November 1, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

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

Ukrainian military intelligence on Tuesday said Iran is planning to send more than 200 combat drones to Russian forces, including Iran’s new combat drone, the Arash-2.

Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, part of the defense ministry, said “a batch of more than 200 combat drones Shahed-136, Mohajer-6 and Arash-2 is planned to be sent from Iran to the Russian Federation at the beginning of November.”

The intelligence agency said in a post on Telegram that the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles “will be delivered via the Caspian Sea to the port of Astrakhan.”

The agency said the drones are being shipped in a disassembled state and once inside Russian territory, “they will be collected, repainted and applied with Russian markings.”

The intelligence agency did not specify how it obtained the information on the shipments and CNN cannot independently verify the details.

But it echoes reporting by CNN on Tuesday, citing officials from a western country that closely monitors Iran’s weapons program, that Iran was preparing a large shipment of drones and ballistic missiles to Russia.

Any Russian deployment of the Arash-2 drone to the war in Ukraine could put further pressure on the country’s already challenged air defenses. 

Since Sept. 13, when the Russians first used attack drones against Ukraine, the country’s air defense forces say they have shot down more than 300 attack drones — but dozens have managed to strike their targets and destroy vital energy infrastructure.

Some background: CNN’s Clarissa Ward said the deployment of the Arash-2 has the potential to be a “big game changer” in the war in Ukraine as it “can carry five times the explosives of the Shahed.” 

The existence of the Arash-2 was first revealed in 2019 but its precise capabilities remain unknown. The drone is named after Arash the Archer, a heroic figure from Iranian mythology who had the strongest shot with an arrow. Legend has it he fired an arrow that flew an entire morning and fell at noon over 2250 kilometers away. When Arash let his bow go, he is said to have fallen to the ground and passed away.

Ukraine’s military has accused Russian-installed officials in the southern region Kherson of spreading misinformation to coerce civilians to leave the region in a forced evacuation, a war crime.

In a statement on Tuesday, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said, “The occupiers continue the forced displacement of civilians in the temporarily occupied territories of Kherson region.”

“The enemy resorts to intimidation of civilians, spreading misinformation about a possible explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant dam,” the statement said.

The Ukraine armed forces explained that the local population in Kherson has been “deprived of means of communication,” and are unable to get an accurate picture of what is really happening in the war.

Earlier in the week, Russian-installed officials announced a new evacuation from Kherson region of Ukraine, saying they are taking civilians to safety because of the risk Ukraine might use unconventional weapons.

Ukraine has categorically denied the allegation that it intends to blow up the dam and flood the area.

Zelensky meets with European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson in Kyiv, on Tuesday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Kadri Simson, the European Commission’s top energy official in Kyiv on Tuesday.

Zelensky thanked Simson for her visit to Ukraine at a time when the energy infrastructure of the country is “under massive attack” by Russian missiles and drones, a statement from the Office of the President of Ukraine said.

The two discussed further steps to ensure Ukraine’s energy security amid Russia’s ongoing missile and drone attacks that have resulted in about 40% of Ukraine’s entire energy infrastructure of being seriously damaged.

Zelensky spoke in detail about Ukraine’s needs to restore energy infrastructure and called on the European Commission to play a coordinating role in attracting assistance from EU member states, according to the statement.

Zelensky also noted the role of Simson in helping Ukraine to join the European energy grid ENTSO-E, which, prior to the Russian invasion, saw Ukraine actually exporting energy to Europe. 

“Unfortunately, due to the strikes of missiles and kamikaze drones by the Russian Federation on our energy system, we have suspended this process,” Zelensky said. “But I am sure that we will restore everything, and in a calmer time, when the situation in our energy system will be stabilized, we will continue exporting electricity to Europe.”

State Department spokesperson Ned Price speaks during a press conference in Washington, DC, on March 10.

The United States will “use every relevant and appropriate tool in our toolkit to expose, to confront, to counter” Iran’s provision of weapons to Russia, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Tuesday.

Speaking at a State Department briefing, Price said the US has “taken aim at Iran’s UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) proliferation networks over the course of months now,” and “we are always looking at targets that may be appropriate for this sort of response, sanctions, other, other financial measures.”

The spokesperson added the US will “vigorously” enforce all sanctions on both Russian and Iranian arms trade “to make it harder for Iran to sell these weapons to Russia.”

CNN reported Tuesday that Iran is preparing to send approximately 1,000 additional weapons, including surface-to-surface short range ballistic missiles and more attack drones, to Russia.

Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations have agreed to not plan for any ship movements in the Black Sea grain corridor on Wednesday, according to a statement from the UN Secretariat at the Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) in Istanbul on Tuesday.

UN and Turkish teams on Tuesday carried out 36 inspections aboard outbound vessels, according to the statement. They attempted to inspect another two ships, but the process was cut short because of “issues related to fumigated cargo,” the statement said. The inspection reports would be shared with Ukrainian and Russian delegation, it added.

“The UN Secretariat reiterates that movements and inspections carried out after the Russian Federation suspended its participation in implementation activities at the Joint Coordination Centre is a temporary and extraordinary measure,” according to the statement.

The JCC said earlier today that three ships had left Ukrainian ports Tuesday, despite Russia’s decision to suspend its participation in the arrangement on Saturday.

CNN’s Tim Lister contributed reporting to this post.

The Pentagon has concerns that Russia may seek additional advanced weapons from Iran to use in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, according to Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder.

“We do have concerns that Russia may also seek to acquire additional advanced munition capabilities from Iran, for example, surface-to-surface missiles, to use in Ukraine,” Ryder told reporters during a briefing at the Pentagon Tuesday.

CNN reported earlier Tuesday Iran is preparing to send approximately 1,000 additional weapons, including surface-to-surface short range ballistic missiles and more attack drones, to Russia to use in its war against Ukraine.

Iran has provided Russia with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and the Pentagon expects Russia will “likely seek more of those” from Iran, Ryder added. 

Russia seeking to obtain weapons from Iran is “indicative” of the two countries’ “continued collusion to attack Ukrainians,” Ryder said.

An Orthodox priest conducts a service for reservists drafted as part of the Russian mobilization in Sevastopol, Crimea, on September 27.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that the country’s mobilization had been “completed” and that “the line has been drawn,” a suggestion that there would be no further drafts.

In recent months, he has defended the draft while its chaotic execution led to angry demonstrations and prompted hundreds of thousands to flee Russia.

Putin announced the mobilization in late September after Russia suffered a series of major setbacks on the battlefields in Ukraine. Officials said the draft’s target of recruiting 300,000 personnel had been met as of last week.

The rollout of the mobilization was beset by errors. Early on in the process, some residents in areas including Russia’s Far East Sakha Republic were conscripted “by mistake” despite not being eligible for mobilization, such as fathers of underage children, according to a local leader there.

Since it was announced, protests have erupted in ethnic minority regions, and some military enlistment offices have been set on fire. The original announcement also sparked rare anti-war demonstrations across Russia.

The country was forced to heighten security measures at military registration and enlistment offices “due to increasing attacks” on those facilities, a senior Russian official said in a previous CNN report.

Countless Russians have fled the country as a result of the partial mobilization. More than 200,000 people traveled from Russia into Georgia, Kazakhstan and the European Union in just the first week, collective data from those regions showed.

And the benefits of the mobilization have also been questionable, according to experts. It is unclear whether the influx of newly-trained recruits has had any impact in ground fighting in eastern and southern Ukraine, where Kyiv has seen gains in recent weeks.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during a phone call that any resumption of the grain deal can be considered only after an investigation into the Sevastopol drone attack, according to a readout by the Kremlin Tuesday.

According to the statement, a resumption of the deal can be considered only after “a detailed investigation into the circumstances of this incident, and also after receiving from Kyiv real guarantees of strict observance of the Istanbul agreements, in particular, on the non-use of the humanitarian corridor for military purposes.”

The two leaders held a phone call Tuesday following Russia’s decision to suspend its participation in the United Nations-brokered grain export deal with Ukraine over the weekend after alleging drone attacks on the Crimean city of Sevastopol. Ukraine has not commented on the drone attacks against Sevastopol.

On Saturday, a top Ukrainian official accused Russia of inventing “fictitious terrorist attacks” on its own facilities and blamed Moscow of “blackmail” in suspending the grain deal.

According to the Turkish presidency, Erdogan told Putin he was confident that “solution-oriented cooperation” could be established regarding the grain deal.

“Voicing his confidence that they will establish solution-oriented cooperation on this issue, President Erdogan said that if they resolve the grain crisis with a constructive approach, they will also have encouraged steps for returning to negotiations,” the presidency added.  

A woman walks past a building damaged by missile strikes in Bakhmut on Tuesday.

Ukraine’s Air Force on Tuesday said it currently has no effective defense against the types of ballistic missile that Iran is preparing to ship to Russia to use in its war against Ukraine.

Yuriy Ihnat, spokesperson for Ukraine’s Air Force Command, said the range of the Iranian ballistic missiles being supplied, with “one having a range of 300km the other 700km,” will allow Russian forces to strike anywhere inside Ukraine.

Earlier on Tuesday, CNN reported that Iran is preparing to send about 1,000 additional weapons, including surface-to-surface short range ballistic missiles and more attack drones for Russia to use against Ukraine. 

Asked whether Ukraine’s Armed Forces were ready to defend against these types of Iranian ballistic missiles, Ihnat replied that they “will take all measures and means of protection against these missiles” that they can. 

However, Ihnat warned “currently we have no effective defense against these missiles. It is theoretically possible to shoot them down, but it is very difficult to do it with the means we currently have.” 

Ihnat said he believed Russia is being sent the Iranian ballistic missiles to boost its dwindling supply of Russian-built Iskander-M missiles.

“It is obvious that these missiles are coming to them to supplement these Iskanders, because they are actually running out of Iskanders,” he said.

Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, called Tehran “an accomplice of aggression.”

“Transferring missiles to the Russian Federation, Iran knows that it will attack our cities. Teaching Russians to use drones, it knows that they will attack Ukraine’s energy sector, provoking waves of refugees to EU,” he tweeted.

US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried attends the donor conference for Moldova to assist the country with the influx of Ukrainian refugees, in Berlin, Germany, on April 5.

The top US diplomat for European affairs is visiting Ukraine this week, the State Department announced Tuesday. 

The focus of Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried’s trip “is to underscore unwavering and enduring U.S. support for Ukraine as it defends its freedom and territorial integrity from Russia’s brutal war,” the department said in a statement. 

Her trip comes amid an uptick in Russian attacks on critical infrastructure in Ukraine and one week before the US midterm elections. 

“Additionally, she will hear from Ukraine’s civil society leaders on how we and our partners can continue to help the Ukrainian people achieve their aspirations and unlock their country’s potential,” it said.

Donfried will also meet with members of the US Embassy in Kyiv, according to the statement.

French President Emmanuel Macron told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Tuesday that France would help Ukraine get through the winter, according to a readout of the call released by the Élysée Palace. 

Macron said France would strengthen Ukraine’s anti-air defense capabilities, as well as repair and restore its energy infrastructure.

Macron said he agreed with Zelensky to hold an international conference in Paris on Dec. 13 to support Ukraine’s civilians through the winter period.

The two presidents also agreed to organize a bilateral conference on Dec. 12 to rally support from French companies.

Macron and Zelensky also discussed Russia’s decision to back out of an agreement that guaranteed safe passage for ships carrying vital grain exports. They also spoke about the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. 

Zelensky earlier tweeted that he held an “extremely important and productive conversation with” Macron Tuesday.

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas attends a news conference, in Tallinn, Estonia, on November 1.

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said that the way to achieving peace in Ukraine is “to push Russia out.”

Speaking a press conference Tuesday in Tallinn, Kallas said that “even if you have peace, but there’s occupation, it doesn’t mean that the human suffering for those people will stop.”

“Ukraine needs to win this war,” she said.

The prime minister added that “Russia is trying to use all the means possible to have a pause, so that they could regroup and continue later, to ultimately get something that wasn’t theirs to begin with.”

Kallas warned that the price of fatigue over the war would be too high because “if the aggression pays off somewhere, it serves as an invitation to use it elsewhere.”

She said that Ukraine needs air defense support, as well as economic and humanitarian assistance.

Kallas also condemned the recent attacks on Ukrainian critical infrastructure, calling them “terrorist tactics.”

Monday’s attacks, she said, are “another example of it; hundreds of thousands of households left without electricity, many without water.”

The United Kingdom has said it is refusing to be “drawn into” Russia’s attempt to cause distractions by claiming the UK played a part in the damage of the Nord Stream pipeline.

“Obviously, we’re carefully monitoring the situation, but it is right to not be drawn into these sorts of distractions, which is part of the Russian playbook,” the British prime minister’s spokesperson told a lobby briefing on Tuesday. 

Some background: Last week, the Russian defense ministry accused the UK of helping Ukraine to plan Saturday’s drone attacks on the Crimean city of Sevastopol, claiming these were conducted under the guidance of British navy specialists. It also accused representatives of the UK’s navy of being involved in explosions at the Nord Stream gas pipelines last month. 

The UK remains focused on Russia’s continuous “bombardment of civilians and attacks on civilian infrastructure” in Ukraine, the spokesperson added, stressing the UK’s commitment to providing “support, so that they [Russia] lose this illegal war.”

The UK’s foreign partners have been quick to decry the allegations, with the French foreign ministry branding them completely “baseless” in a statement Sunday. 

A woman walks past a building damaged by missile strikes in the eastern Donbas region of Bakhmut, Ukraine, on November 1.

The Ukrainian military said that Russian forces continue to carry out artillery and rocket attacks throughout the front lines, stretching from Kharkiv in the north to Zaporizhzhia in the south. Altogether, it said, more than 50 settlements were hit from Sunday to Monday night.

In the east: Parts of the Donetsk region were among those hardest hit, with Soledar, Vuhledar and Bakhmut districts coming under fire. Ukrainian forces still hold Bakhmut, but along with settlements to the east and south, it is under daily attack.  

The Ukrainian military’s General Staff also reported heavy shelling in areas to the west of the city of Donetsk that have been contested for several months. 

It said the Russians continue to shell recently liberated parts of Kharkiv and Luhansk, where Ukrainian forces have been edging forward toward Russian resupply routes. Several settlements in Kharkiv region close to the Russian border were also shelled, it said.

Further south, Ukraine appears to have targeted a Russian military headquarters in the town of Volnovakha in Donetsk region with long-range rockets.

Yurii Mysiagin, the deputy head of parliamentary committee on national security, intelligence and defense, said it was reported that the Akhtamar hotel on the Mariupol-Donetsk highway, where Chechen forces were based, was hit.

The local Russian-backed authorities in Donetsk confirmed the building was destroyed but gave no further details.

In the south: As Ukrainian forces try to push further into the southern region of Kherson, the Russians continue to respond with shelling by tanks and artillery across a wide area, according to the General Staff. Several settlements in Zaporizhzhia came under fire, and the city of Mykolaiv was also hit again on Monday night. Two S-300 missiles struck the city, and one residential building was demolished. One woman was reported killed by the mayor’s office. 

The General Staff echoed the comments of regional officials that in Kakhovka, on the Dnieper river, “citizens living in apartments along the banks of the Dnipro are forcibly evicted from their homes.”

It said Russian forces were building fortifications and laying “mine-explosive barriers around civilian housing.”

Ukrainian officials said that rather than leave the west bank in Kherson, Russian units appear to be digging in.

Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson, left, and Prime Minister of Finland Sanna Marin attend a news conference after the meeting of prime ministers and heads of government during The 74th Ordinary Session of the Nordic Council in Helsinki, Finland, on November 1.

The leaders of Finland and Sweden have expressed their hopes that Turkey and Hungary ratify their membership applications to NATO “sooner rather than later.” 

During a joint press conference in Helsinki, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said she had a phone call with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg earlier Tuesday to discuss “the ratification of our membership application.”

Some background: Sweden and Finland signed a memorandum with Turkey in June, committing to address Turkey’s security concerns around terrorism and arms exports after Ankara opposed their initial bid to join the alliance.

Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels on Oct. 26 that Hungary had “made it clear” that they would ratify the accession protocol soon, enabling the two countries to become fully fledged members of the alliance.

Marin’s Swedish counterpart, Ulf Kristersson, emphasized the “speedy” nature of the ratification process, highlighting the fact that 28 out of 30 members of the alliances have already ratified their applications.

“We fully respect that every country within the alliance makes their own decision. I had a telephone call [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan the other day and we agreed on me coming to Ankara, and I will communicate the exact date when it is formally confirmed,” Kristersson added. 

Sweden and Finland both announced their intention to join NATO in May, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine caused a sudden shift in attitudes toward joining the bloc.

If you’re just joining us, here’s what you need to know about the latest in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Russia completes “partial mobilization”: The Russian Ministry of Defense said in a statement Monday that all partial mobilization activities, including summons deliveries, have been suspended. Military units will only be accepting volunteers and contractors from now on. President Vladimir Putin said the mobilization was “complete.” Asked if he would sign a decree ending the conscription drive, Putin replied he would consult with lawyers over the next steps.

Battle for Kherson intensifies: The battle for the southern city of Kherson is intensifying, as Ukrainian forces try to push through Russian defenses and occupying forces ramp up pressure on residents to abandon their homes. Both sides have reported heavy fighting in the Beryslav district of the Russian-occupied city, where’s Kyiv’s forces are attempting to break through. Much of the fighting is in open, flat countryside west of the river Dnipro. Amid the clashes, civilians are still leaving Kherson.

Water and power restored after Monday’s strikes: Russia launched a barrage of missile strikes at Ukrainian cities on Monday as it ramped up its attacks on infrastructure facilities across the country. This had left 80% of Kyiv residents without water and many lost electricity, too. The mayor said crews worked for almost 24 hours to restore the water and electricity supply to residents of the city. While electricity has been restored, Klitschko warned that power cuts would still be necessary given the “significant” impact of Russia’s recent attacks on critical infrastructure.

Grain ships are still leaving Ukraine: Three more ships have left Ukrainian ports Tuesday, despite Russia’s decision to suspend its participation in the arrangement over the weekend, according to The Joint Coordination Center for the “grain corridor” in the Black Sea. Two vessels had left the Black Sea port of Chornomorsk and one had departed Yuzhny, with cargos for Germany, Libya and Morocco. Collectively, the three ships are carrying 84,490 tons of grain and food products. Fourteen vessels used the corridor Monday.

Here’s where the state of control stands in Ukraine:

The US has begun conducting on-site inspections of weapons stockpiles in Ukraine as part of a broad effort to assure US provided weapons are not illegally diverted, according to the Pentagon.

It’s the first public acknowledgement that troops are being used for other than embassy protection. The effort is being led by Brig. Gen. Garrick Harmon, the US defense attaché to Ukraine, along with the embassy’s defense cooperation office.

The effort comes as some in Congress are calling for increased scrutiny of the billons of dollars in weapons being sent. Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin has recently discussed the need for weapons accountability with the Ukrainians the official said.

While the US has not seen “credible evidence of the diversion of US provided weapons” in Ukraine, according a senior US defense official, the administration has been taking steps to prevent such diversions, including conduction inspections of US weapons stocks on the ground in Ukraine “wherever the security conditions allow.”

The official would not say where such inspections have taken place, but did say that “in each instance, our team from Kyiv from the US embassy has found the Ukrainians to be very transparent and able to support inspections.”

The official described a detailed effort that begins with the US establishing detailed records of each shipment just before it enters Ukraine. Then once in Ukraine, that government logs and tracks weapons from the border to the front line. Ukraine also details weapon damage in the field so losses can be tracked.

Another defense official noted that effort in Ukraine is similar to other efforts conducted by US embassies around the world but in Ukraine changing security conditions dictate what can be accomplished.

Prime Minister of Iceland Katrin Jakobsdottir attends the meeting of prime ministers and heads of government during The 74th Ordinary Session of the Nordic Council in Helsinki, Finland, on November 1.

Icelandic Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir said Nordic nations’ backing for Kyiv “remains solid and unwavering,” as the grueling war in Ukraine has passed the eighth-month mark.

Russia’s invasion has had “devastating consequences for the people of Ukraine, and serious and wide ranging effects on all of us: on our security, on our energy economy and food security around the world,” Jakobsdóttir said at a meeting of the Nordic Council in the Finnish capital of Helsinki on Tuesday.

The council represents Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and the autonomous region of Åland.

Marin stated that Nordic countries “are committed partners in defending the multilateral system and Ukraine’s sovereignty against Russian aggression.”

When asked what concrete actions the countries were taking to support Ukraine, Marin stressed that “we are not only talking — we are acting, and we are acting united, we are acting together.” 

Jonas Gahr Støre, the Norwegian prime minister, said that Nordic countries are continuing to provide “financial support for running the state, humanitarian support, medical support” and are “receiving refugees.”

He added that the coalition supports “Ukraine’s right to defend itself, which means that we are providing military equipment to Ukraine and we are committed to continue to do so.”

Nordic leaders have remained staunch allies of Kyiv and vociferously criticized the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Joint Coordination Center for the “grain corridor” in the Black Sea said three more ships have left Ukrainian ports Tuesday, despite Russia’s decision to suspend its participation in the arrangement over the weekend.

The United Nations Secretariat at the JCC in Istanbul said the “movement of these vessels has been agreed by the Ukrainian, Turkish and UN delegations to the JCC. The Russian delegation to the JCC has been informed.” 

Two vessels had left the Black Sea port of Chornomorsk and one had departed Yuzhny, with cargos for Germany, Libya and Morocco, it said.

Collectively, the three ships are carrying 84,490 tons of grain and food products. 

“As of today, the total tonnage of grains and foodstuffs moved from Ukrainian ports under the Black Sea Grain Initiative is 9,729,083 metric tons,” the UN said. 

Joint Coordination Centre officials board the cargo ship Mehmet Bey as it waits to pass the Bosphorus strait off the shores of Yenikapi in Istanbul, Turkey, on Oct. 31.

It also noted that UN and Turkish inspectors had started inspection work on board outbound vessels traveling via Turkey to foreign markets. On Monday, 46 inspections on board outbound vessels were completed by UN and Turkish inspectors, it said.

Fourteen vessels used the corridor Monday.

The UN is continuing discussions with Russian officials in an effort to revive full participation in the initiative. 

“The UN Coordinator for the Black Sea Grain Initiative Amir Abdulla continues his discussions with all three member state parties in an effort to resume full participation at the Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) following the suspension of the participation of the Russian Federation delegation,” the UN Secretariat said.