WAR IN UKRAINE: November 2, 2022
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 251
Zelensky: Up to 40% of Ukraine’s energy system destroyed by Russian attacks. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Nov. 1 that Ukraine had to stop exporting electricity to European countries “due to Russian missile and drone attacks which destroyed 30-40% of its energy system, reports the Kyiv Independent. Kyiv residents on Twitter and elsewhere said they experienced power outages of up to six hours on Tuesday.
DTEK says it’s running out of equipment for power grid repair. DTEK Executive Director Dmytro Sakharuk said the Ukrainian energy giant has depleted its stock of stored equipment following the two series of attacks after Oct. 10. “We were able to purchase some equipment,” Sakharuk said. “But unfortunately, the cost of the equipment is now measured in hundreds of millions of dollars.” He said while it is not possible to know how long the power outages will last after the Russian attacks on critical infrastructure on Oct. 31, they may last six to eight hours - Kyiv Independent
Ukraine does not have an effective means of defense against Iranian-made ballistic missiles, which Russia is likely planning to deploy north of the Ukrainian border, says Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ignat. He 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. “There is a high probability that they will be delivered to the north above Ukraine [border], from where they can be launched to threaten the entire Ukraine,” Ihnat said at a press conference in Kyiv on Tuesday. 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.
Meanwhile, Experts from the United Nations' nuclear watchdog on November 1 were inspecting two sites where Russia has made unfounded claims that Ukraine is manufacturing “dirty bombs” - RFE/RL
The Russian-backed administration in the southern region of Kherson says up to 70,000 people are to be "evacuated" from the eastern bank of the River Dnipro, as Ukraine continue its counter-offensive - BBC
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke on the phone to France's Emmanuel Macron and thanked him for helping "restore the destroyed energy infrastructure"
Russian soldiers have reportedly placed their electronic warfare systems on the roof of one of the power units of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, — reported the press service of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. It is also noted there that the Russians intend to cancel the Ukrainian passes and force the Ukrainian employees of the station to sign a contract with “Rosatom”. The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Defense Ministry of Ukraine adds that "Kadyrovites" have arrived and are patrolling in Enerhodar.
Required reading…
Opinion: What happens when the port that feeds the world goes silent?
A lot can change in a few days.
On Saturday, after an attack on Russia’s Black Sea fleet in Sevastopol was blamed on Kyiv, the Kremlin announced it was suspending the so-called Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI). However, the UN said Monday that 16 vessels – 12 outbound and four inbound – were due to set sail through the corridor.
It remains to be seen how Russia’s suspension of the arrangement will be felt around the globe among nations that rely on Ukrainian food supplies.
But with winter looming and with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the back foot with his war in Ukraine, he is showing the traits of a tyrant who wants to make not just Ukraine pay, but also the world, by disrupting this vital food supply chain.
Read my full CNN Opinion piece here