Fathi Al-masri | AFP | Getty Images Martin Griffiths, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, rejected Russian claims that the Black Sea Grain Initiative was being used by the West to give Ukraine a “military operational advantage”. “We are wasting time, the shipping industry is wasting money and we are delaying the delivery of food when millions are hungry and unable to pay their bills,” Griffiths told the UN Security Council. “We are encouraged by Russia’s assurance that it is not withdrawing from the initiative and is merely temporarily suspending activities in the application,” he added. Griffiths urged all parties to the Black Sea Grains Initiative to resolve outstanding issues in order to resume Ukrainian agricultural exports. The Black Sea Grain Initiative, a UN-backed deal brokered in July, eased Russia’s naval blockade and saw the opening of three key Ukrainian ports. The first ship departed the port of Odessa, Ukraine on August 1 carrying more than 26,000 metric tons of corn. Since then, nearly 400 ships carrying a total of 9 million metric tons have left Ukrainian ports. On Saturday, Moscow suspended its participation in the deal, which was due to expire next month, citing retaliation for Kiev’s “terrorist act” against Russian warships. — Amanda Macias
Power and water have been restored in Kyiv after rocket attacks, but emergency restrictions remain
Vehicles drive along a street with the Hagia Sophia silhouetted in the background, as the city plunges into near-darkness after a military strike partially destroyed electricity infrastructure, in Kyiv on October 31, 2022. Sergey Supinsky | AFP | Getty Images Kyiv’s electricity provider DTEK, Kyivski Elektromerezhi, said power has now been restored in Kyiv following Russia’s missile attacks this morning. “We have restored power to consumers and water facilities that were left without power due to the Russian terrorist attack on the city’s critical infrastructure facilities on the morning of October 31,” said a post from DTEK’s official Facebook page. However, following the instructions of the electricity transmission system operator Ukrenergo, emergency power restrictions will be in place in Kyiv, leaving some without electricity “according to the needs of the electricity system”, DTEK said. Power will be fully restored once the system is stabilized and with Ukrenergo’s instructions, according to the provider. This morning’s rocket attacks hit 18 facilities, the majority of which were energy-related, leaving 80% of Kyiv residents without water or electricity. – Rocio Fabbro
Ukraine says it shot down nearly all of Russia’s early morning missile strikes
Smoke rises from a factory fire following an airstrike by Russian forces that hit Ukraine’s Kramatorsk in Donetsk Region as the Russia-Ukraine war continues on October 27, 2022. Methane Acta | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images Ukraine’s Air Force said it shot down about 44 of the roughly 50 recorded Russian missiles that rained down on Ukrainian cities this morning. Last week, Ukrainian military spokesman Yuriy Ihnat said the country’s air force had shot down more than 300 Iranian Shahed-136 “kamikaze” drones since Russia introduced the new weapons into the battlefield. Ihnat has previously hailed Western air defense systems for countering Russian missiles. In recent weeks, Moscow has carried out several devastating missile and drone attacks against what Kyiv said were civilian targets and vital infrastructure such as energy facilities. The representatives of Iran and Russia at the United Nations strongly denied reports that Tehran supplied Moscow with a fleet of drones for use in Ukraine. The Kremlin has repeatedly denied using Iranian-made drones to target residential and other areas with high civilian populations. — Amanda Macias
The US embassy in Kyiv is sheltered after a barrage of Russian missiles
The US embassy in Kyiv said it had taken shelter after a barrage of Russian missiles hit major Ukrainian cities. “Like millions of Ukrainians, the US embassy team in Kyiv is once again sheltering in place as Russia continues its cruel and barbaric missile attacks against the people of Ukraine in an attempt to leave the country cold and dark as we approach winter,” said US Ambassador Bridget. Brink wrote in a tweet. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmyhal said Russia’s shelling of various parts of Ukraine appeared to target civilian energy infrastructure. “Missiles and drones hit 10 areas, where 18 facilities were damaged, most of them energy-related,” he wrote on Telegram. He added that 80% of Kyiv was without power. — Amanda Macias
Biden lost his temper with Zelensky in the June phone call
U.S. President Joe Biden holds a teleconference event with battery-electric industry grant winners related to recent infrastructure initiatives from the White House in Washington, D.C., Oct. 19, 2022. Jonathan Ernst | Reuters It has become routine since Russia invaded Ukraine: President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky talk by phone every time the US announces a new military aid package for Kyiv. But a phone call between the two leaders in June had different results than previous ones, according to four people familiar with the call. Biden had just finished telling Zelensky that he had just given the go-ahead for another billion dollars in US military aid to Ukraine when Zelensky started listing all the additional aid he needed and wasn’t getting. Biden lost his temper, people familiar with the call said. The American people were generous enough and their government and the US military were working hard to help Ukraine, he said, raising his voice and Zelensky could show a little more gratitude. A spokesman for the National Security Council declined to comment for the story. A spokesman for Zelenskyy did not respond to a request for comment. Read the full story at NBC News.
Blinken talks to his Chinese counterpart about Russia’s war in Ukraine
Taiwan was the focus of 90-minute, “direct and frank” talks between Foreign Secretary Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. Stephanie Reynolds | Afp | Getty Images US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken spoke with his Chinese counterpart about Russia’s war in Ukraine, the State Department confirmed in a statement. Blinken spoke with State Councilor and Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of China Wang Yi, State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement. “The secretary raised Russia’s war against Ukraine and the threats it poses to global security and economic stability,” Price said. Washington has repeatedly warned Beijing, the world’s second-largest economy, against providing financial aid to Moscow to help Russian President Vladimir Putin ease global sanctions. — Amanda Macias
Sanctions and Russian exit increase demand for jet fuel in Central Asia
Russians are seen trying to leave their country to avoid a military call-up for the Russia-Ukraine war as queues form at the Kazbegi border crossing in the Kazbegi municipality of Stepantsminda, Georgia on September 27, 2022. Mirian Meladze | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images Central Asian demand for jet fuel is soaring as the region has become a key air traffic hub, taking over from sanctions-hit Moscow and handling an influx of Russians leaving military service. Demand surged after Russia and the West closed their airspace to each other’s aircraft after Moscow sent troops into Ukraine on February 24. It intensified further after President Vladimir Putin declared a “partial mobilization” on September 21 and Russians left the country in huge numbers, with more than 200,000 leaving for Kazakhstan alone. Industry data seen by Reuters showed that supplies of jet fuel from Russia to Central Asia rose in January to September to 385,590 tonnes from 194,444 tonnes in the same period in 2021. Central Asia, along with Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, has become an alternative route for Russians trying to reach Europe in the absence of direct flights from Russia to the EU. Airports in the region have also increased Russian turnover of goods and they enhanced the servicing and refueling of Russian aircraft. — Reuters
21 ships dedicated to Black Sea Grain Initiative await further instructions after Russia’s decision to withdraw from humanitarian food program
Ships, including those carrying grain from Ukraine awaiting inspections, are seen anchored off the coast of Istanbul on October 14, 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey. Chris McGrath | Getty Images The agency that oversees Ukraine’s grain exports said there are 21 ships waiting to leave the besieged country. The Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul, which oversees agricultural exports from Ukraine, said the ships have a capacity of more than 700,000 metric tons. One ship is chartered by the World Food Program and is carrying 30,000 metric tons of wheat bound for the Horn of Africa. Before the war, Ukraine and Russia accounted for nearly a quarter of the world’s grain exports until those shipments were severely disrupted for nearly six months. The Black Sea Grain Initiative, a UN-backed deal brokered in July, eased Russia’s naval blockade and saw the opening of three key Ukrainian ports. The first ship left the port of Odessa, Ukraine on August 1st carrying…
