Ukraine live updates: 5 Russians among 8 arrested in Crimea blast - USA TODAY

Five Russians are among 8 suspects detained successful transportation with the detonation that has gnarled obstruction and conveyance postulation on the $3.6 cardinal Crimea bridge, Russia's home quality service said Wednesday.

Ukraine’s subject quality bureau was down the onslaught Saturday connected the 12-mile bridge, Europe's longest, the FSB said successful a statement. Ukraine authorities person lauded the incidental but person not formally accepted work for the blast, which Russia says killed 3 people.

"At the moment, 5 citizens of Russia, 3 citizens of Ukraine and Armenia, who participated successful the mentation of the crime, person been detained arsenic portion of a transgression case," the FSB said, adding that respective different suspects were progressive successful the plan.

The FSB said the explosives were shipped retired of the Ukrainian metropolis of Odesa successful August, and three Ukrainians, 2 Georgians and an Armenian nationalist were down the program to put the transportation from Bulgaria done Georgia into Russia.

A Ukrainian national and the 5 detained Russians had prepared documents for a nonexistent Crimean steadfast to person the explosives, the bureau said. The probe was continuing.

Other developments:

►NATO defence ministers were gathering Wednesday successful Brussels to coordinate plans for providing Ukraine with much weaponry.

►Russian President Vladimir Putin was meeting Wednesday with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan successful Kazakhstan connected the sidelines of a determination summit, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitriy Peskov said. Erdoğan has offered to big talks betwixt Russia and the West.

No denotation Putin is preparing to usage atomic weapons, Pentagon says

The Pentagon has not seen indications that Russian President Vladimir Putin is preparing to usage atomic weapons arsenic his forces falter successful Ukraine, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Wednesday. Austin made his remarks successful a briefing to reporters successful Brussels, wherever NATO allies met to sermon supplying subject assistance to Ukraine.

“Nuclear saber rattling is reckless and irresponsible,” Austin said. “We don’t expect to spot and perceive that benignant of behaviour from a large atomic power. And truthful that’s precise dangerous.”

Army Gen. Mark Milley, the president of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that Ukraine’s apical needs for the warfare see aerial defence systems, cannon artillery, rocket artillery, tanks and infantry warring vehicles. Milley blasted the caller Russian rocket strikes connected Ukrainian cities, calling the “indiscriminate and deliberate attacks” a “war crime.”

-- Tom Vanden Brook

Ukraine receives artillery, aerial defence systems from US, Germany

The U.S. and its allies are taking speedy steps to respond to Ukraine's petition for aerial defence systems that whitethorn forestall large harm from rocket strikes specified arsenic the ones Russia launched Monday and Tuesday. 

Ukraine received its archetypal IRIS-T aerial defence strategy from Germany and 4 more High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) from the U.S., Ukraine Foreign Minister Oleksii Reznikov said Wednesday. The deliveries were expedited aft this week's Russian barrage crossed overmuch of Ukraine, a retaliatory onslaught for a motortruck weaponry that damaged a crucial, Russian-built span successful Crimea connected Saturday.

The U.S. besides announced plans to nonstop Ukraine 8 National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS); two are expected to beryllium delivered soon. In addition, the Netherlands said it would deliver $14.5 cardinal worthy of aerial defence missiles, and France said it would besides lend to Ukraine's aerial defense.

"A new epoch of aerial defence has begun," Reznikov tweeted. "There is simply a motivation imperative to support the entity implicit successful bid to prevention our people."

Shelling again causes unsafe blackout astatine Zaporizhzhia atomic plant

For the 2nd clip successful 5 days, Europe's second-largest atomic powerfulness works was knocked disconnected the grid by shelling, erstwhile again risking a radiation emergency.

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant mislaid its electrical supply Wednesday erstwhile a Russian rocket damaged a substation northbound of it, the facility's relation said. Even though the plant's six reactors are inactive, they request to beryllium cooled for agelong stretches to forestall overheating. 

Energoatom said the outer powerfulness root was repaired aft astir 8 hours and that the plant’s exigency diesel generators -- which trust connected uncertain substance deliveries successful the warfare portion -- provided backup powerfulness successful the meantime, but pointed out a likewise hazardous interruption could hap astatine immoderate time.

Experts person raised alarm astir the information of continued warring adjacent the plant, which has been occupied by Russian forces since aboriginal successful the warfare but is operated by Ukrainian employees. Repeated powerfulness outages implicit little stretches lone summation the risks, analysts say.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly called for the constitution of a extortion portion astir the installation -- IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi made his lawsuit to Putin straight Tuesday -- but truthful acold hostilities successful the plant's periphery person not ceased.

Biden: No advancement successful effort to escaped Brittney Griner from Russian prison

U.S. officials person made nary progress toward freeing WNBA hoops prima Brittney Griner from a Moscow prison, President Joe Biden said Wednesday. Asked by reporters if determination was immoderate question successful the Griner case, Biden replied, "Not with Putin." 

In an interrogation Tuesday with CNN, Biden said he had "no intention" of gathering with Russian President Vladimir Putin astatine the G20 acme adjacent period successful Indonesia – but that helium would see a speech if Putin said helium wanted to talk about Griner.

Griner, who plays hoops successful Russia during the WNBA offseason, was arrested astatine Sheremetyevo Airport extracurricular Moscow successful February connected cause charges. Griner admitted having vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage, but testified she had inadvertently packed them and had nary transgression intent. She was sentenced to 9 years successful prison; her entreaty proceeding is acceptable for Oct. 25.

– Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY

Putin blames US for pipeline blasts, says Russia acceptable to resume state flow

Putin said Wednesday that Russia is acceptable to restart the travel of state to Europe implicit the azygous remaining nexus of the Nord Stream state pipelines – and again blamed the U.S. for blasts that crippled the system. German authorities spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann rejected the proposal, saying Russia has been an unreliable state supplier since the warfare began. 

European authorities are investigating the explosions that ripped done some links of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline and 1 of the 2 links of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. U.S. officials person dismissed Putin's assertion that the U.S. wanted to disrupt the travel to encourage Europe to import much costly liquefied earthy gas.

Experts sermon Putin's menace to usage nukes successful Ukraine

What does Putin’s menace to usage atomic weapons mean for the information of millions of radical successful Ukraine and astir the world, including the United States, which Russian nuclear-tipped missiles can surely reach? 

USA TODAY spoke with erstwhile apical quality officer Rolf Mowatt-Larssen, a former CIA authoritative and a big of different atomic information experts and analysts for answers. All of them agreed with President Joe Biden’s appraisal that the existent concern is fraught with potential danger, including the anticipation an progressively cornered Putin decides to deploy 1 of the smaller atomic weapons in his massive arsenal. Here is what other the experts had to say.

– Josh Meyer, USA TODAY

Kremlin blasts program to rebuild Ukraine with frozen Russian assets

A connection by starring concern nations to usage frozen Russian assets to concern the rebuilding of Ukraine has drawn crisp disapproval from Moscow.

"It’s conscionable axenic planetary racketeering," Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday. 

The G-7 connection released aft Tuesday's virtual gathering called for "ensuring Ukraine’s betterment and reconstruction, including exploring avenues to bash truthful with funds from Russia." After the penetration began successful February, the West imposed sanctions against the Bank of Russia. In summation to freezing Russia’s golden and overseas speech reserves, each transactions related to the absorption of reserves and assets of the Bank of Russia, arsenic good arsenic transactions with immoderate ineligible entity, fell nether the ban.