WAR IN UKRAINE: October 31, 2022
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 250
Eighty percent of Kyiv was without water supply after Russian missiles damaged critical infrastructure Monday morning, mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said. This is after Russia launched a wave of missile attacks across the country including over Kyiv, where 2 explosions were heard. Missile strikes were also reported in the central Vinnytsia region, as well as Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia in the south-east, and Lviv in western Ukraine. At least 13 people were injured in the attacks, Ukraine's national police chief Ihor Klymenko said - BBC
A Russian missile shot down by Ukraine anti-aircraft system fell in the town of Naslavcea in Moldova, located on the border with Ukraine. No recorded victims, but the windows of several houses in Naslavcea were destroyed, says Ministry of Internal Affairs
No ships moved through Black Sea humanitarian corridor on Sunday. But UN officials said that they have agreed with Ukraine and Turkey for 16 vessels Monday – 12 outbound/4 inbound. Says Russian officials at JCC had been told about the plan, along with the intention to inspect 40 outbound vessels on Monday
NATO has called on Russia to urgently extend the grain agreement through the mediation of the UN, so that Ukrainian food could be delivered to "those who need it most."
In response to Russia’s unilateral cancellation of its participation in the BSGI, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia's decision was not one that had been made today, but in September "when it blocked the movement of ships with our food produce". He added: “Why is it that some handful of individuals somewhere in the Kremlin can decide whether there will be food on the tables of people in Egypt or in Bangladesh?" Mr Zelensky said a strong international response was needed from both the UN and the world's twenty largest economies. The White House said Russia was "weaponising food" - BBC
Ukraine's new ambassador to Germany has urged Berlin not to shelter Russian men who have fled their country to avoid military mobilization, describing them as a "security risk” - RFE/RL
At the triennial Ukrainian Canadian Congress in Winnipeg, Canada, there was widespread praise for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s announcement Friday of Ukraine sovereignty war bonds backed by Ottawa. However many delegates questioned why no moves have been made to expel Russian diplomats from Canada or to stop the issuance of visas to Russian visitors.
Russian intelligence is reportedly trying to de-stabilize the pro-Western Government of Moldova, headed by Maia Sandu. This is potentially serious, because there are over 1,000 Russian “peacekeepers” in the adjacent enclave of Transnistria, plus a large cache of ammunition. Moldova relies almost entirely on Russian for its gas supply.
Required reading…
The West must not let Putin freeze millions of Ukrainians to death
Vladimir Putin’s recently launched campaign of targeted airstrikes against Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure marks a grave escalation in his genocidal invasion. Russian leaders know full well that depriving civilians of heating and electricity on the eve of a cold winter will result in large numbers of deaths.
The Kremlin’s terror tactics are unlikely to break the spirit of the Ukrainian people or transform Russia’s faltering military fortunes. However, the deliberate targeting of Ukraine’s critical infrastructure will further Moscow’s goal of destroying the Ukrainian state. The prospect of a humanitarian catastrophe in Ukraine now demands the kind of tough and urgent response from the international community that has often been lacking.
Read the full Atlantic Council analysis here