The U.S. State Department issued a warning over the threat of increased Russian strikes on Ukraine during the week of its independence day on Aug. 24, urging remaining Americans in Ukraine to leave the country. Kyiv is bracing itself for fresh Russian attacks that its President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned may be “particularly nasty.”The U.N. continued to sound the alarm over the situation at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, demanding a demilitarization of the area and warning that the world is facing a moment of “maximum danger.” A worker at the plant died of his injuries due to Russian shelling near the facility, Ukraine’s state energy company said.Meanwhile, the volume of grain leaving Ukraine’s ports for export has increased to more than 700,000 metric tons.Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov called for additional weapons and tighter sanctions on Russia as the Kremlin’s war approaches its sixth month, a somber milestone that coincides with Ukraine’s Independence Day.“Sanctions should be tightened and loopholes closed. Russian citizens should face a Schengen Zone tourist visa ban, with only humanitarian cases permitted to enter the EU,” Reznikov wrote for the Atlantic Council.Reznikov also called on Western governments to support Ukraine with more weapons and humanitarian aid.“The current war is not just about Ukraine. It is a struggle to determine who gets to set the rules the whole world will live by,” he wrote.“It is also a wake-up call for the many Europeans still in denial over the threat facing the continent from a hostile Russia,” he added.The United Nations has confirmed 5,587 civilian deaths and 7,890 injuries in Ukraine since Russia invaded on Feb. 24.The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said the death toll in Ukraine is likely higher, because the armed conflict can delay fatality reports.The international organization said most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including shelling from heavy artillery and multiple launch rocket systems, as well as missiles and airstrikes.Russia’s war in Ukraine has left about 17.7 million people in serious need of humanitarian aid, according to United Nations estimates.The U.N. also warned that the crisis will affect more people as the harsh winter season approaches.The United Nations estimates that humanitarian organizations have scaled up operations in order to reach 11.7 million people since Russia’s war in Ukraine began six months ago.Ukraine told the International Atomic Energy Agency that Russia renewed shelling over the weekend at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.Ukraine reported damage to a laboratory and chemical facilities at the nuclear facility from Russian shelling, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said in a statement. Grossi said that there were Ukrainian reports that some of the transformers were also damaged.“These incidents show why the IAEA must be able to send a mission to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant very soon. I’m continuing to consult very actively and intensively with all parties so that this vital IAEA mission can take place without further delay,” Grossi said.He added that a site visit by IAEA inspectors is expected to take place within the next few days provided that ongoing negotiations succeed.The British government said that it would provide nearly $47 million in humanitarian funding across Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, Nigeria and Niger as Russia’s war in Ukraine further exacerbates food shortages.“Growing instability and violent extremism across the region and the war on Ukraine have exacerbated existing issues with food insecurity and malnutrition,” the British government wrote in a statement.“As things stand, there will be close to 20 million people across the region in need of humanitarian aid by the end of the year,” the statement added.The U.K. said that a significant portion of the money will focus on feeding malnourished women and children in the region.Russian forces are building an improvised bridge across the Dnipro River in Ukraine, the U.K. Ministry of Intelligence said.“Over the weekend, Russia probably started moving barges into position to construct a substantial floating bridge over the Dnipro river, immediately beside the damaged Antonivsky road bridge,” the U.K. Ministry of Intelligence wrote in a tweet.The bridge will help link Russian-occupied Kherson and Ukraine’s eastern regions.“If Russia completes the improvised bridge, it will almost certainly increase the capacity of the crossing point compared to the ferry. A floating bridge would likely still be vulnerable to Ukrainian offensive action,” the British intelligence added.U.S. national security advisor Jake Sullivan spoke with Portuguese Foreign Minister Joao Gomes Cravinho about additional ways to back Ukraine, according to a White House readout of the call.“They discussed their shared commitment to supporting Ukraine as it defends its democracy against Russian aggression, as well as the importance of efforts to alleviate the impacts of Russia’s war in Ukraine on global food security,” the readout said.Portugal has provided financial support, military training and temporary status for Ukrainian citizens fleeing the Kremlin’s war.The two officials also discussed U.S. and Portuguese cooperation.Ukraine’s state nuclear generating company said one of its employees at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was killed by Russian shelling in the nearby town of Energodar.“As a result of the shelling of a taxi car in Energodar, an employee of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, Vladyslav Mitin, born in 1996, a mechanic at the thermal automation and measurement shop, was injured,” Energoaton wrote in a statement on the Telegram messaging app. “He was treated, but he died in intensive care in a few hours from his severe injuries. Sincere condolences to the relatives and friends of the deceased,” the company added.cnbc.com