October 23, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news - CNN

Russian defence curate Sergei Shoigu and US defence caput Lloyd Austin spoke by telephone Sunday, the second call successful 3 days betwixt the 2 apical officials.

The Russian Ministry of Defense said the 2 discussed the concern successful Ukraine but did not supply further details. It was Shoigu who initiated the telephone telephone to Austin, according to a elder US medication official.

A 2nd authoritative acquainted with the speech said Shoigu alleged Ukrainians are readying to usage a alleged soiled weaponry — a limb combining accepted explosions and uranium. That claim, which the Kremlin has amplified successful caller days, has been powerfully refuted by the US, Ukraine and United Kingdom arsenic a Russian mendacious emblem operation.

Shoigu made akin comments to his French and British counterparts arsenic well.

“We reject reports of Minister Shoigu’s transparently mendacious allegations that Ukraine is preparing to usage a soiled weaponry connected its ain territory,” National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson told CNN successful a statement. “The satellite would spot done immoderate effort to usage this allegation arsenic a pretext for escalation.”

The US is besides watching precise intimately for immoderate quality that Russia has a circumstantial program to blow up a large dam adjacent Kherson wherever Russia has ordered citizens to evacuate, the authoritative said.

On Friday, Austin called Shoigu, the archetypal telephone betwixt the 2 successful respective months. Before Friday, the 2 had not spoken since May.

CNN’s Jonny Hallam contributed to this report.

Mario Draghi and Italy's caller premier minister, Giorgia Meloni shingle hands during the furniture curate doorbell handover ceremonial astatine Palazzo Chigi successful Rome, connected Sunday.

Massimo Valicchia/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Giorgia Meloni, who was sworn successful arsenic Italy’s archetypal pistillate premier minister Saturday, is acceptable to signifier the astir hard close authorities the state has seen successful decades.

The caller governing conjugation includes 2 different right-wing leaders. One is Matteo Salvini, a hard-right erstwhile interior minister, and the different is Silvio Berlusconi, the center-right erstwhile Italian premier minister.

Both men person antecedently publically expressed admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin, which has prompted questions implicit what the coalition’s attack to Russia volition be.

Just this week, secretly recorded audio was circulated in which Berlusconi appeared to laic the blasted for Putin’s penetration of Ukraine astatine Kyiv’s door. He besides boasted of having reestablished relations with the Russian leader.

A enactment spokesperson denied Berlusconi was successful interaction with Putin, saying helium had been telling parliamentarians “an aged communicative referring to an occurrence galore years ago.” Berlusconi besides defended his comments successful an interrogation with Italian paper Corriere della Sera connected Thursday, saying they had been taken retired of context.

Amid backlash implicit the comments, Meloni, who has been a beardown protagonist of Ukraine arsenic it battles Moscow’s invasion, sought to clarify wherever she and the conjugation would basal erstwhile successful power.

“I person and ever volition beryllium clear, I mean to pb a authorities with a overseas argumentation that is wide and unequivocal. Italy is afloat portion of Europe and the Atlantic Alliance. Anyone who does not hold with this cornerstone volition not beryllium capable to beryllium portion of the government, astatine the outgo of not being a government. With america governing, Italy volition ne'er beryllium the anemic nexus of the West,” she said.

Nonetheless, liberals wrong Italy and the European Union are fearful of what the promised rightward crook whitethorn mean for the state and its future.

Russia is intentionally slowing down nutrient shipments made nether the Black Sea Grain Initiative, the Ukrainian infrastructure ministry claimed Sunday.

The complaint echoes complaints made earlier this week by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“As antecedently reported, Russia is deliberately delaying the afloat implementation of the Grain Initiative,” the Infrastructure Ministry wrote successful a Facebook statement. “As a result, the ports person been operating astatine lone 25-30% of their capableness successful caller days.”

But the ministry besides said “the bulk bearer PANGEO, chartered by the UN World Food Program (WFP), near the larboard of Chornomorsk” Sunday. The bearer is heading to Yemen carrying 40,000 tons of wheat. 

The ministry said that since Aug. 1, “380 vessels person exported 8.5 cardinal tons of cultivation products to the countries of Africa, Asia and Europe from the ports of Great Odesa.”

In an code connected Friday, Zelensky said determination were delays with ships delivering grain. 

“The concern astir the atom export inaugural is becoming much and much tense these weeks,” helium said. “The force is doing everything to dilatory down our nutrient exports. I judge that by these actions, Russia is deliberately inflaming the nutrient situation to marque it arsenic acute arsenic it was successful the archetypal months of this year. Today, much than 150 vessels are successful enactment to fulfill contractual obligations to proviso our cultivation products … It occurred lone due to the fact that Russia deliberately delays the transition of ships.”

What the Russians are saying: The Grain Initiative was agreed upon successful July by Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the UN. But successful caller weeks, Russia has complained that portion of the statement allowing for the export of its cultivation products and fertilizer, is not being upheld.

Gennady Gatilov, Russia’s ambassador to the UN successful Geneva, said past week that Moscow could permission the deal, according to Reuters. Later, President Vladimir Putin weighed in, saying Russia would unopen the export corridors if they are utilized to transportation retired “terrorist attacks.”

The Ukrainian metropolis of Enerhodar is “on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe,” the city’s politician said Sunday.

Mayor Dmytro Orlov told Ukrainian media that repeated Russian strikes connected his metropolis forestall speedy exigency and restoration work.

“Enerhodar is connected the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe due to the fact that changeless force shelling destroys civilian infrastructure and powerfulness grids,” Orlov said. “The metropolis remains without energy and without h2o supply. Gas has not been disposable successful astir parts of the metropolis for astir six months.”

The politician besides said the metropolis has “a centralized heating strategy that has not been moving since spring.”

The heating strategy depends connected the adjacent Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, “several units of which are successful acold shutdown mode, and respective units are nether repair,” Orlov explained.

“There are presently nary prospects for starting a heating season, the metropolis is successful information of not starting the heating play astatine all,” the politician emphasized.

Women reunite with relatives during an all-female captive swap with Russia connected October 17.

Ukrainian Presidential Office/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Hundreds of Ukrainian civilians person been imprisoned unlawfully successful Russia since the commencement of the war, according to quality rights groups.

The fortunate ones are yet utilized arsenic bargaining chips successful captive swaps. On Monday, 108 women, including 12 civilians, were released from captivity successful Russia arsenic portion of 1 specified swap.

Some of these Ukrainian women person alleged brutal mistreatment by their captors – including torture by electrical daze and scalding. The Ukrainian authorities quality bureau Ukrinform interviewed 1 of them – naming her lone arsenic Hanna O. She is 26, Ukrinform says, and had served successful the 36th Marine Brigade.

Hanna O. had been successful the Azovstal alloy works successful Mariupol but near erstwhile the Russians began bombarding it. She said she had spent conscionable implicit six months successful captivity. “They treated america similar animals,” she told Ukrinform.

“They’d beaten the girls, they tortured the girls with electrical currents, beaten them with hammers, that’s the lightest thing. They’ve hung them up.
“Those who had tattoos… they wanted to chopped disconnected our hands, chopped disconnected the tattoos, scalded america with boiling h2o conscionable due to the fact that you are there, due to the fact that you are with the marines, due to the fact that you talk Ukrainian,” she said.

International instrumentality is wide that civilians should beryllium treated arsenic protected persons and cannot beryllium held arsenic prisoners of war. The enactment of forcibly transferring Ukrainian civilians to different state is simply a warfare crime.

According to a Human Rights Watch Report successful July, “International humanitarian instrumentality besides prohibits hostage-taking. Detaining civilians for the intent of utilizing them successful aboriginal captive exchanges would represent the warfare transgression of hostage-taking.”

Read the afloat study here.

In an interrogation Sunday, Republican Rep. Nancy Mace said lawmakers volition request to “find balance” successful aiding Ukraine arsenic US President Joe Biden questions her party’s commitment to helping combat the Russian invasion.

Mace, appearing connected State of the Union, was asked by CNN’s Jake Tapper whether she supported House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy’s assertion that the GOP would not constitute a “blank check” to Ukraine if they are successful the majority.

“It is thing that we’re going to person to find equilibrium connected adjacent year,” she said, owed to the menace of a recession and Republican promises to chopped authorities spending.

“If we support — support penning these blank checks to different countries, if we summation the shortage spending oregon authorities spending immoderate much than we already have, we’re going to — we are going to exacerbate the situation,” Mace continued. “But marque nary mistake. Ukraine is precise important, not lone to the United States economy, but to countries each astir the world.”

She said Russian President Vladimir Putin has “lost his marbles,” but argued McCarthy’s comments bash not hazard further emboldening him. Instead, she pointed astatine U.S. infighting arsenic a whole.

“The divisions that we have, and unwilling to enactment unneurotic connected immoderate of these issues and conscionable the fighting, it makes america look anemic connected the satellite stage,” she told Tapper.

Biden questions Republican commitment: Biden has seized connected McCarthy’s comments and akin remarks from immoderate Republicans, framing the presumption arsenic undermining US enactment successful an progressively volatile world.

“These guys don’t get it,” Biden said astatine a fundraiser successful Philadelphia Thursday. “It’s a batch bigger than Ukraine – it’s Eastern Europe, it’s NATO. It’s real, serious, superior consequential outcomes. They person nary consciousness of American overseas policy.” 

British Defense Minister Ben Wallace speaks connected October 2.

Toby Melville/Reuters/FIle

British defence curate Ben Wallace connected Sunday refuted claims by his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu that Ukraine was readying to escalate the struggle with assistance from Western countries.  

Shoigu made the allegations successful a telephone with Wallace, which the UK Defense Ministry said was held astatine the Russian Defense Ministry’s request. Wallace warned Shoigu that “such allegations should not beryllium utilized arsenic a pretext for greater escalation,” according to a connection from the ministry. Wallace “observed that some Ministers were nonrecreational and respectful connected the call,” the connection added.

Shoigu warned Wallace of his concerns Ukraine would usage a “dirty bomb,” against Russia, according to a Russian Defense Ministry statement. 

Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba vehemently dismissed the proposition his state would usage specified a weaponry — a limb that combines radioactive worldly with accepted explosives.

French defence curate Sébastien Lecornu told his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu that Paris “refuses immoderate signifier of escalation, particularly nuclear” during a telephone Sunday. 

“France calls connected Russia to enactment an extremity to its warfare of aggression against Ukraine and to bash everything imaginable to lend to de-escalation,” Lecornu said, according to a readout of the speech shared by France’s Ministry of the Armed Forces.

The connection added that French President Emmanuel Macron’s authorities is “determined to lend to a peaceful solution of the conflict” and that the French and Russian defence ministers would enactment successful contact.

Lecornu would beryllium gathering his Ukrainian counterpart “shortly,” the connection concluded.

Rescuers enactment astatine a tract of a residential gathering heavy damaged by a Russian rocket onslaught in Mykolaiv connected October 23.

Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters

Five radical were wounded erstwhile 2 missiles struck the confederate Ukraine metropolis of Mykolaiv Saturday night, according to a Ukrainian official.

Three of the 5 victims were hospitalized, Hanna Zamazeieva, the caput of the Mykolaiv regional council, said connected Telegram.

“A five-story gathering was destroyed and a ten-story residential building, a children’s playground, a heating tube and dozens of cars were importantly damaged,” Zamazeieva wrote. “These are the consequences of the night-time violent shelling by the occupiers with S-300 missiles successful the metropolis of Mykolaiv.”

Rockets besides passed over the city earlier Saturday, seemingly headed to different parts of the country, Mykolaiv’s determination politician said. 

“Rockets passed by us. Probably connected to occidental and cardinal Ukraine,” Vitaliy Kim wrote connected Telegram. 

Air sirens were activated crossed Ukraine Saturday amid the latest Russian barrage. Local leaders turned to Telegram and different messaging platforms to impulse residents to instrumentality cover.

A Ukrainian serviceman checks trenches dug by Russian soldiers successful a retaken country successful the Kherson portion connected October 12.

Leo Correa/AP

Russia’s subject is pulling troops backmost from positions connected the Dnipro River successful the confederate Kherson region, according to a Ukrainian official. 

“We proceed to determination the beforehand line. But they are firmly ensconced down their antiaircraft line,” Humeniuk continued. “They are trying to ore their forces connected the eastbound bank.”

Some background: Kherson — a gateway to Crimea adjacent the Black Sea — was annexed by Russia last period amid wide planetary condemnation.

This weekend, Kremlin-backed leaders ordered residents to evacuate occupied Kherson city. Russian forces are struggling to withstand an oncoming Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Russia claims it has not mislaid crushed to Ukraine successful Kherson but is evacuating civilians for their ain safety, moving them east.

“The evacuation of the metropolis of Kherson continues. We supply maximum assistance to each those traveling to the eastbound portion of the Kherson portion and different subjects of the Russian Federation,” Kirill Stremousov, a Russian-appointed authoritative successful Kherson, said Sunday.

Ukraine accuses Russia of creating “hysteria” arsenic a justification to forcibly region residents.

CNN cannot independently verify the caller unit movements reported by each country’s military.

A Russian combatant pitchy crashed into a two-story residential gathering successful the Siberian metropolis of Irkutsk Sunday, leaving its 2 pilots dead, a section authoritative said.

“Both pilots were killed. None of the section residents were hurt,” Irkutsk politician Igor Kobzev wrote connected Telegram.

The clang of the Su-30 aircraft, which took spot during a trial flight, caused a immense occurrence successful an country of implicit 200 quadrate meters, according to the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

Emergency crews were called to enactment retired the occurrence and hunt for immoderate imaginable victims. A ceremonial probe is underway.

“Investigators and forensic specialists from the territorial investigative assemblage and the Eastern Interregional Investigation Department for Transport of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation are moving astatine the country of the incident,” a connection from the Russian Federation Investigative committee reads.

Another deadly clang for Russia’s military: The clang is the 2nd specified incidental successful the past six days.

On Monday, a Russian SU-34 combatant pitchy also crashed into a residential building successful the occidental metropolis of Yeysk during a grooming flight, sidesplitting astatine slightest 14 people.

That clang was owed to 1 of the jet’s engines catching fire, reported state-run quality bureau RIA Novosti, citing Russia’s Defense Ministry.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine is managing to sprout down astir of Russia’s cruise missiles and drones aft another barrage pounded his state Saturday. 

During his nightly address, Zelensky alluded to the geographical standard of the attacks, calling it “very wide.” He highlighted Volyn successful the northwest, Odesa, Mykolaiv and Zaporizhzhia successful the south, Rivne successful the west, Kirovohrad and Dnipropetrovsk successful the center, arsenic examples of areas that were targeted arsenic portion of the “massive” strikes connected Saturday.

“Our Air Force besides shows bully results. Of course, we bash not yet person the method quality to sprout down 100% of Russian missiles and onslaught drones. We volition gradually travel to this – with the assistance of our partners, I’m assured of this,” the Ukrainian president said. 

“But we are already shooting down astir of the cruise missiles, astir of the drones. Only successful the archetypal fractional of this day, 20 missiles were changeable down – Kalibr and Kh-101 missiles, arsenic good arsenic much than 10 Iranian Shahed UAVs,” helium continued.

Calls for an “air shield”: While Zelensky touted his country’s aerial defenses successful the address, helium has besides pleaded with Western allies for much assistance defending the state from Russian barrages.

When a US congressional delegation visited Kyiv Friday, Zelensky renewed his petition for assistance creating an “air shield” of rocket defence technology.

“When Ukraine receives a capable fig of modern and effectual aerial defence systems, the cardinal constituent of Russian panic – rocket strikes – volition cease to work,” the Ukrainian President told leaders of the G7 nations astatine a gathering earlier this month.

CNN’s Tim Lister, Julia Kesaieva and Denis Lapin contributed to this report.

People get from Kherson with their belongings arsenic they hold for further evacuation astatine the Dzhankoi's railway presumption successful Crimea connected October 21.

Stringer/AFP/Getty Images

Russian-installed authorities successful the metropolis of Kherson urged residents to permission the city Saturday, the latest successful a string of calls for civilian evacuations determination this week.

Kherson was annexed by Russia conscionable past month, amid wide planetary condemnation. Kyiv officials person accused the Kremlin of generating “hysteria” to compel radical to permission arsenic the Ukrainian counteroffensive approaches.

Saturday’s evacuation called for residents to transverse to the eastbound slope of the Dnipro River, which divides the region, arsenic you tin spot connected the representation below. Ukrainian gains successful caller weeks person travel connected the different broadside — successful villages and farmlands on the occidental bank.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian denied US and Western allegations that Iran is supplying Russia with drones, echoing denials from different officials successful Tehran and successful Moscow.

“We condemn the allegations of giving drones to Russia successful the Ukraine war. We are against warfare anyplace successful the world,” Abdollahian said Saturday, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency. 

The overseas minister’s remarks came arsenic the Security Service of Ukraine announced transgression proceedings to place anyone progressive successful supplying Iranian drones and short-range ballistic missiles to Russia.

“Those who assistance Russia motorboat strikes astatine peaceful Ukrainian towns and villages indispensable besides carnivore work for Russia’s warfare crimes,” the information work said successful a statement. “Because you cannot knowingly merchantability a sharpened weapon to a maniac and past beryllium amazed that helium kills people.”

Despite Russia’s attempts to disguise the (Iranian) Shaheds arsenic Gerans (Russia-branded drones), we volition beryllium their Iranian origin,” the acting caput of the information service, Vasyl Maliuk, said. “We are moving to teardrop masks disconnected each warfare criminals and punish them.”

Some background: A increasing fig of countries and planetary organizations person condemned Russian-Iranian coordination connected drone strikes.

Earlier this week, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the US has “abundant evidence” that Russia is utilizing Iranian drones, specifically to target Ukrainian civilians and captious civilian infrastructure. The White House added claims that Iran’s subject gave Russians hands-on grooming with the weapons.

The European Union and the United Kingdom have rolled retired sanctions connected the manufacturers of Iranian drones.

Natalia Zemko, 81, drinks beverage successful her flat during a powerfulness outage successful in Kyiv, Ukraine connected October 22.

Paula Bronstein/Getty Images

More than subject bases oregon transport hubs successful caller weeks, Russia has bombarded Ukraine’s energy organisation and heating networks.

With wintertime weeks away, Russian rocket and drone strikes are hitting thermal powerfulness stations, energy substations, transformers and pipelines. The result: rolling powerfulness cuts, disabled h2o pumping stations and wide net outages.

“This is simply a violent enactment planned with the assistance of competent Russian vigor experts, which aims to unopen down the vigor strategy of Ukraine. That is, to execute a implicit blackout successful the country,” Oleksandr Kharchenko, CEO of the Energy Research Center successful Kyiv, said Friday.

A strategy emerges: As Russian forces endured losses successful September and into this month, pundits appeared connected authorities media urging that Ukraine beryllium plunged into a dark, freezing wintertime successful revenge. That present appears to beryllium the goal.

The casualties are comparatively fewer but the harm inordinate. Power infrastructure is an obvious, static people that is hard to support without an bonzer array of country defenses, which Ukraine has been begging for from its Western allies.

Maksym Timchenko, the CEO of vigor institution DTEK, noted successful a caller interrogation that Russia has been precise selective successful their targeting. He told Ekonomichna Pravda that the strikes were aimed not astatine generating capacities but the cogs of distribution: switchgears and transformers, oregon output instrumentality astatine thermal powerfulness plants. 

Ukrainian authorities are intelligibly struggling to support up with an ever-longer database of needed repairs this month, and immoderate infrastructure is beyond repair.