United Nations nuclear experts who crossed into Russian-held territory in Ukraine to assess the safety of Europe's biggest atomic energy plant are seeking to assess physical damage to the facility, where both sides warn of possible disaster.

NUCLEAR PLANT

* IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said his agency would maintain a constant presence at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, after he returned from a mission there while leaving experts from his team in place at the site.

* Ukraine's nuclear power operator said the IAEA mission to the plant, which was seized by Russia early in the conflict, would be successful if the plant were demilitarised.

* One of two operational reactors at the plant complex has been shut down due to Russian shelling, operator Energoatom said.

* Russia's Defence Ministry said a Ukrainian "sabotage group" had tried to seize the plant and Russian forces were using helicopters to destroy the group.

* A Reuters reporter near the plant in Russian-controlled Enerhodar on the Dnipro river said a residential building was struck by shelling. Soldiers ran about and helicopters flew overhead. It was not possible to establish who had fired.

* Yevgeny Balitsky, Russian-installed Zaporizhzhia oblast governor, said at least three people had been killed and five wounded in Ukrainian shelling of Enerhodar.

* Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak said Russia had staged the incident in Enerhodar to blame Ukraine.

FIGHTING

* In the past 24 hours, five civilians in the Donetsk region were killed and 12 were wounded, regional governor said.

* Ukraine's operational command South said its forces had destroyed a pontoon bridge near the town of Daryivky in the Kherson region, which had been used by the Russian troops.

ENERGY

* Germany will likely get through the winter without a crisis if Russian gas supplies stop, and could draw on its gas stores and get more deliveries from Norway or the Netherlands, Chancellor Scholz said.

* Renominations for Russian gas via Nord Stream 1 into the NEL connection point in Germany suggest flows may resume from Saturday morning when Gazprom said maintenance work on the pipeline will be completed, operator data showed.

Reuters