October 31, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

Our live coverage of Russia’s war in Ukraine has moved here.

Olaf Scholz speaks to the media in Berlin on October 31.

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.”

Smoke rises on the outskirts of Kyiv during a Russian missile attack on October 31.

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.

“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. 

A village hall lies in ruins after being destroyed during fighting between Ukrainian and Russian occupying forces, on October 30, in Kherson, Ukraine.

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. 

“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 speaks at a press conference in Sochi, Russia, on October 31.

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.

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.  

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.”

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.

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly attends the opening day of the annual Conservative Party conference on October 02 in Birmingham, England.

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.

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. 

Iranian footballers celebrate after their victory in the FIFA World Cup Qualifier match between Iran and Iraq at Azadi Stadium on January 27, 2022 in Tehran, Iran.

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.

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.”