Russia-Ukraine war updates on Nov.1, 2022

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that about 40% of his country’s entire energy infrastructure has been seriously damaged by Russian missile and drone strikes.

Moscow has carried out several devastating missile and drone strikes against what Ukraine said were civilian targets and critical infrastructure such as energy facilities.

Iran and Russia have sharply denied reports that Tehran supplied Moscow with a fleet of drones for the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine. The Kremlin has also repeatedly denied that it uses Iranian-made drones to target residential and other high civilian areas.

— Amanda Macias

The White House is concerned that Iran is preparing to send Russia more drones as well as surface-to-surface missiles for its war in Ukraine.

“We are looking at a range of options here, as we have said clearly we said it last week, this is obviously a violation of U.N. resolution 2231,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on a conference call. The U.N. resolution endorsed the Iran nuclear deal.

“Let’s not forget at its core, this is a regime in Tehran that is openly and willingly making themselves an accomplice to the murder of Ukrainians,” Kirby added.

The resolution prohibits the transfer “of all items, materials, equipments and goods and technology” from Iran to another nation unless it is approved in advance by the U.N. Security Council on a case-by-case basis.

Kirby declined to detail potential diplomatic or economic actions Washington would take.

Moscow has carried out several devastating missile and drone strikes against what Ukraine said were civilian targets and critical infrastructure such as energy facilities.

Iran and Russia’s representatives at the United Nations have sharply denied reports that Tehran supplied Moscow with a fleet of drones for use in Ukraine. The Kremlin has repeatedly denied that it uses Iranian-made drones to target residential and other high civilian areas.

— Amanda Macias

French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and “denounced a unilateral decision by Russia” to suspend its participation in the  Black Sea Grain Initiative.

Macron accused Russia of weaponizing global food supplies by ending its cooperation with the U.N.-backed deal that led to the reopening of three key Ukrainian ports.

Macron also said he confirmed to Zelenskyy that France is fully mobilized “to increase our military support for Ukraine as soon as possible, in particular anti-aircraft defense.”

Macron also said that France was prepared to help Ukraine with its electric infrastructure, which has been significantly damaged in Russian attacks.

“Action is needed before winter. We shall swiftly mobilize both the international community and the private sector,” Macron added on Twitter.

— Amanda Macias

The United Nations Children’s Fund has delivered 2.3 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine to Ukraine, its largest shipment yet.

The vaccines are produced by Pfizer-BioNTech, and soon will be distributed to 23 regions in Ukraine. UNICEF delivered the doses with logistical support from USAID through the COVAX initiative.

“We thank all our partners for the constant support provided to Ukraine and the provision of vaccines aimed to protect Ukrainians from COVID-19,” Ukrainian Health Minister Viktor Lyashko said in a statement.

“While the resources of health care systems are concentrating on the treatment of our defenders at the frontline, we kindly ask all Ukrainians to get vaccinated against COVID-19, so that they do not suffer from its complications,” Lyashko added.

— Amanda Macias

The organization overseeing the export of Ukrainian agriculture said that no vessels will sail by way of the Black Sea Grain Initiative on Wednesday.

The Ukrainian, Turkish and United Nations delegations “agreed not to plan any movement of vessels” due to Russia’s decision to suspend its participation in the program.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative, a deal brokered in July among Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations, eased Russia’s naval blockade and saw the reopening of three key Ukrainian ports.

Amir Abdulla, the U.N. Coordinator for the Black Sea Grain Initiative, said he is in close cooperation and consultation with all signatories of the deal to resume full participation.

— Amanda Macias

A documentary film focused on Russia’s brutal attack on the seaside town of Mariupol is set to premiere in New York City at 7 p.m. ET.

The film, entitled “Mariupol, unlost hope,” tells the stories of Ukrainian eyewitnesses the day Russian troops arrived to carry out a full-scale seizure of the industrious port city.

“Three women and two men, who had been living in Mariupol during the first month of the invasion, tell what they have seen and felt, how they have made decisions inside of a war,” the producers of the film wrote.

Mariupol, which is still under Russian occupation, has since been described as a “city of graves” due to intense fighting and indiscriminate attacks on civilian infrastructure.

The proceeds from this event will be used to organize further screenings of documentaries about the situation in Ukraine.

— Amanda Macias

Russia deployed several thousand newly mobilized reservists to the front lines in Ukraine during October, the U.K.’s Ministry of Defense said in an intelligence update.

The U.K. said that “in many cases, they [Russian reservists] are poorly equipped.”

The British ministry also added that some of the mobilized reservists were arriving without any weapons.

— Amanda Macias

American military personnel are now in Ukraine to help keep track of the billions of dollars’ worth of weapons and equipment the United States has sent since the start of the Russian invasion, a senior U.S. defense official and senior U.S. military official said. 

Led by Brig. Gen. Garrick Harmon, the U.S. defense attaché to Ukraine, the inspections have already begun with the help of the Office of Defense Cooperation personnel who have returned to the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, the officials said. The U.S. had conducted similar checks on aid prior to the war, but they stopped for months after Russia invaded on Feb. 24.

“There have been several of these inspections,” according to the senior defense official, who declined to give details on the locations of the on-site inspections. The Ukrainians have been “very transparent” and are supporting the inspections, the official added.

NBC News has not confirmed how many members of the U.S. military are in Ukraine to conduct the inspections, how many inspections they’ve completed or when the program restarted.

These inspectors in Ukraine appear to be some of the first members of the U.S. military to re-enter the Eastern European country since the start of the war, outside of military guards posted at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, the capital. The Pentagon ordered the departure of U.S. troops in Ukraine on Feb. 14 — 10 days before the invasion — as the crisis escalated.

Read more on NBC News.

— NBC News

The organization overseeing the export of Ukrainian agricultural products said that 9.7 million metric tons of exports have left the besieged country’s port since they reopened.

Before the war, Ukraine and Russia accounted for almost a quarter of global grain exports until those shipments came to a severe halt for nearly six months.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative, a United Nations-backed deal brokered in July, eased Russia’s naval blockade and saw the reopening of three key Ukrainian ports. The first vessel left Ukraine’s port of Odesa on Aug. 1 carrying more than 26,000 metric tons of corn. Since then, more than 400 ships…