October 10, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

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

A man watches as smoke rises above the buildings after the Russian missile attack on the critical infrastructure of Lviv on Monday, October 10.

Russian missile strikes on Kyiv and several other Ukrainian cities killed at least 14 people and wounded 97 others on Monday, the Ukrainian State Emergency Service said. 

The strikes also knocked out power in the regions of Kyiv, Lviv, Sumy, Ternopil and Khmelnytsky, the agency said.

According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Russia launched more than 84 missile and air strikes. Ukraine claimed it intercepted 56 of the missiles and drones.

The military said around 20 Ukrainian settlements were hit.

International response: Global leaders have condemned the Russian attacks and vowed to continue to support Ukraine in its war efforts. Additionally, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said the agency would be conducting a criminal investigation. 

Russian ambassador to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya (R) attends the UN general assembly meeting in New York City on October 10. It is hours after Russia launched a deadly barrage of missile strikes at cities across Ukraine.

Hours after Russia launched large-scale air strikes in Ukraine, the two nations dueled in the United Nations General Assembly ahead of a likely vote this week on whether to condemn Moscow’s move to annex partially-occupied regions in Ukraine.

Late Monday, the audience reaction summed up the initial results: Ukraine’s UN Ambassador received applause while Russia’s delegate was met with silence. 

Ukraine’s Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya opened his remarks by saying, “My day started almost 14 hours ago because my country was under attack” and described his family sheltering in a building.

“My immediate family was in a residential building under attack, unable to go to a bomb shelter because there was no electricity. Because Russia has already killed some of my family members and we see no end to that cruelty,” Kyslytsya said.

A debate of more than 66 speakers is expected to lead to a vote on a resolution strongly condemning Russia’s annexation and declaring them illegal under international law. 

Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said he saw dangerous cynicism in the room with countries ganging up on Moscow, and he scoffed at nations who accused his country of breaching the charter by invading Ukraine.

Earlier, the General Assembly soundly defeated a Russian bid to allow the vote on the annexation to be carried out by secret ballot. The vote in favor of a non-secret ballot was 107 nations. Thirteen were opposed. Thirty-nine nations abstained.

Kyiv’s mayor Vitali Klitschko posted a video of himself crossing a famous pedestrian bridge above the river Dnipro that was damaged by a Russian strike earlier Monday. 

As he crossed, Klitschko said in the video posted on Telegram:

“Our pedestrian bridge with a picturesque view was damaged by the barbarians, the glass was damaged. Here I can see some missile wreckage, shrapnel. The glass is shattered. But we will renew this.”

Klitschko said it was fortunate nobody was injured in the attack.

“The municipal workers are cleaning already. The glass will be changed. In a few days, it will be alright. Metal structures are all intact,” he added.

Russia launched 84 cruise missiles at Ukraine on Monday, according to Ukrainian officials, who said critical infrastructure facilities, mainly handling the energy supply, were struck, leaving several regions without power.

At least 11 people died and 64 were injured in the attacks, the officials said.

Here are the top headlines:

• Infrastructure impacted: At least four regions — Lviv, Poltava, Sumy and Ternopil — had no electricity supply. Authorities requested Lviv residents who may have access to electricity to only use it for “urgent needs.” Kyiv briefly suspended its subway operations. The region of Khmelnytskyi, which lies west of Kyiv, has “no electricity supply, electric transport does not work, water supply is suspended, traffic lights do not work,” according to the region’s head.
• Ukraine will keep fighting: Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Ukraine will continue to liberate territories despite the attacks on Monday. Last week, Russian forces had begun to intensify their strikes, launching missile attacks on residential buildings in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia that killed at least 43 civilians over a period of a week, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
• Putin blames Ukraine for attack on Crimean bridge: Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the Crimean bridge blast, but Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Ukrainian special services of the weekend attack. He said Monday’s strikes were in response, but Ukrainian intelligence says the attacks had been planned since early last week.
• International support: President Joe Biden said Russian missile strikes are a display of Putin’s “utter brutality” and that the attacks “only further reinforce our commitment to stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes.” European Parliament President Roberta Metsola called for the EU to provide Ukraine with more military equipment, specifically tanks.
• War crime investigations: Karim Ahmad Khan, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, said he believes that there will be justice for war crimes committed during Russia’s war in Ukraine. He said he is “extremely concerned” by the civilian deaths following numerous Russian strikes Monday and said that the ICC would be conducting a criminal investigation. 

US President Joe Biden (L) spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday and pledged advanced air defense systems to Ukraine, according to White House.

US President Joe Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday to condemn Russia’s recent missile strikes and pledge continued US security assistance, including advanced air defense systems, according to a White House readout of the call. 

“He expressed his condemnation of Russia’s missile strikes across Ukraine, including in Kyiv, and conveyed his condolences to the loved ones of those killed and injured in these senseless attacks,” according to the White House readout. “President Biden pledged to continue providing Ukraine with the support needed to defend itself, including advanced air defense systems.”

The readout did not provide additional details on what advanced air defense systems were discussed. 

“He also underscored his ongoing engagement with allies and partners to continue imposing costs on Russia, holding Russia accountable for its war crimes and atrocities, and providing Ukraine with security, economic, and humanitarian assistance,” the readout continued.

In a statement earlier Monday, Biden said the recent wave of Russian strikes “once again demonstrate the utter brutality of Mr. Putin’s illegal war on the Ukrainian people.”

Karim Ahmad Khan, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), said he believes that there will be justice for war crimes committed during Russia’s war in Ukraine. 

International law is going to “ensure that there will be a day of reckoning in Ukraine and other situations where any bully, any individual with a gun or with a missile, or with the capacity to inflict terror on the most vulnerable of our next generations, will realize that the law is there,” Khan told CNN on Monday. 

The ICC chief said that he is “extremely concerned” by the civilian deaths following numerous Russian strikes that swept across Ukraine on Monday. He told CNN that the ICC would be conducting a criminal investigation. 

“I have members of my office that last night were in bunkers along with many other civilians. Ukrainian children, women and men and this is a matter that engages issues of morality, issues of law and issues of empathy and humanity,” he said.

“We need to be there to get to the truth,” he added.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Ukraine will continue to liberate territories across Ukraine despite a wave of Russian missile attacks on Monday. 

“Whatever he [Putin] does, we will continue to liberate our territory,” Kuleba told CNN. 

“This is the war for the existence of Ukraine. This is the war for the existence of international law and rule-based order. So he may escalate, he may do whatever he wants. But we are going to continue fighting and we will win,” he added.

Kuleba said the “vast majority” of targets in the Russian assault were energy facilities, adding saying that he is “not aware of any major military facility that was targeted. It was only energy facilities and civilian houses, apartment buildings.”

He said that he believed the attack was an act of vengeance by Russian President Vladimir Putin following recent defeats on the battlefield. 

“There should be no doubt that the goal of this attack was to terrorize a peaceful population and to make their life as difficult as possible. I’m pretty sure, I’m confident that this is the result of Putin’s defeat on the battleground. When his army cannot beat Ukrainian army, he chose to terrorize civilians in response as revenge,” Kuleba said.

When pressed on whether Ukraine was responsible for a massive explosion on a key strategic bridge linking Crimea and Russia, Kuleba said that he doesn’t “know who blew up the bridge. I wouldn’t exclude something happening inside of Russia because this bridge is so heavily protected from all sides.”

Finland's President Sauli Niinisto (L) and Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store hold a joint press conference after a meeting in Oslo, Norway, on October 10.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is incapable of accepting defeat in Ukraine, Finnish President Sauli Niinistö said on Monday at a joint press conference in Oslo with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

“I have said that I found it very difficult to see that President Putin could acknowledge any kind of defeat. Is he capable [of] that? That is the question. And I think he is not capable of taking a defeat,” Niinistö said.

Støre was not hopeful of any kind of negotiated resolution and an end to Russian aggression, saying “unfortunately that isn’t an immediate prospect.”

Both Nordic leaders condemned deadly strikes on civilian targets in Ukraine on Monday. “This is an unacceptable attack on civilians and a breach on all principles key to humanitarian law and international rules and regulations,” the Norwegian Prime Minister said.

“Nuclear threats, mobilization and sham referenda and annexation of territory under occupation is simply unacceptable and it has to be rebuffed by the democracies of Europe in a very consistent way,” he added.

Niinistö said: “What has happened now in Ukraine, well, it is indiscriminate bombing targeting civilians, targeting also infrastructure which is most important for civilians. Of course it’s terror [in] people’s minds. Unfortunately, it seems that, in the war, there is a new pace opening or starting and that is a kind of escalation in the situation.”

Rescuers use a hose to extinguish a fire in a residential building damaged after a strike in Zaporizhzhia, on October 9.

US Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth called recent attacks from Russian forces on civilians in Ukraine “horrific.”

“It is horrific that Russia is directly targeting civilians and critical infrastructure for civilians. This is what unfortunately, though, President Putin has been doing for some time in terms, since the invasion of Ukraine,” Wormuth said during a news conference at the Association of the United States Army annual meeting Monday.

Wormuth said these attacks are an “extension” of the kinds of “tactics” Putin has been using throughout the conflict with Ukraine.

“So it’s very, very concerning, but I think it’s an extension of the kind of tactics that we’ve seen from the beginning of the invasion,” Wormuth added.

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola attends a debate on the Russian escalation in the war against Ukraine, during a plenary session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France, on October 5.

Eurpean Parliament President Roberta Metsola told CNN on Monday that the EU needs to do more to help Ukraine in light of Russia’s escalation by providing more military equipment. 

“I think all countries could and should do more,” Metsola told. “What we’ve seen today shows that Russia will continue to escalate further… How are we going to respond? If our response is not proportionate to the escalation, then we’re just going to keep seeing him killing more people.”

Metsola said sanctions by the European Union were “clearly not enough” and she called on all member states to come together and provide more weaponry, specifically tanks, which the Ukrainians have requested.   

“Ukraine is asking for them, and the European Union has the facility to coordinate what it gives to Ukraine. I know the high representatives very much working on this. I know from military perspective we can do more,” she said.

President Biden delivers remarks in Hagerstown, Maryland, on October 7.

US President Joe Biden said Russian missile strikes hitting Kyiv and other cities in Ukraine on Monday “once again demonstrate the utter brutality of Mr. Putin’s illegal war on the Ukrainian people.”

“These attacks only further reinforce our commitment to stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes,” Biden wrote in a statement Monday. “Alongside our allies and partners, we will continue to impose costs on Russia for its aggression, hold Putin and Russia accountable for its atrocities and war crimes, and provide the support necessary for Ukrainian forces to defend their country and their freedom.”

“We again call on Russia to end this unprovoked aggression immediately and remove its troops from Ukraine,” Biden said.

The President is expected to join a call with G7 leaders on Tuesday, where Ukrainian President Zelensky is expected to address the group.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivers remarks during a press conference on September 27 in Washington, DC.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Monday to reiterate the United States’ support following the deadly Russian strikes on Ukraine.

“I just spoke with @DmytroKuleba to reiterate U.S. support for Ukraine following the Kremlin’s horrific strikes this morning. We will continue to provide unwavering economic, humanitarian, and security assistance so Ukraine can defend itself and take care of its people,” Blinken tweeted.

Additionally, US ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink met with President Volodymyr Zelensky. Brink tweeted photos of the meeting.

There have been explosions in the Kryvyi Rih city, said Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the city’s military administration in the Dnipropetrovsk region.

“Preliminary - kamikaze drones Shahid [Iranian-made.]” Vilkul wrote on Telegram.

There are no details yet of damage or casualties.

Russia struck multiple Ukrainian cities with missiles and drones, according to Ukrainian authorities. Catch up on everything you need to know on Monday’s developments so far:

Strikes hit multiple Ukrainian regions: A total of 84 cruise missiles were fired at Ukraine Monday along with a number of attack drones, Ukrainian officials say, adding that the military destroyed 56 of the Russian weapons. Critical infrastructure facilities — mainly energy supply facilities — were hit in multiple regions and in the city of Kyiv, where more than 30 fires broke out, the Ukrainian State Emergency Service (SES) said. At least 11 people died and 64 were injured following the attacks, officials said.

Critical infrastructure was impacted in some areas: At least four regions — Lviv, Poltava, Sumy and Ternopil — had no electricity supply. Authorities requested Lviv residents who may have access to electricity to only use it for “urgent needs.” Kyiv had briefly suspended its subway operations. The region of Khmelnytskyi, which lies west of Kyiv, has “no electricity supply, electric transport does not work, water supply is suspended, traffic lights do not work,” according to the region’s head. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a Telegram post Monday that the government was “doing everything necessary to quickly restore electricity supply.” Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said “preliminary data shows most of the energy facilities will be reconnected today. The rest will start working tomorrow.”

Putin blames Ukraine for attack on Crimean bridge: Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the Crimea bridge blast, but Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Ukrainian “special services” of the attack. He said Monday’s strikes were in response to the attack, but Ukrainian intelligence says the strikes had been planned since early last week.

China and India also call for de-escalation: After the strikes, China expressed hope that the situation in Ukraine will “de-escalated soon.” India has said it is “deeply concerned” by the escalation of the conflict and said that “escalation of hostilities is in no one’s interest,” urging an “immediate cessation of hostilities” and return to the “path of dialogue.” Other European leaders have also condemned the attack.

Escalation in the war: Monday’s strikes come on the heels of other recent attacks across Ukraine. Last week, Russian forces intensified missile attacks on residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia over the past week, with at least 43 civilians dead in the p