighting, there should be teaching in the schools.

Where it is dangerous, the schools rely on the online lessons that have been tried and tested since Corona times.

59 percent of parents did not want to send their children to school due to safety concerns, the Ukrajinska Pravda portal quoted a survey as saying.

The biggest concerns are the lack of shelters and the teachers' lack of preparation for emergencies.

Only 26 percent had no concerns.