October 31, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

The windows of several houses in a Moldovan village were broken after a Russian missile shot down by Ukrainian forces crossed the border, according to Moldova’s interior ministry.

“This morning, a missile shot down by the Ukrainian anti-aircraft system fell in the northern end of the village of Naslavcea in the Republic of Moldova,” the ministry said in a statement.

Naslavcea is located in northern Moldova, on the border with Ukraine. A government taskforce is on the scene and all protective measures have been taken following the incident, according to the statement.

The ministry said the Ukrainian side informed them Monday morning that there was a drone attack on the Dniester Hydroelectric Station – which is on the territory of Ukraine and at a distance of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from the Naslavcea dam – targeting energy infrastructure.

“Ukrainian authorities announce that there is no danger of flooding,” the statement continued.

On Monday morning, a series of Russian missile attacks were launched on key infrastructure across Ukraine, leaving parts of the capital, Kyiv, without electricity and water.

More areas of Kyiv will have their water supply restored within hours, according to the city's mayor, after it was halted by Monday's Russian attacks.

“We will return the water supply to the consumers of the east bank of Kyiv and partially the west bank in three to four hours,” Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram.

He added that power to the Desnianskyi district on Kyiv’s east bank has been “partially restored."

A spate of missile strikes from Russia hit critical infrastructure on Monday, directly impacting Ukrainian residents' ability to access power, water and the internet.

A Russian missile struck an industrial enterprise in Kryvyi Rih, in the Dnipropetrovsk region of central Ukraine, on Monday, according to the city's mayor.

“During the morning missile attack, two missiles were shot down (thanks to the Air Defense Forces), and one cruise missile hit an industrial enterprise,” Oleksandr Vilkul said on Telegram.

There were no casualties reported.

The Kremlin launched renewed strikes targeting key infrastructure in major Ukrainian cities on Monday, disrupting power supplies across the country.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Ankara is determined to try and keep the Black Sea grain initiative alive, despite Moscow's withdrawal from the agreement.

“One third of the world’s wheat is produced by Russia and Ukraine. You are the closest witnesses of our efforts to deliver this wheat to the countries facing the threat of famine,” Erdogan told an audience at the 8th Turkish Medicine Congress in Istanbul on Monday.

“We provided 9.3 million tons of Ukrainian wheat to the world and helped to relatively ease food crisis by founding the Joint Coordination Center. Although Russia is hesitant in this regard, because they are not provided with the same facilitation, we will continue our efforts with determination for the service of humanity,” he added.

The Turkish leader's statement came after Russia announced on Saturday it will suspend its participation in the United Nations-brokered grain export deal with Ukraine, after alleging drone attacks on the Crimean city of Sevastopol.

Twelve vessels left Ukraine’s Black Sea ports on Monday despite Russia's departure from the deal, Oleksandr Kubrakov, the Minister of Infrastructure, tweeted.

Moscow's invasion of Ukraine has been linked to a worsening global food crisis.

The World Food Programme estimated that tens of millions of people moved into a stage of acute hunger as a consequence of the Ukraine war, while Western officials have accused Russia of using food as a weapon during its invasion.

The mayor of Kyiv has called on residents to stow away water from stores and pumping stations, after a Russian attack on a nearby power facility left a large percentage of the capital's population without water on Monday. 

“Just in case, we ask you to stock up on water from the nearest pumps and points of sale. Specialists are doing everything possible to return water to the apartments of Kyiv residents.”

A water supply company based in the capital has published a map showing the locations of pumps that are still operational.

Moscow targeted a fresh wave of missile strikes at critical infrastructure in major Ukrainian cities on Monday, also disrupting power supplies across the country.

The dozen vessels that left Ukrainian ports carrying food on Monday contained 354,500 tons of grain and other agricultural products, according to the country's Ministry of Infrastructure.

“12 ships with 354.5 thousand tons of agricultural products left the Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Pivdennyi sea ports today for the needs of Africa, Asia, and Europe,” the ministry said on Facebook, noting that one vessel – the Ikaria Angel – was chartered by the UN's World Food Programme and destined for Ethiopia.

The post said that UN and Turkish representatives were continuing to negotiate with Moscow “for the full implementation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative," after Russia withdrew from the UN-brokered deal on Saturday.

Russian attacks on Ukraine’s second largest city of Kharkiv have disrupted residents’ water supply and halted most subway train services, according to its mayor, amid a fresh round of missile strikes targeting key Ukrainian infrastructure Monday.

“The blow fell on a critical infrastructure facility, resulting in the subway and ground electric transport being de-energized,” Mayor Ihor Terekhov, said on Telegram.

“At the moment, we have managed to launch the Kholodnohirsko-Zavodska (subway) line, and we have replaced trolleybuses and trams with buses.”

Engineers are working to resume water supply to the homes of local residents, Terekhov added.

Twelve vessels left Ukraine’s Black Sea ports on Monday, despite Russia withdrawing from the UN-brokered grain deal at the weekend, a Ukrainian official said.

Oleksandr Kubrakov, the country's infrastructure minister, said the UN and Turkey would inspect the ships – a process that takes place near the Turkish city of Istanbul. Moscow had been informed, he added.

“Today 12 (ship)s left (Ukrainian) ports. @UN & (Turkish) delegations provide 10 inspection teams to inspect 40 (ship)s aiming to fulfill the #BlackSeaGrainInitiative. This inspection plan has been accepted by the (Ukrainian) delegation,” Kubrakov tweeted.

The minister said that four vessels were also en route to Ukraine after being inspected in the Bosphorus Strait on Sunday, by a team that included representatives from the UN, Turkey, Ukraine and Russia.

His update followed an announcement from the UN Sunday that 12 vessels would leave Ukraine through the maritime corridor on October 31.

The Kremlin announced Saturday it would halt its participation in the grain export deal with Kyiv after drone attacks on the Crimean city of Sevastopol.

Russia's decision to pull out of the agreement prompted concern from Western officials, after the World Food Programme estimated that tens of millions of people moved into a stage of acute hunger as a consequence of the Ukraine war.

Russian forces launched "more than 50 cruise missiles against Ukraine" and 44 of them were intercepted, Ukraine's air force said in a Telegram post Monday.

“At 7:00 a.m. on October 31, the Russian occupiers launched several waves of missile attacks on critical infrastructure facilities in Ukraine,” the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said. 

“More than 50 X-101/X-555 cruise missiles were launched from the Tu-95/Tu-160 strategic aviation missile-carrying aircraft north of the Caspian Sea and the Volgodonsk region (Rostov region)."

A wave of Russian strikes hit critical infrastructure in Kyiv and cities across Ukraine on Monday. 

The air force added that it had destroyed 44 cruise missiles.