KIEV (Reuters) – Russia fired four missiles into the southern Ukrainian port city of Mykolaiv overnight, destroying half an apartment building and killing a resident.
Rescuers recovered the body of an elderly woman from the rubble of an apartment building early Tuesday, according to a Reuters eyewitness.
Rush hour was underway, and passers-by passed in front of the two-story school. Its front was torn apart by a blast that left a huge crater.
“That’s what the barbarian hordes do,” said Irena Seiden, 48, the school’s vice-principal, standing in front of the destroyed building as workers began clearing the debris.
“They (Russians) are the descendants of the barbaric horde. They want to steal our history and steal our culture.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s missile strikes on several Ukrainian cities targeting infrastructure and the decision to freeze participation in the Black Sea grain export program are a testament to his actions against Moscow’s fleet in the Crimea. He said it was in response to a drone attack he blamed on the United States.
At a press conference on Monday, Putin said the Ukrainian drones used the same sea routes transited by grain ships under a UN-brokered agreement.
Kyiv has not claimed responsibility for the attack and has denied using the grain program’s security corridor for military purposes. He said there were no grain ships using the Black Sea route.
Meanwhile, on the 250th day of the war, which began after Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine, Russian missiles rained down on the country. An explosion erupted in Kyiv, sending black smoke into the sky.
Russian forces shelled infrastructure in at least six Ukrainian regions on Monday, the chief of staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in a Facebook statement.
“That’s not all we could do,” Putin said at a televised press conference, suggesting more actions could follow.
Ukrainian officials said energy infrastructure, including hydroelectric dams, had been hit, cutting off electricity, heat and water supplies.
About 140,000 residents were without power after the attack, including about 50,000 in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, Olev Sinekhbov, the governor of northeastern Kharkiv, told Telegram.
The Ukrainian military says it has shot down 44 of 50 Russian missiles. But the strike has left 80 percent of him without running water in Kyiv, officials said. Ukrainian police said he had injured 13 people in recent attacks.
[1/16] A woman reacts next to the body of a neighbor found under the rubble of a house destroyed by a Russian missile strike in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, November 1, 2022. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko
Over the past three weeks, Russia has used expensive long-range missiles and cheap Iranian-made “suicide drones” to attack civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Shmykhal said 18 targets, mostly energy infrastructure, were hit by missiles and drones in 10 regions of Ukraine on Monday.
wheat price surge
Moscow on Saturday announced the suspension of its role in the grain program after accusing Ukraine of using air and sea drones to target ships in the Sevastopol Bay. One of the drones suggests it may have been launched from a civilian vessel chartered to export food from Ukrainian ports.
“Ukraine must ensure that there is no threat to civilian ships or Russian supply ships,” Putin said on Monday, noting that under the terms of the grain deal Russia has a responsibility to ensure security. did.
Ukrainian and UN officials said 12 ships carrying grain set sail from Ukrainian ports on Monday despite Moscow’s move. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in July that Ukraine would continue to implement a program mediated by the United Nations and Turkey aimed at alleviating global hunger.
“We know what we can offer the world. We bring stability to the food production market,” Zelensky said at a press conference. He has previously said that Moscow is “threatening the world with hunger”. Russia denies that is its purpose.
The U.S. State Department said on Monday that uncertainty over the Black Sea grain trade has pushed food prices up and Russia’s withdrawal has had an “immediate and detrimental” impact on global food security.
Global wheat prices soared more than 5% on Monday morning on news that Moscow was pulling out of the deal.
Nevertheless, the continued flow of grain exports from Ukrainian ports suggests that a new global food crisis has been averted for now.
Both Ukraine and Russia are the world’s largest food exporters. For three months, a UN-backed deal guaranteed Ukrainian exports to reach markets and lifted Russia’s de facto blockade.
The ships that set sail on Monday included a vessel hired by the United Nations World Food Program to bring 40,000 tons of grain to drought-hit Africa.
Also on Monday, Russia’s defense ministry said Moscow had completed the partial military mobilization announced by Putin in September and no further convocation notices would be issued.
On September 21, Putin announced the first Russian mobilization since World War II. This is he one in a series of step-by-step measures to address Ukrainian interests on the battlefield.
At the time, Defense Minister Shoigu said about 300,000 additional personnel would be recruited. However, mobilization proceeded chaotically, with thousands fleeing Russia to avoid conscription.
Reported by the Reuters Secretariat, written by Cynthia Osterman and Michael Perry. Edited by Rosalba O’Brien and Stephen Coates
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