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Russia has faced technical problems with Iranian-made drones acquired from Tehran this month for use in its war with Ukraine, .

Latest Developments in Ukraine: August 29

Biden administration officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, did not detail the “numerous failures” but said the U.S. assesses that the delivery of Mohajer-6 and Shahed-series unmanned aerial vehicles over several days this month is likely part of a Russian plan to acquire hundreds of Iranian UAVs.

Latest Developments in Ukraine: August 29

Daria Snigur pulled off the first big upset of the U.S. Open, knocking off No. 7 seed Simona Halep 6-2, 0-6, 6-4 on Monday, .

Latest Developments in Ukraine: August 29

Days after taking part in an exhibition to raise money for her country that is fighting a war against invading Russia, Snigur fought through tears as she tried to explain what the victory meant to her family and her home.

“No comment, I think, because it’s impossible for me now,” Snigur said.

The White House said on Monday that Russia should agree to a demilitarized zone around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant that has become a dangerous frontline in the ongoing war,

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters the Biden administration supports a visit led by the International Atomic Energy Agency to the plant in southern central Ukraine.

Ukrainian forces launched a barrage of rockets at the Russian-occupied town of Nova Kakhovka on Monday, leaving it without water or power, .

: Russian shelling hit residential areas of the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv on Monday, killing two people and destroying homes, city officials and witnesses said, according to Reuters.

A Reuters correspondent at the scene said the strike hit a family home directly next to a school, killing one woman. Both houses on the property were left in ruins, with large craters gouged out of the ground in front.

Mayor Oleksandr Senkevych said on Telegram at least two people had been killed and residential homes and educational institutions had been hit. The local governor, Vitaliy Kim, said on Telegram that 24 people had also been injured.

Russia has not commented on the incident. Moscow has denied targeting civilians in Ukraine.

Germany will keep up its support for Kyiv "for as long as it takes", Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Monday, calling for an enlargement of the European Union to eventually include Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia, Reuters reported.

Faced with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Scholz urged the EU's 27 members to "close ranks, resolve old conflicts and find new solutions", setting out his vision for the future of Europe in a speech at the Charles University in Prague.

"Our Europe is united in peace and freedom and is open to all European nations who share our values," he said.

Germany had undergone a "fundamental change of heart" in recent months on its military support for Ukraine, he said.

"We will keep up this support, reliably and, above all, for as long as it takes," he told the packed university audience.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen echoed the "as long as it takes" promise to Kyiv in a speech in Slovenia, calling for "a new strategic thinking" to uphold European values.

Ukraine’s armed forces have started an offensive action on several fronts in the south of the country, a military spokesperson said, launching a much-anticipated counteroffensive to regain the Kherson region from invading Russian forces, RFE/RL reported.

"Today we started offensive actions in various directions, including in the Kherson region," Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne cited Southern Command spokesperson Natalya Humenyuk as saying. She confirmed the news minutes later at a briefing.

Russia captured swathes of southern Ukraine in the first phase of its February 24 invasion. Ukraine has been pledging for weeks now to conduct a major counteroffensive to retake land and has used Western-made, long-range weapons to hit Russian supply lines.

Humenyuk said that Ukraine's recent strikes on Russia's southern logistical routes had "unquestionably weakened the enemy," adding that more than 10 Russian ammunition dumps had been hit over the last week.

However, she declined to disclose more details about the new offensive.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia on Monday of economic terrorism by trying to prevent European nations from stocking up on gas ahead of a winter when the impact of soaring energy bills is set to hit households and businesses hard, according to Reuters.