Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday that the grain shipping corridor to get food out of his country, part of an agreement Russia has suspended, needs reliable, long-term protection. Lawyers in Britain earlier took the first step towards what they said was "groundbreaking" legal action against Russia's shadowy Wagner group over allegations it committed "terrorism" in Ukraine. To catch up on the developments as they happened, read our blog below. All times are Paris local time (GMT+1).
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11:44pm: UN grain coordinator expects loaded ships to depart Ukraine on Thursday
The UN coordinator for the Ukraine Black Sea grain deal said he expects loaded ships to depart Ukrainian ports on Thursday.
“Exports of grain and foodstuffs from #Ukraine️ need to continue. Although no movements of vessels are planned for 2 November under the #BlackSeaGrainInitiative, we expect loaded ships to sail on Thursday,” UN coordinator Amir Abdulla posted on Twitter.
Exports of grain and foodstuffs from #Ukraine️ need to continue. Although no movements of vessels are planned for 2 November under the #BlackSeaGrainInitiative, we expect loaded ships to sail on Thursday.
— Amir M. Abdulla (@AmirMAbdulla) November 1, 2022
10:09pm: Ukraine grain corridor needs 'long-term protection', says Zelensky
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that the grain shipping corridor to get food out of his country, part of an agreement which Russia has suspended, needs reliable, long-term protection.
"The grain corridor needs reliable and long-term protection," Zelensky said ahead of Wednesday when no cargo movement is expected in the humanitarian corridor.
"Russia must clearly understand that it will receive a harsh global response to any measures that disrupt our food exports," he said in his daily address on social media.
8:04pm: Pro-Moscow force renews evacuation of Ukraine's Kherson
Russian-installed officials announced on Tuesday a resumption of the operation to evacuate the Kherson region of Ukraine amid a counter-offensive by Kyiv, which has already seen 70,000 people flee the area.
"I decided to extend the evacuation zone by 15 kilometres (nine miles) from Dnipro," pro-Moscow governor Vladimir Saldo said in a Telegram video.
7:20pm: Russian attacks on Ukraine's water, energy supplies particularly heinous, says US State Dept
Russia's attacks on Ukrainian water and energy supplies are aimed at exacerbating human suffering and are particularly heinous, US State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters on Tuesday.
Russia fired a huge volley of missiles at Ukrainian cities on Monday in what Russian President Vladimir Putin called retaliation for an attack on Russia's Black Sea Fleet at the weekend. Ukraine said it shot most of those missiles down, but some had hit power stations, knocking out electricity and water supplies.
7:11pm: Russia's Wagner group facing UK court action over Ukraine 'terrorism'
Lawyers in Britain on Tuesday took the first step towards what they said was "groundbreaking" legal action against Russia's shadowy Wagner group over allegations it committed "terrorism" in Ukraine.
The proposed legal action is aimed at uncovering billions of dollars in reparations for victims of the mercenary fighters.
Wagner emerged in 2014 in Ukraine and is suspected by the West of doing the Kremlin's dirty work in countries such as Syria and the Central African Republic -- a charge Russia has always denied.
Jason McCue, senior partner at McCue Jury and Partners, said Wagner and its alleged boss Yevgeny Prigozhin "engaged in a campaign of terrorism" in Ukraine including murder, rape, the targeting of infrastructure and the planting of explosives around nuclear facilities.
"Their purpose was to spread terror and chaos in Ukraine," he told Britain's House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday.
Ukrainian officials have said Wagner has been sending thousands of soldiers recruited in Russian prisons to the front line, with the promise of a salary and an amnesty.
6:20pm: No grain ship movement planned in Black Sea Wednesday, says coordination centre
There are no plans for grain-laden vessels to move in the Black Sea Wednesday, the Joint Coordination Centre, the body overseeing a deal to export Ukrainian foodstuffs, said.
"The UN Secretariat at the Joint Coordination Centre reports that the Ukrainian, Turkish and United Nations delegations agreed not to plan any movement of vessels in the Black Sea Grain Initiative for 2 November," it said Tuesday, referring to the July deal brokered by Turkey and the UN.
6:15pm: Putin tells Erdogan he wants 'real guarantees' from Kyiv on grain deal, says Kremlin
Russian President Vladimir Putin told Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan Tuesday that he wanted "real guarantees" from Kyiv before it potentially rejoined the grain deal.
Putin told Erdogan in a phone call that Russia sought "real guarantees from Kyiv about the strict observance of the Istanbul agreement, in particular about not using the humanitarian corridor for military purposes", according to a statement from the Kremlin.
3:51pm: France says Russia endangering world food security
French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday accused Russia of endangering world food supplies by suspending its participation in a landmark Ukraine grain deal.
Moscow on Saturday halted its participation in the agreement that allowed vital grain exports from Ukraine, blaming drone attacks on Russian ships in the Crimea.
In a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Macron "denounced a unilateral decision by Russia which again harms global food security", the president's office said.
Russia made the announcement after its army accused Kyiv of a "massive" drone attack on its Black Sea fleet, which Ukraine labelled a "false pretext" and the UN urged the deal's preservation.
The July deal to unlock grain exports signed between Russia and Ukraine and brokered by Turkey and the UN has been seen as critical to easing the global food crisis caused by the conflict.
3:18pm: Macron says France will help Ukraine get through winter, fix infrastructure
French President Emmanuel Macron, following a telephone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said France would help Ukraine get through the winter and help repair water and energy infrastructure damaged by Russian strikes.
France will also help boost Ukraine's anti-air defences and Macron said he and Zelensky had agreed to hold an international conference in Paris on December 13 to support Ukraine civilians in winter.
A bilateral conference on December 12 will also aim at raising support for Ukraine from French companies, Macron said in a statement.
3:13pm: Macron, Zelensky discuss Ukraine's defence needs, restoring energy facilities
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday he had an "extremely important and productive conversation" with French President Emmanuel Macron about strengthening Ukraine's defence capabilities and restoring damaged energy infrastructure.
Zelensky did not say what had been agreed but thanked Macron for his support since Russia invaded Ukraine.
1:54pm: Britain says won't be drawn into Russian ‘distractions’ over Nord Stream
Moscow’s claim that Britain is to blame for damage to the Nord Stream gas pipelines is an attempt to distract from the situation in Ukraine and is part of the “Russian playbook”, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesman said on Tuesday.
“Obviously, we’re carefully monitoring the situation, but it is right to not be drawn into these sorts of distractions which is part of the Russian playbook,” Sunak’s spokesman told reporters.
“They continue their indiscriminate bombardment of civilians and attacks on civilian infrastructure. That is our focus, and we will continue to provide support so that they lose this illegal war.”
12:04pm Kremlin accuses UK of ‘directing and coordinating’ Nord Stream blasts
The Kremlin on Tuesday again accused the United Kingdom of “directing and coordinating” explosions on the Nord Stream gas pipelines.
“Our intelligence services have data indicating that British military specialists were directing and coordinating the attack,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists. “There is evidence that Britain is involved in sabotage, in a terrorist attack on vital energy infrastructure, not just Russian, but international.”
11:46am: Russia says no decree needed to end ‘partial mobilisation’ in Ukraine
The Kremlin on Tuesday said it needed no decree to mark the completion of its “partial mobilisation” of 300,000 reservists to the war in Ukraine.
But the fact that the Kremlin has not rescinded the original presidential decree or issued a new one cancelling it has raised concerns that it may be keeping the door open to further call-ups.
11:06am: EU presidency says sanctions may next target Belarus
The Czech prime minister, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, said Tuesday the bloc may look at further sanctions on Belarus over its role in the war in Ukraine.
Minsk allows Russian troops to be stationed on Belarusian territory and stage attacks on Ukraine from there, although it insists it does not want to join the war directly.
"We are now looking at... the role of Belarus and the potential need to target it," Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala told reporters after returning from Kyiv where members of his cabinet joined him in talks with Ukrainian counterparts.
"We must realise that the attacks on Ukraine are led out of the Belarusian airspace and that Belarus supplies weapons to Russia," said Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky.
>> ‘Russian pressure is too strong’: Is Putin pulling Belarus into the war in Ukraine?
10:23am: Three more ships leave Ukraine ports under deal despite Russian suspension
Three outbound vessels left Ukrainian ports by midday on Tuesday under the Black Sea grain export deal, the United Nations-led coordination centre said, the second day of sailings after Russia suspended participation in the initiative.
The statement said the ships' movement was agreed by the Ukrainian, Turkish and UN delegations at the Istanbul-based centre and the Russian delegation had been informed.
It said the UN coordinator for the grain initiative, Amir Abdulla, continued discussions with all three member state parties in an effort to resume full participation at the centre that oversees safe passage of vessels.
10:17am: Finland urges Turkey, Hungary to swiftly approve Swedish, Finnish NATO bids
Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin on Tuesday urged Hungary and Turkey to swiftly approve the Swedish and Finnish applications for membership of the NATO defence alliance.
Hungary and Turkey are the only two remaining NATO members not to have ratified the applications.
"All eyes are now on Hungary and Turkey. We are waiting for these countries to ratify our applications. I think it would be important that this would happen preferably sooner than later," Marin told a joint news conference with other Nordic leaders.
Finland and Sweden last week reiterated they would join NATO at the same time, presenting a united front to Turkey.
The Nordic neighbours asked to join the NATO alliance in May in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but ran into objections from Turkey which has accused the two of harbouring groups it deems terrorists.
9:34am: Ukraine seeks Russia's expulsion from G20, says Putin's hands 'stained in blood'
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday Russia should be expelled from the Group of 20 major economies and President Vladimir Putin’s invitation to a G20 summit in Bali next month must be revoked.
"Putin publicly acknowledged ordering missile strikes on Ukrainian civilians and energy infrastructure," spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko wrote on Twitter.
"With his hands stained in blood, he must not be allowed to sit at the table with world leaders. Putin’s invitation to Bali summit must be revoked, and Russia expelled from G20."
8:19am: Water, power supplies restored in Kyiv after missile strikes
Water and electricity supplies have been restored in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, a day after being knocked out by Russian missile strikes, the city's mayor said on Tuesday.
"Water supplies to the homes of Kyiv residents have been fully restored.... Electricity supplies in Kyiv have also been restored", Vitali Klitschko said on social media.
8:08am: Russian missiles hit apartment complex in Mykolaiv
Russia fired four missiles into the southern Ukrainian port city of Mykolaiv overnight, demolishing half an apartment building and killing one resident, a day after it unleashed a barrage of missiles on several cities including the capital Kyiv.
Rescue workers recovered the body of an elderly woman from the rubble of the apartment block early on Tuesday, Reuters witnesses said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said missile strikes on several Ukrainian cities on Monday which targeted infrastructure and a decision to freeze participation in a Black Sea grain export programme were responses to a drone attack on Moscow’s fleet in Crimea that he blamed on Ukraine.
7:24am: Turkey says Black Sea grain export deal needs to be kept separate from war in Ukraine
Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar told Ukraine’s defence and infrastructure ministers that keeping the Black Sea grain export deal going was important and that, as a humanitarian initiative, it should be kept separate from the conflict in Ukraine.
Akar’s comments, released in a statement by his ministry on Tuesday, followed Russia’s suspension of its participation in the deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey in July and aimed at keeping food commodities flowing to world markets.
Akar also told his Russian counterpart on Monday that Moscow should re-evaluate its decision.
7:15am: Russia extends evacuation zone in Kherson region
Russian-installed officials in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region late Monday said they were extending an evacuation zone further from the Dnipro river, saying Ukraine could be preparing to attack the Kakhovka dam and flood the region.
In a post on Telegram, Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-backed head of the region which is partially occupied by Russian forces, said he was extending the area covered by an order for civilians to evacuate by an additional 15 kilometres to include another seven settlements.
(FRANCE 24 with AP, AFP, REUTERS)
