♪ >>> BREAKING OVERNIGHT, THE UKRAINIAN SECURITY SERVICE SAYS IT HAS DETAINED A RUSSIAN WOMAN IN CONNECTION TO A PLOT TO ASSASSINATE PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY. CNN'S NICK PATON WALSH IS LIVE IN SOUTHERN UKRAINE. NICK, WHAT ARE YOU LEARNING ABOUT THIS PLOT AND THE TENSION? >> Reporter: YEAH, LOOK, LITTLE IS KNOWN PARTICULARLY HOW FAR IN ADVANCE THIS WAS. BUT WHAT UKRAINIAN SERVICE IS SAYING THEY DETAINED A RUSSIAN INFORMANT WHO APPEARS TO BE TRYING TO COLLECT INFORMATION ABOUT THE VISIT OF VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINE'S PRESIDENT, TO MYKOLAIV, THAT KEY PORT CITY IN THE SOUTH IN RECENT WEEKS. NOW, SOME OF THE MESSAGES THAT THEY'VE RELEASED, THAT THEY SAY ARE BETWEEN HER AND THE PEOPLE SHE WAS CORRESPONDING WITH SUGGEST PERHAPS SHE COULD TAKE PICTURES, PROVIDE A BIT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE TIME AND PLACE OF THIS VISIT. SHE HAS SAID, SHE'S NOT NAMED AND NOT CLEAR IF SHE'S RUSSIAN OR JUST A RUSSIAN INFORMANT, SAID TO BE A MILITARY WORKER, SOMEONE WHO WORKED IN AN OUTDOOR SHOPS IN CHAR KOOEF, A PENINSULA TOWARDS CRIMEA ON THE SOUTHERN COAST. A KEY REMINDER THAT THERE IS CONSTANTLY A THREAT AGAINST VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY'S LIFE. WE KNOW HE TAKES INORDINATE PRECAUTIONS. BUT STILL DOES GO TO A LOT OF FRONT LINE DESTINATIONS OVER PAST MONTHS TO CORRAL TROOPS IN THOSE PLACES. AND THE UKRAINIAN SECURITY SERVICES TWO VERY ACTIVE IN THE MEDIA OVER THE PAST WEEK OR SO CLAIMING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ATTACKS ON THE CARGO SHIP CARRYING OIL, THE ASSAULT AMPHIBIOUS SHIP, THE BRIDGE TO CRIMEA AS WELL. OVERNIGHT, THOUGH, VICTOR, WE HAVE BEEN HEARING OF MORE STRIKES INSIDE OF UKRAINE. ONE DEAD IN KHERSON FROM SHELLING. BUT ALSO TOO, SUGGESTIONS FROM UKRAINIAN OFFICIALS DRONES TRIED TO GET TOWARDS MOSCOW. THIS NIGHTLY EXCHANGE BETWEEN BOTH SIDES PERSISTING AND A SIGN OF THE GROWING TENSION AND IMPACT ON CIVILIAN LIFE HERE IN UKRAINE AS THE SOUTHERN COUNTEROFFENSIVE PICKS UP PACE. VICTOR? >> NICK PATON WALSH IN SOUTHERN UKRAINE, THANK YOU. UKRAINE'S MILITARY IS NOW CONCERNING STRIKES ON TWO KEY BRIDGES BETWEEN CRIMEA AND RUSSIAN OCCUPIED AREAS NEARBY. UKRAINE SAYS THAT THE TO ROAD BRIDGES, IN THE MAIN TRANSPORTATION ROUTES, FROM RUSSIA IN THE AREA. THE RUSSIAN APPOINTED OFFICIAL IN THE KHERSON REGION CLAIMS THAT THE BRIDGES WERE USED FOR CIVILIAN AND MILITARY TRAFFIC. AND THE RUPTURE TO GAS PIPE CUT OFF SUPPLIES TO 20,000 RESIDENTS. CNN'S CLARE SEBASTIAN JOINS ME NOW IN LONDON WITH THE LATEST. UNCLEAR, SO RUSSIA IS OBVIOUSLY TRYING TO SAY THAT THEY ARE NOT STRIKING MILITARY TARGETS. WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE STRIKES ON THE INFRASTRUCTURE IN CRIMEA? AND ALSO THIS IS PART OF A SPACE ATTACKS THAT WE'VE BEEN SEEING. -- >> YES UKRAINE IS SUDDENLY GETTING BOLDER. AND THEY HAVE BEEN SENDING A MESSAGE, I THINK, THE CRIMEA IS NOT OFF LIMITS. WE'VE SEEN IN RECENT WEEKS, MUCH, AND AMMUNITION DEPOTS IN THE BLACK SEA. AND NOW CLEARLY IN THE PLAYERS. WELL SO LOOK AT THOSE MESSAGING BUT THIS IS A BROUGHT HARD MILITARY STRATEGY. IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN A KEY PART OF RUSSIA'S WAR STRATEGY HERE. AND I THINK JUST LOOKING AT THE MAP IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE WHAT THIS RUSSIAN-BACKED OFFICIAL IS SAYING. THESE ARE CRITICAL LINKS BETWEEN THE PENINSULA SELF AND RUSSIAN OCCUPIED AREAS. JUST TO THE NORTH, THE RUSSIAN HEAD OF CRIMEA KISSING THE NEED TO DIVERT TRAFFIC THROUGH THIS STRIP OF LAND. WITH A MAN ON TO UKRAINE. SO THIS DESTRUCTION AND I THINK THAT WOULD FOCUS ON THE FRONT LINES, CONTINUING TO BE SO, IT IS REALLY UNDERTAKING THIS CONSERVATIVE EFFORT TO EASE THE PRESSURE BY HITTING BEHIND ENEMY LINES AND BY DISRUPTING LOGISTIC OF. >> YOU ALSO HAD REPORTS OF -- MORE THAN TEN, 11, CHINESE COASTAL SHIPS OFF ALASKA. SO THE U.S. NAVY AND THE U.S. MILITARY SAID THAT NAVY DESTROYERS AIM TO MEET THESE VESSELS. NOT A SMALL NUMBER AS YOU SAY. 11 ACCORDING TO THE CENTER IN ALASKA. AND THEY WERE APPARENTLY STAYING IN THE NATIONAL WATERS FOR THE U.S. MILITARY. BUT HERE THE ILLUSION ISLAND. WHICH IS VERY CLOSE, DELUXE. AND NOW CHINESE EMBASSY SPOKE TO US AND THEY DID SAY THAT THIS WAS JUST MARITIME, AND THE TWO COUNTRIES -- CLEARLY THIS IS BEING SEEN BY THE U.S. AS A PROVOCATION BY CHINA AND RUSSIA. ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE INTERNATIONAL SITUATION, GIVEN YES TO BOARD WHEAT TO UKRAINE AND ALL FOUR THOSE -- IT HAPPENED BEFORE WORKABLE OF SHIPS OR SEEN IN THAT ERA. BUT THEY WERE ONLY MET BY U.S. COAST GUARD. NOW THE NATIONAL SECURITY GO TO SING THAT THEY WILL COMMIT THIS TIME. >> AND JUST ANOTHER ONE FOR THE HIGH PROFITABLE TENSIONS THAT ARE REACHING, OUT AND REVERBERATING FROM UKRAINE AS. AND CLARE SEBASTIAN, AS, ALWAYS GREAT TO TALK TO.
