Summary
It’s slightly past 10pm in Kyiv. Here’s where things stand:
Ukraine’s prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, said that Russia has plunged Ukraine into a humanitarian catastrophe by attacking its energy infrastructure. In a statement to German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine, Shmyhal said that Russia wanted to condemn Ukraine to “a cold winter when many people could literally freeze to death”.
The general staff of the Ukraine armed forces said on Saturday that the country pushed Russians out of Charivne and Chkalove settlements in Kherson oblast.
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said that Russia launched 36 rockets in a “massive attack” on Ukraine. In a post on Telegram he said that most of the missiles fired overnight were shot down by the country’s air defence systems.
Russian military forces carried out another missile attack targeting energy facilities in western Ukraine, the country’s power grid operator said today. In a message on Telegram, Ukrenergo said that the “scale of damage is comparable or may exceed the consequences of the attack on October 10-12”. It said that repair crews are starting to repair the facilities after the rocket attack, but that restrictions are in place as they try to restore the electricity supply.
Hundreds of thousands of people in central and western Ukraine woke up today to power outages and periodic bursts of gunfire, as Ukrainian air defence tried to shoot down drones and incoming missiles. Kira Rudik, a member of the Ukrainian parliament, says 1.5 million people are without electricity after Russian strikes against power stations on Saturday.
Iran’s foreign ministry has strongly condemned a call by France, Germany and Britain for the UN to probe accusations that Russia has used drones from Iran to attack Ukraine. Ukraine says that Russia has used Iranian-made Shahed-136 attack drones. If true, the allegations would mark a breach of UN security council resolution 2231.
Ukrainian forces have bombarded Russian positions in the occupied Kherson region, targeting resupply routes across a major river while inching closer on Friday to a full assault on the key city. Associated Press reported that Russian-installed officials were said to be desperately trying to turn Kherson city – a prime objective for both sides because of its key industries and major river and seaport – into a “fortress” while attempting to evacuate tens of thousands of residents.
The Pentagon confirmed a phone call between the US defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, and the Russian defence minister, Sergei Shoigu. It said Austin “emphasised the importance of maintaining lines of communication” with Shoigu. Russia’s defence ministry said of the call: “Topical issues of international security, including the situation in Ukraine, were discussed.”
Updated
Ukraine’s prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, said that Russia has plunged Ukraine into a humanitarian catastrophe by attacking its energy infrastructure.
In a statement to German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine, Shmyhal said that Russia wanted to condemn Ukraine to “a cold winter when many people could literally freeze to death”.
This may lead to a “planned humanitarian catastrophe such as Europe has not seen since the Second World War," he said, adding that Ukrainians may flee to Europe en masse due to Russian strikes on energy infrastructure.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) October 22, 2022
Updated
