October 31, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz rejected the accusations made by Russia that Ukraine was preparing to use a “so-called dirty bomb” — calling them baseless, according to a readout of the call released by the German Chancellery on Monday.

In a phone call on between the two leaders, Scholz agreed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that independent investigations by the International Atomic Energy Agency would remove any doubt about Ukraine-initiated preparation of such a bomb, the readout said.

The IAEA said Monday that investigators had begun their inspection of two locations that Russia said Ukraine was using to develop such bombs. Agency’s chief Rafael Grossi is expected to provide his initial conclusions later this week.

Scholz also said that Germany will continue to provide “concrete political, financial and humanitarian support to Ukraine” as well as “defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity, including in arms deliveries.”

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday that repair work continues after Russian missile strikes on Ukraine’s power infrastructure — and that a majority of the missiles fired had been brought down by air defenses.

“At this time, restoration works are still ongoing in the regions where Russian missiles hit today. We are doing everything possible to restore energy and water supply,” Zelensky said in his daily video message Monday.

“If someone in the Kremlin has listened to their crazy propagandists and decided that the darkness in Ukraine will help pressure Ukrainians, then let them not be surprised with their losses when they see how Ukrainians are conducting “negotiations” in the dark,” he added.

Zelensky repeated the military’s statement that of the 55 cruise missiles fired, 45 were shot down. 

“For every ten hits, the terrorists have to expend at least four times more missiles,” Zelensky said. “Russia’s performance on drones is even worse, including those supplied by their Iranian allies.”

“The wreckage of a Russian missile that fell on the territory of Moldova only reminds us how important it is to defend ourselves together against this evil,” Zelensky added.

Some context: Several houses were damaged Monday in the Moldovan village of Naslavcea – on the border with Ukraine – after a missile shot down by the Ukrainian forces hit the northern part of the village, according to the Interior Ministry of Moldova.

Experts from the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog agency have started their inspection at two locations that Russia said Ukraine was using to develop “dirty bombs,” a statement from the International Atomic Energy Agency said on Monday. 

Russia has repeatedly claimed that Ukraine is conspiring to use a “dirty bomb” — a device that contains nuclear materials along with traditional explosives — in what Moscow says would be a false flag operation to blame Russia. 

The claims have been rejected by Ukraine as well as its Western allies, including the US and the UK.  

The inspections are being carried out after a written request from Ukraine following Moscow’s claims, the statement said, adding that the agency’s chief Rafael Grossi would provide his “initial conclusions” later this week. 

Russians continue to evacuate civilians from Kherson while fortifying their defenses in the region, a Ukrainian official said. 

“Russian occupiers continue to evacuate the civilian population of Kherson and the west bank of Kherson region. In addition, they are looting all the property they can find — from equipment to ambulances,” said Serhii Khlan, a member of the Kherson Regional Council, said during a Monday briefing.

Ukrainian forces have been making advances along the west bank of the river Dnipro. 

Khlan said the looted property was being taken to the town of Skadovsk, close to Crimea. CNN is unable to verify the claim.

He also said that the Russians were building fortifications further south along the east bank, close to where the Dnipro empties into the Black Sea.

The civilian evacuation zone in the partially Russian-occupied Kherson region has been expanded to 15 kilometers from the river Dnipro, the region’s pro-Russian proxy leader announced on Monday. 

“In connection with the possibility of the use of prohibited methods of war by the Ukrainian regime, as well as available information about the preparation by Kyiv of a massive missile attack on the dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station, there is an immediate danger of flooding of the territory of the Kherson region, massive destruction of civilian infrastructure and a humanitarian catastrophe,” Vladimir Saldo said in a Telegram post. 

“This applies to the settlements of the Nova Kakhovka urban district, Golopristansky, Aleshkinsky, Kakhovka, Gornostaevsky, Velikolepetikhsky and Verkhnerogachiksky municipal districts,” he said.

Saldo claimed that the Kherson region remains under “the reliable protection of the Russian army,” and that the decision to expand the evacuation zone will create “a layered defense that will make it possible to repel the attack of Ukrainian troops and protect civilians.”

The Ukrainian leaders-in-exile of the Kherson region have accused the Russian-backed leaders of drumming up “hysteria” to intimidate the population.

Russian energy giant Gazprom was allowed to inspect the site of the explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines in September, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday.

“Today, (Gazprom CEO Alexey) Miller reported in the morning that it had been examined. By the way, Gazprom was allowed to inspect the site of the explosion,” Putin told journalists at a news conference following meetings with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in the Russian city of Sochi.

Putin described how the pipe that was torn out was “bent at 90 degrees and thrown as far as 40 meters to the side, just in the direction of Nord Stream 2, which also turned out to be damaged, apparently by this explosion and fragments, the remains of this pipe.”

“So this is an obvious terrorist attack, and it’s hard for us to control it, because it’s all in the special economic zone of Denmark, Sweden, then beyond Germany,” the Russian president said.

More background: In September, European countries raced to investigate unexplained leaks in two Russian gas pipelines running under the Baltic Sea near Sweden and Denmark. 

Both pipelines have been flashpoints in an escalating energy war between European capitals and Moscow that has pummelled major Western economies, sent gas prices soaring and sparked a hunt for alternative energy supplies.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that Moscow’s fresh onslaught on Ukraine earlier in the day was partly in response to the attack on Russia’s fleet in the Crimean city of Sevastopol on Saturday, which he blamed on Kyiv.

When asked by a reporter if Monday’s strikes were a response to Saturday’s drone attacks in Crimea, Putin said:

Russia launched missile attacks on infrastructure facilities in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, leaving parts of the capital without electricity and water. 

When asked about the possibility of peace talks with Ukraine, Putin said: “In order to start making proposals at the talks, the talks need to take place first. And laying out your negotiating position on the table in advance is not always advisable in order to achieve your national goals.” 

“But in order to achieve agreements, you need to sit down at the negotiating table and negotiate,” he added.

The Russian leader blamed Ukraine for throwing “in the bin” the agreement reached in Istanbul earlier this year while signing the Black Sea grain export deal. 

“And now, in general, they forbid themselves to talk with us. Well, how can we now discuss possible agreements if there is not even a desire on the other side to talk to us? We will wait, maybe some necessary conditions will ripen. And our goodwill is known — it is not subject to any changes and doubts,” he added. 

President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that Russia was suspending but “not ending” its participation in the vital Black Sea grain export deal with Ukraine.

Russia’s decision came after “the creation of a threat” to the humanitarian corridor, Putin said at a news conference following meetings with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in the southern Russian city of Sochi.

Russia on Saturday announced that it was suspending its involvement in the UN-brokered agreement viewed as key to addressing the global food shortage.

Moscow said it was leaving the deal after blaming Ukraine for a drone attack on Crimea on Saturday. Kyiv accused Russia of inventing “fictitious terrorist attacks” and using the deal as “blackmail.”

“The whole process of exporting grain from Ukraine’s territory was organized under the pretext of ensuring the interests of the poorest countries. And we did this precisely in the interests of the poorest countries,” Putin said.

The European Union on Monday condemned Russia’s decision to suspend participation in the UN-brokered agreement on the Black Sea Grain initiative.

“Russia’s unjustified decision to suspend its participation in the UN Black Sea Grain Initiative obstructs the export of much needed grain to address the global food crisis,” said a statement by the EU’s Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell said.

“Russia is solely responsible for the global food security crisis it has caused by its unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine and its blockade of Ukrainian sea ports,” it said.

On Saturday, Russia’s defense ministry said it would suspend participation in the grain deal after drone attacks on the Crimean city of Sevastopol.

The EU said that since the beginning of Russia’s war in Ukraine, Moscow has been “weaponizing food and hunger.”

It added:

The Black Sea deal was brokered in July by the United Nations and Turkey.

Despite Russia’s decision to pull out, Kyiv said 12 vessels were able to leave Ukraine’s Black Sea ports as of Monday morning.

The US is “tracking reports of an alleged attack against Russian navy vessels in Sevastopol,” and confirmed there “were explosions there,” a senior US military official told reporters Monday. Sevastopol is a city in Crimea on the Black Sea.  

“We do assess that there were explosions there, but I’m not going to have a damage assessment to share nor am I going to have any further information to provide in terms of what may have caused these explosions,” the senior US military official said.

The official would not say whether any US coastal vessels were involved or what caused the explosions when asked.  

Russia “continues to conduct missile strikes against Ukraine’s infrastructure to include their power grid, which has caused widespread power outages,” the official added. 

Tensions are rising over the future of the Black Sea grain corridor, with Russia claiming that the corridor is suspended and Ukraine insisting it is committed to its continuation.

After Russia decided to suspend its participation in the grain agreement over the weekend, the United Nations, Turkey and Ukraine agreed on the further movement of merchant shipping through the corridor for Monday.

Satellite and other shipping data show about a dozen ships still using the corridor, despite Russia’s warning that to do so would be “risky.”

Late Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had spoken with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and confirmed Ukraine’s “commitment to the Grain Deal. We’re ready to remain a guarantor of🌎food safety,” Zelensky tweeted. “The reaction of the world & 🇺🇳 must be tough!”

Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry said that the movement of ships along the security corridor defined by the Black Sea Grain Initiative was “suspended” following the attack on the Crimean port of Sevastopol at the weekend. 

“Until the situation around the terrorist attack committed by Ukraine on October 29 against warships and civilian ships in the city of Sevastopol is clarified, traffic along the security corridor defined by the Black Sea Initiative has been suspended,” the Ministry said.

Ukraine has not commented on the drone attacks against Sevastopol.

“The movement of vessels along the security corridor is not possible, since the Ukrainian leadership and the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine use it to conduct military operations against the Russian Federation,” the ministry said.

Ukraine has claimed that it eliminated about 90% of the Russian missiles used in multiple attacks on its infrastructure Monday.

The military’s General Staff said that “the enemy attacked military and civilian infrastructure facilities with 55 aircraft guided missiles, 45 of which were shot down by our defenders.”

In its operational update Monday, the General Staff said that Russian forces continued unsuccessfully to attack parts of Donetsk region, mainly the areas around Bakhmut and Avdiivka. 

Moldova has declared a representative of the Russian embassy in Chisinau as persona non grata, Moldova’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement Monday. 

The ministry said that the person in question, who was not identified in the statement, would be “ forced to leave the territory of the Republic of Moldova.”

The ministry also said it communicated its decision to the Russian side and the Russian ambassador in Chisinau on Monday.

The decision comes as missile attacks on Ukraine “continue to escalate the security risks” and as “the citizens of our country are increasingly feeling the disastrous effects of the war,” the ministry said. 

It added that attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure “generate increasing threats” to Moldova’s energy security.

Some more context: Earlier on Monday, several houses were damaged in the Moldovan village of Naslavcea – on the border with Ukraine – after a missile shot down by the Ukrainian forces hit the northern part of the village, according to the Interior Ministry of Moldova.

As a result, access to the area was restricted and the number of police patrols was increased. A team led by a prosecutor was working on the scene, the Interior Ministry said earlier on Monday.

The property of people and legal entities in Crimea “associated with the Kyiv regime” would be “nationalized,” Russian-backed authorities in Crimea announced on Monday.

“I gave instructions to nationalize the property of a number of organizations and individuals associated with the Kyiv regime located on the territory of the Republic of Crimea. The corresponding decision will be signed by me tomorrow, we will send the documents to the state council of the republic,” the Russian-appointed head of annexed Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov, said in a Telegram post.

He said the properties include some of the biggest steel and shipbuilding plants in Crimea.

According to Aksyonov, no layoffs are planned at the facilities that would be “nationalized,” however, shareholders “who carried out the will of their leaders in Kyiv” will be deprived of their positions.

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar held a phone conversation with his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu on Monday to discuss Russia’s decision to suspend its participation in the United Nations-brokered grain export deal with Ukraine. 

According to a press release by the Turkish Defense Ministry, Akar asked for the continuation of the grain initiative, “which makes a great contribution to the solution of the global food crisis and shows that all problems can be solved with cooperation and dialogue.”

Akar also asked for the Russian decision to be “reconsidered,” according to the press release.

A statement from the Russian side said that the suspension “of the implementation of agreements on the export of agricultural products from Ukrainian ports as part of the Black Sea Grain Initiative” was discussed, without providing further details.

Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, has said that Ukrainian diplomats “are in constant contact with their partners” to try to get assistance and equipment to repair damage to Ukraine’s critical infrastructure.

Kuleba said Ukraine was in touch with the European Union and NATO as well as several governments. It had already concluded agreements in 12 countries to obtain nearly 1,000 units of power equipment, including generators. “We continue to work on increasing the number of partners and the volume of support,” he said.

The UK warned that there would be “severe consequences” for Russia if leaders chose to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said on Monday.

“The House will have noted Putin’s irresponsible talk about nuclear weapons, and absurd claim that Ukraine plans to detonate a radiological dirty bomb on its own territory,” Cleverly said in a statement to the House of Commons.

“No other country is talking about nuclear use. No country is threatening Russia or President [Vladimir] Putin,” he added.

“He should be clear that for the UK and our allies, any use at all of nuclear weapons would fundamentally change the nature of this conflict. There would be severe consequences for Russia,” the foreign secretary said.

Cleverly said Putin was “exacting revenge” for his military failures on the civilians of Ukraine by cutting off their power and water supply and “on the poorest people in the world by threatening their food supplies.”

He continued to say that 60% of the wheat exported under the Black Sea grain sea initiative has gone to low- and middle-income countries and it would be “unconscionable” for those lands to be “made to suffer” because of “Putin’s setbacks in Ukraine.”

“I urge Russia to stop impeding this vital initiative that is helping feed the hungry across the world and agree to its extension,” he said.

Russia suspended its participation in the grain deal on Saturday, after what it claimed was a drone attack by Ukraine on its Black Sea fleet in the Crimean city of Sevastopol. 

The Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF) will petition FIFA to ban Iran from the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

The UAF announced their intentions Monday based on Iran’s history of human rights violations in the country and the alleged involvement of Iran in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

If Iran was dropped from the competition, Ukraine could serve as a replacement team due to qualifying results.

A statement published on the UAF website notes that the decision to file the request was made at a meeting of their Executive Committee. 

The statement reads, “The UAF Executive Committee decided… Taking into account media information about systematic human rights violations in Iran, which may violate the principles and norms of the FIFA Statutes, taking into account the UN Security Council Resolution 2231 regarding the imposition of sanctions on Iran and the possible involvement of Iran in the military aggression of Russia against Ukraine, to make a request to the FIFA to consider excluding the Iranian national team from the 2022 FIFA World Cup.”

FIFA declined to comment on the matter when reached out to by CNN.

CNN reached out to the UFA to confirm whether their request has already been filed but did not immediately hear back.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup begins on Nov. 20. Iran’s first match is against England on Nov. 21.

The UFA press release also called for FIFA and UEFA to take “urgent measures” against the Russian Football Union “in the form of the membership exclusion from FIFA and UEFA.”

Norway, one of the few NATO countries sharing a land border with Russia, is to further strengthen its military preparedness, the Norwegian government announced on Monday.

The country would expand its “presence and patrols around critical infrastructure in the North Sea,” and “critical infrastructure on land,” Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said.

Announcing the new measures at a news conference in Oslo, he said that the increased level of activity was to ensure Norway is “well prepared, and able to act,” as the country faces its “most serious security policy situation we have experienced in several decades.”

He said the decision was made based on advice from the country’s chief of defence.

“The war in Ukraine makes it necessary for all NATO countries to be more vigilant,” the prime minister said.

Støre stressed that “nothing has happened in the last 24 hours or in the last few days to cause us to step this up right now.”

“It is the developments over time, that makes us take this step,” he added.

Speaking alongside the prime minister, Norwegian Chief of Defence Eirik Kristoffersen said he expected the increased level of preparedness to last for at least a year.

“The most important task of the armed forces is to preserve our peace and security, and to prevent conflict,” Kristoffersen said.

The army general explained that “in order to solve this task, we must adapt our activity to the situation we find ourselves in at any given time,” and the country’s military would start “reprioritizing parts of our planned activities in order to strengthen our readiness.”

Russia’s ministry of defense said that all partial mobilization activities, including summons delivery, have been suspended, according to a statement published on Monday.

The ministry said that “all activities related to conscription for military service” have been stopped.

According to the statement, from now on military units will only be accepting volunteers and contractors.

The ministry added that on behalf of the Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, the commanders of military districts and the Northern Fleet were sent orders to submit the reports on the completion of partial mobilization activities by the 1st of November.

The ministry’s announcement does not constitute an official end to Putin’s partial mobilization. This can only be done with an official decree from the Russian President.

About 270,000 apartments in Kyiv remain without electricity following Russia’s missile attacks earlier Monday, Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko says, adding that 40% of the capital’s consumers remain without water supply.

Water supply to the east bank of the city had been restored and restoration work for the right (west) bank of the capital is underway, Klitschko said on Telegram.

“Power engineers plan to stabilize the situation with the electricity supply at about 9-10 pm,” Klitschko said. “But even after the resumption of electricity supply, power cuts will still be applied. Because the situation is difficult.”

Klitschko said that to conserve electricity, the intervals between subway trains would be longer, starting Tuesday.

Following another day of heavy attacks by Russian missile forces, the Ukrainian air force has appealed for accelerated delivery of modern air defenses from western partners.

Speaking on Ukrainian television, Yurii Ihnat, spokesperson of the Air Force Command, said: “We need air defense. Those systems that we have already mentioned, the [German-made] IRIS-T, we need more of them.”

So far Germany has supplied Ukraine with one IRIS-T.

“This system works and it worked today, and worked with a 100% result,” Ihnat said. “And we want the Germans to increase production.”

Ihnat also mentioned the US-made NASAMS system. which is due to be delivered to Ukraine. “These are two batteries. We need more.”

He also said that Ukraine needed more of older systems such as the US-made HAWK ground-to-air missile.

Spain said earlier this month it would provide some of its HAWK systems to Ukraine.

Some more context: Russian launched more than 50 cruise missiles against Ukraine on Monday, the Ukrainian air force said on Telegram.

“At 7:00 a.m. on October 31, the Russian occupiers launched several waves of missile attacks on critical infrastructure facilities in Ukraine,” the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said.

“More than 50 X-101/X-555 cruise missiles were launched from the Tu-95/Tu-160 strategic aviation missile-carrying aircraft north of the Caspian Sea and the Volgodonsk region (Rostov region). 44 cruise missiles were destroyed by the forces and means of the Air Force in the areas of responsibility of the “Center” air command - 18, the “South” air command - 12, the “East” air command - 9, the “West” air command - 5!”

A wave of Russian strikes hit critical infrastructure in Kyiv and cities across Ukraine on Monday.

Dmytro Sakharuk, executive director of Ukrainian energy company DTEK, says that after the last wave of Russian missile strikes it’s not possible to say how long power outages will last.

Depending on the damage, Sakharuk said, power cuts “might last 6, 7, 8 hours.”

“If the damage is critical and there’s no other reserve of power supply to consumers, then it might take even longer. We have to be ready. The schedules that we’ve made for the power cuts are 4-6 hours.”

Sakharuk told Ukrainian television: “Unfortunately, we have already used up the stock of equipment that we had in our warehouses after the first two waves of attacks that have been taking place since October 10. We were able to purchase some equipment. But unfortunately, the cost of the equipment is now measured in hundreds of millions of dollars.”

Russia has summoned Dutch ambassador in Moscow, Gilles Beschoor Plug, over what it says was an attempt by foreign intelligence services to recruit the military attaché of the Russian Embassy in The Hague earlier this month, according to a statement published by the Russian Foreign Ministry on Monday.

“He was issued a notice of strong protest in connection with the recruitment approach of the military attaché of the Russian Embassy in The Hague on October 20 this year by a representative of the British intelligence services. During the conversation, it was emphasized that such provocative actions are unacceptable,” the statement reads.

The Russian ministry said that “such unfriendly actions” lead to further destabilization of bilateral relations. 

The ministry claimed that there were several such provocations committed by foreign intelligence services in recent years in the Netherlands.

It added that the Dutch authorities and law enforcement agencies “not only do not stop such illegal actions but also participate in them themselves,” trying to spy on Russian diplomats or recruit them.

CNN has contacted the Dutch authorities for comment.

Russian forces targeted key Ukrainian energy infrastructure with intense shelling on Monday, disrupting residents’ power and water ahead of a harsh winter.

Here are the latest developments:

Germany has condemned Russia’s decision to suspend its participation in the United Nations-brokered grain export deal with Ukraine, accusing Moscow of weaponizing hunger.

Government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit said during a regular government press conference on Monday that using “hunger as a weapon” by suspending grain deliveries is “deeply despicable,” calling on Russia to resume its participation and consider an extension of the deal.

The grain deal has made more than seven million tons of grain available on world markets according to government spokesperson Andrea Sasse.

“We are doing everything in our power to ensure that transport by sea remains possible,“ the spokesperson said, adding that land transport will be continued.

German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said in a tweet Monday that “Russia must not get away with this!“ and that Europe is “committed to stability - also in the food supply.”

Russia’s decision to pull out of the UN-brokered agreement that guaranteed safe passage for ships carrying vital grain exports from Ukraine has sparked “grave concerns” over global food supply at a time when the world is already facing a growing hunger crisis.

Ukraine plays a key role in the global food market. The country normally supplies the world with around 45 million tonnes of grain every year, according to the UN. It ranks among the top five global exporters of barley, corn and wheat. It’s also by far the biggest exporter of sunflower oil, accounting for 46% of the world’s exports.

When Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in late February, it effectively imposed a blockade on ships leaving Ukraine’s ports. The impact of the war on global food markets was imminent and extremely painful, especially because Ukraine is a major supplier of grain to the World Food Program. The Food and Agriculture Organization, an UN body, said that as many as 47 million people could be pushed into “acute food insecurity” because of the war.

The Black Sea deal provided much-needed relief. The UN estimates that the reduction of prices for staple foods as a result of the deal has indirectly prevented some 100 million people from falling into extreme poverty. As of Monday, more than 9.5 million metric tonnes of foodstuffs had been exported under the deal since it came into effect in the summer, it added.

Immediate impact of Russia’s withdrawal: Prices of wheat and corn on global commodities markets rose on Monday. Wheat futures on the Chicago Board of Trade jumped 5.5% on Monday to $8.74 a bushel. Corn futures were up 2.3% to $6.96 a bushel. Palm oil futures trading in Malaysia also rose, Reuters reported, on fears over the potential impact on exports of Ukrainian sunflower oil.

Russia launched a fresh round of missile strikes across Ukraine on Monday, leaving many residents in Kyiv without access to water and electricity.

As Ukrainians prepare for a harsh winter ahead, CNN’s team on the ground spoke to residents in the capital about how they are coping after eight grueling months of war.

Halashan Viktor, 70, lives on the fifth floor of an apartment block, where intense shelling disrupted water access.

“Not having water is fine, we can handle this. (The) main idea (is) that our troops will get us closer to victory soon,” he said.

Viktor said he was “really worried” about shelling during the first weeks of Russia’s invasion in February and March.

“I was (a) bit concerned during (the) first days of war, but my military service … got me stronger.

“(I) was really worried about my kids and shelling during (the) first month, but now I’m okay,” he added.

Oleksandr Nechepuriak, a local office worker, said that it was the first time that the water had run out recently, adding “it’s a bit concerning for us, cause we need to get (the) office running.”

Another resident, Yana Lysenko, said her Monday morning “started horribly” after her water stopped following Russia’s attacks.

“I have a 4-year-old child, so of course I feel stressed,” the 31-year-old mother said.

“We don’t have water right now, but we do have electricity. We hope that the services will restore everything very quickly.

“Such terrorist actions targeting water and electricity supply, I believe, do not scare people anymore,” Lysenko added.

Russia’s fresh barrage of missile strikes in Ukraine on Monday hit key infrastructure facilities in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities.

“Electric substations, hydropower and heat generation facilities were hit by rocket fire” on Monday morning, said Ukrainian energy minister Herman Halushchenko on Facebook, describing it as a “barbaric attack.”

There was a partial blackout in many regions, he said, adding that emergency power outage schedules were introduced for consumers in Kyiv, Cherkasy, Zaporizhzhia, Kirovohrad, Kharkiv and Poltava regions. 

Without Russia guaranteeing navigation safety, continuing the Black Sea grain deal “is hardly feasible,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Monday on a regular call with reporters, calling such a scenario “much more risky” and “dangerous.”

At the moment, Russia continues grain contacts with the Turkish side, as well as with the UN, through diplomatic channels, Peskov added.

Remember: Russia announced it will suspend its participation in the United Nations-brokered grain export deal with Ukraine “for an indefinite period of time” after Moscow blamed Kyiv for the drone attacks on the Crimean city of Sevastopol. CNN cannot independently verify Russia’s report. A top Ukrainian official on Saturday accused Russia of inventing “fictitious terrorist attacks” on its own facilities in Crimea and also blamed Moscow of “blackmail.” The deal is set to expire next month, and Moscow officials have cast doubt on whether they will extend their participation.

Asked about Russia’s conditions for resuming the deal, Kremlin spokesperson Peskov declined to comment on Monday.

Meanwhile, 12 vessels left Ukraine’s Black Sea ports on Monday despite Russia’s withdrawal.

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar plans to talk with his Russian counterpart on Monday, following Moscow’s decision to withdraw from the United Nations-brokered grain export deal with Ukraine.

Akar will hold discussions with Ukrainian authorities as well as Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Monday evening, the Turkish Defense Ministry said in a statement.

“Suspending this initiative will not benefit Russia, Ukraine or anyone else. We are continuing our discussions with the Minister of Defense of Ukraine and the Minister of Defense of Russia. We will talk to them and try to ensure that this initiative continues.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told an audience earlier on Monday that Ankara is determined to try and keep the Black Sea grain initiative alive, despite Moscow’s withdrawal.

Turkey and the UN negotiated the deal in July to help alleviate the effects of Russia’s invasion on Ukraine on a worsening global food crisis, with Western officials accusing Moscow of using food as a weapon in the war.

At least 10 Russian missiles were shot down over Kyiv early on Monday, according to a local official.

“The police of the Kyiv region are now discovering debris from downed rockets of the occupiers in various areas of the region,” regional police chief Andrii Nebytov said on Telegram.

“Air defence forces shot down at least 10 enemy missiles.”

Oleksii Kuleba, head of Kyiv region military administration, said the strikes “hit critical infrastructure targets” and two people had been injured – one seriously.

Moscow launched renewed strikes targeting critical energy facilities in Ukraine on Monday, disrupting power access across the country.

The missiles that rained down on Ukraine on Monday morning were launched from Soviet-era Tu-95 and Tu-160 bombers that took off from Russia’s Rostov region and over the Caspian Sea, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian air force said on TV.

There had been “several waves of missile launches,” said Yurii Ihnat, spokesperson of the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces, repeating the claim that Ukraine had shot down “a really high percentage” – 44 – of the more than 50 missiles fired.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces targeted Ukraine’s “military command and energy systems” in strikes on Monday.

“The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continued strikes with high-precision long-range air and sea-based weapons against Ukraine’s military command and energy systems,” the ministry said on Monday. “All assigned objects have been hit.”

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian government said that Russia’s targets had been energy infrastructure and “not military facilities,” adding that a large number of missiles had been intercepted.

A fresh round of missile strikes launched by Moscow hit infrastructure in major cities across Ukraine on Monday and disrupted residents’ access to power and water.

Moscow’s fresh wave of strikes on Ukraine Monday hit 10 regions and damaged 18 facilities, “most of them energy-related,” according to Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

“Their target was not military facilities, but civilian critical infrastructure,” Shmyhal said on Telegram.

“Hundreds of settlements in seven regions” had lost power and engineers were “working at full capacity” to repair the damage, he added.

Emergency power outages were ongoing in the regions of Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv, Shmyhal said.

The recent shelling has damaged critical infrastructure in major cities across the country, disrupting power and water to Ukrainian residents as the country gears up for the winter season.

The windows of several houses in a Moldovan village were broken after a Russian missile shot down by Ukrainian forces crossed the border, according to Moldova’s interior ministry.

“This morning, a missile shot down by the Ukrainian anti-aircraft system fell in the northern end of the village of Naslavcea in the Republic of Moldova,” the ministry said in a statement.

Naslavcea is located in northern Moldova, on the border with Ukraine. A government taskforce is on the scene and all protective measures have been taken following the incident, according to the statement.

The ministry said the Ukrainian side informed them Monday morning that there was a drone attack on the Dniester Hydroelectric Station – which is on the territory of Ukraine and at a distance of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from the Naslavcea dam – targeting energy infrastructure.

“Ukrainian authorities announce that there is no danger of flooding,” the statement continued.

On Monday morning, a series of Russian missile attacks were launched on key infrastructure across Ukraine, leaving parts of the capital, Kyiv, without electricity and water.

More areas of Kyiv will have their water supply restored within hours, according to the city’s mayor, after it was halted by Monday’s Russian attacks.

“We will return the water supply to the consumers of the east bank of Kyiv and partially the west bank in three to four hours,” Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram.

He added that power to the Desnianskyi district on Kyiv’s east bank has been “partially restored.”

A spate of missile strikes from Russia hit critical infrastructure on Monday, directly impacting Ukrainian residents’ ability to access power, water and the internet.

A Russian missile struck an industrial enterprise in Kryvyi Rih, in the Dnipropetrovsk region of central Ukraine, on Monday, according to the city’s mayor.

“During the morning missile attack, two missiles were shot down (thanks to the Air Defense Forces), and one cruise missile hit an industrial enterprise,” Oleksandr Vilkul said on Telegram.

There were no casualties reported.

The Kremlin launched renewed strikes targeting key infrastructure in major Ukrainian cities on Monday, disrupting power supplies across the country.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Ankara is determined to try and keep the Black Sea grain initiative alive, despite Moscow’s withdrawal from the agreement.

“One third of the world’s wheat is produced by Russia and Ukraine. You are the closest witnesses of our efforts to deliver this wheat to the countries facing the threat of famine,” Erdogan told an audience at the 8th Turkish Medicine Congress in Istanbul on Monday.

“We provided 9.3 million tons of Ukrainian wheat to the world and helped to relatively ease food crisis by founding the Joint Coordination Center. Although Russia is hesitant in this regard, because they are not provided with the same facilitation, we will continue our efforts with determination for the service of humanity,” he added.

The Turkish leader’s statement came after Russia announced on Saturday it will suspend its participation in the United Nations-brokered grain export deal with Ukraine, after alleging drone attacks on the Crimean city of Sevastopol.

Twelve vessels left Ukraine’s Black Sea ports on Monday despite Russia’s departure from the deal, Oleksandr Kubrakov, the Minister of Infrastructure, tweeted.

Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine has been linked to a worsening global food crisis.

The World Food Programme estimated that tens of millions of people moved into a stage of acute hunger as a consequence of the Ukraine war, while Western officials have accused Russia of using food as a weapon during its invasion.

The mayor of Kyiv has called on residents to stow away water from stores and pumping stations, after a Russian attack on a nearby power facility left a large percentage of the capital’s population without water on Monday. 

“Just in case, we ask you to stock up on water from the nearest pumps and points of sale. Specialists are doing everything possible to return water to the apartments of Kyiv residents.”

A water supply company based in the capital has published a map showing the locations of pumps that are still operational.

Moscow targeted a fresh wave of missile strikes at critical infrastructure in major Ukrainian cities on Monday, also disrupting power supplies across the country.

The dozen vessels that left Ukrainian ports carrying food on Monday contained 354,500 tons of grain and other agricultural products, according to the country’s Ministry of Infrastructure.

“12 ships with 354.5 thousand tons of agricultural products left the Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Pivdennyi sea ports today for the needs of Africa, Asia, and Europe,” the ministry said on Facebook, noting that one vessel – the Ikaria Angel – was chartered by the UN’s World Food Programme and destined for Ethiopia.

The post said that UN and Turkish representatives were continuing to negotiate with Moscow “for the full implementation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative,” after Russia withdrew from the UN-brokered deal on Saturday.

Russian attacks on Ukraine’s second largest city of Kharkiv have disrupted residents’ water supply and halted most subway train services, according to its mayor, amid a fresh round of missile strikes targeting key Ukrainian infrastructure Monday.

“The blow fell on a critical infrastructure facility, resulting in the subway and ground electric transport being de-energized,” Mayor Ihor Terekhov, said on Telegram.

“At the moment, we have managed to launch the Kholodnohirsko-Zavodska (subway) line, and we have replaced trolleybuses and trams with buses.”

Engineers are working to resume water supply to the homes of local residents, Terekhov added.

Twelve vessels left Ukraine’s Black Sea ports on Monday, despite Russia withdrawing from the UN-brokered grain deal at the weekend, a Ukrainian official said.

Oleksandr Kubrakov, the country’s infrastructure minister, said the UN and Turkey would inspect the ships – a process that takes place near the Turkish city of Istanbul. Moscow had been informed, he added.

“Today 12 (ship)s left (Ukrainian) ports. @UN & (Turkish) delegations provide 10 inspection teams to inspect 40 (ship)s aiming to fulfill the #BlackSeaGrainInitiative. This inspection plan has been accepted by the (Ukrainian) delegation,” Kubrakov tweeted.

One of the ships that set sail on Monday was loaded with 40,000 tons of grain, destined for Ethiopia, he added.

The minister said that four vessels were also en route to Ukraine after being inspected in the Bosphorus Strait on Sunday, by a team that included representatives from the UN, Turkey, Ukraine and Russia.

His update followed an announcement from the UN Sunday that 12 vessels would leave Ukraine through the maritime corridor on October 31.

The Kremlin announced Saturday it would halt its participation in the grain export deal with Kyiv after drone attacks on the Crimean city of Sevastopol.

Russia’s decision to pull out of the agreement prompted concern from Western officials, after the World Food Programme estimated that tens of millions of people moved into a stage of acute hunger as a consequence of the Ukraine war.

Russian forces launched “more than 50 cruise missiles against Ukraine” and 44 of them were intercepted, Ukraine’s air force said in a Telegram post Monday.

“At 7:00 a.m. on October 31, the Russian occupiers launched several waves of missile attacks on critical infrastructure facilities in Ukraine,” the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said. 

“More than 50 X-101/X-555 cruise missiles were launched from the Tu-95/Tu-160 strategic aviation missile-carrying aircraft north of the Caspian Sea and the Volgodonsk region (Rostov region).”

A wave of Russian strikes hit critical infrastructure in Kyiv and cities across Ukraine on Monday. 

The air force added that it had destroyed 44 cruise missiles.

An attack on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv this morning hit an energy facility that powered 350,000 apartments in the capital, mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram. 

“Energy workers are working on restoring power supply after a facility powering 350,000 apartments has been damaged,” he said.

Emergency services as well as specialists from DTEK, the country’s largest private energy company, and Ukrainian energy operator Ukrenergo were “doing their best to stabilize the situation as soon as possible,” Klitschko added.

Explosions were heard in Kyiv early on Monday, according to CNN teams on the ground. Parts of the city are without electricity and water, following power outages caused by Russian attacks over the weekend which officials say would take weeks to repair.

Ukrainian Railways said that 80% of their trains were continuing to run as scheduled, despite a wave of attacks on the country’s critical infrastructure Monday morning. 

The company said reserve diesel locomotives were being brought out and that all trains would continue to run.  

Some trains departing from the capital Kyiv however have been delayed, the company said, including routes from the capital to Dnipro, Uzhhorod, and Kramatorsk. 

Strikes on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure were reported across the country Monday, including in the central regions of Kyiv, Cherkasy, and Kirovohrad, the eastern region of Kharkiv, and the southern region of Zaphorizhzhia. 

Russian rocket attacks hit critical infrastructure facilities in Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhia region on Monday, Ukrainian officials said.

“Today, at approximately 8:00 a.m., the enemy launched rocket attacks on Zaporizhzhia,” said head of the Zaporizhzhia regional military administration Oleksandr Starukh on Telegram.

No casualties have been reported and emergency services are at the scene of the attacks, he added.

Starukh said the rockets were believed to have been launched from aircraft and power outages and more strikes were possible.

Ukrainian forces fought off a “fierce assault” by Russian troops in the eastern city of Donetsk on Sunday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his daily televised briefing. 

Russian troops have continued a months-long attempt to seize strategically important parts of Ukraine’s east, including the city of Bakhmut, which has seen some of the fiercest fighting in the region.

Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of the Donetsk region military administration, said five people were killed in Donetsk on Sunday — four in Bakhmut and one in Sviatohirsk. Two others were injured, he said on Telegram on Monday.

Parts of Ukraine’s capital Kyiv are without electricity and water after critical infrastructure facilities were hit, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram Monday. 

Explosions were heard in Kyiv early on Monday, according to CNN teams in the city.

Power outages caused by Russian attacks continued in Kyiv over the weekend. Klitschko said earlier it will take weeks to repair electrical systems.

Russian missiles struck key infrastructure facilities in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv and the central region of Cherkasy, Ukrainian officials said Monday. 

Kharkiv’s Mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram that two missiles hit a critical infrastructure facility in the city. 

Parts of the Cherkasy region have lost power after a critical infrastructure facility was hit, regional military administration head Ihor Taburets said.

Some context: Ukrainian officials believe Russia’s countrywide drone and cruise missile attacks are being carefully orchestrated to target important infrastructure as Ukraine heads into winter. By hitting thermal power stations, electricity sub-stations, transformers and pipelines, Russian forces have been directly impacting Ukrainians’ ability to access power, water and the internet.

Explosions were heard in Kyiv early on Monday morning, according to CNN teams in the Ukrainian capital.

Air raid sirens also sounded across the city, the Kyiv Regional State Administration said on Telegram. Air defense systems were working and people have been asked to stay indoors in shelters and other safe places, the administration added.

It comes after a week of power outages in the capital and other parts of Ukraine caused by Russian attacks on the country’s power infrastructure.

The United Nations, Ukraine and Turkey have agreed to move 16 vessels on Monday under the Black Sea grain agreement, the Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) in Istanbul said on Sunday evening.

The plan comes a day after Russia announced the decision to suspend its participation in the UN-brokered grain export deal with Ukraine after drone attacks on the Crimean city of Sevastopol.

The UN delegation, in its capacity as JCC Secretariat, “has informed the delegation of the Russian Federation on the movements in accordance with the JCC established procedures. As per JCC procedures, all participants coordinate with their respective military and other relevant authorities to ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels under the Black Sea Grain Initiative,” the JCC said in a statement.

The JCC said it had not yet received a response from Russia to the plan for Monday, which includes the passage of 12 outbound and four inbound ships. 

The head of the United States Agency for International Development urged Russia to continue its participation in the United Nations-brokered Black Sea grain deal, writing that “the world cannot afford for Putin to continue to use food as a weapon of war.”

“Russia’s comments about suspending its participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative are regrettable. This life-saving agreement between Russia, Ukraine, and Turkey, brokered in July by the United Nations, has allowed the export of more than nine million metric tons of grain and other food products to populations around the world in the midst of a devastating global food crisis,” USAID Administrator Samantha Power wrote in a statement Sunday.

She touted the “tremendous success” of the deal so far, crediting it with lowering global food prices and providing relief to those “most vulnerable to severe hunger.”

“The United States and our allies and partners remain clear: the Black Sea Grain Initiative must continue and be extended. Any attempt to undermine the agreement is an attack on hungry families around the world whose lives and livelihoods are dependent on this initiative,” Power wrote.

Remember: Moscow announced it was leaving the grain deal after blaming Ukraine for a drone attack on Crimea Saturday. Kyiv has accused Russia of inventing “fictitious terrorist attacks” and using the deal as “blackmail.”

Russia is blocking grain that would feed more than 7 million people on a “false pretext,” Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said.

“By suspending its participation in the grain deal on a false pretext of explosions 220 kilometers away from the grain corridor, Russia blocks 2 million tons of grain on 176 vessels already at sea — enough to feed over 7 million people,” Kuleba tweeted Sunday. 

On Saturday, Russia announced it would suspend its participation in the United Nations-brokered grain export deal with Ukraine after drone attacks on the Crimean city of Sevastopol. 

“The current queue with grain has accumulated in the Black Sea since September, when Russia started deliberately delaying the functioning of the corridor and seeking to undermine the deal. Russia took the decision to resume its hunger games long ago and now tries to justify it,” Kuleba said. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the decision of Russia to suspend its participation from the grain export deal with Ukraine “deliberate” and “a rather predictable statement” in his nightly address Saturday.

“This is not the decision they made today,” Zelensky said. “Russia began deliberately exacerbating the food crisis back in September, when it blocked the movement of ships with our food.”

That echoes previous charges he’s made about Russian interference with the program before Moscow officially backed out.

“How can Russia be among the others in the G20 if it is deliberately working to ensure starvation on several continents? This is nonsense. Russia has no place in the ‘twenty,’” Zelensky added.

Zelensky called on “a strong international reaction” to Russia’s suspension from the grain deal, in particular from the UN and the G20.

Russia will suspend its participation in the United Nations-brokered grain export deal with Ukraine after drone attacks on the Crimean city of Sevastopol, the country’s defense ministry announced Saturday.

Moscow blames Kyiv for the attacks. CNN cannot independently verify Russia’s report.

A top Ukrainian official on Saturday accused Russia of inventing “fictitious terrorist attacks” on its own facilities in Crimea and also blamed Moscow of “blackmail.”

The Russian foreign ministry said the country has suspended its participation for an “indefinite period of time.”

“Taking into account the act of terrorism committed by the Kyiv regime with the participation of British experts on October 29 this year against the ships of the Black Sea Fleet and civil vessels involved in the security of the ‘grain corridor,’ the Russian side suspends its participation in the implementation of the agreements on the export of agricultural products from the Ukrainian ports,” the Russian defense ministry added in a statement.

The United Kingdom has denied Moscow’s claim that Britain helped Ukraine plan the Crimean drone attacks, saying Russia is “peddling false claims of an epic scale.”

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