Latest Ukraine updates: Millions face power cuts, Zelenskyy says
Ukraine news from October 28: About four million people face rolling blackouts due to Moscow’s bombing campaign, Ukrainian president says, as officials in Kyiv warn of ‘unprecedented’ outages.
- Four million people across Ukraine have been hit by power cuts due to Russia’s bombing campaign, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says, as officials in Kyiv warn of “unprecedented” outages.
- German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who has long argued for closer economic ties to Moscow, says the war has ruptured those hopes and warns of “harder years” to come in Europe.
- Four million people across Ukraine have been hit by power cuts due to Russia’s bombing campaign, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says, as officials in Kyiv warn of “unprecedented” outages.
- German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who has long argued for closer economic ties to Moscow, says the war has ruptured those hopes and warns of “harder years” to come in Europe.
- As battles rage around Bakhmut and Kherson, Ukraine says at least four civilians have been killed in recent Russian attacks.
The live blog is now closed, thank you for joining us. Here are the updates for October 28:
Russia declares Dozhd TV channel head a ‘foreign agent’
Russia has declared Natalya Sindeyeva, head of the independent TV channel Dozhd, a “foreign agent” along with two journalist colleagues, in the latest crackdown on civil society.
The names of Natalya Sindeyeva, Vladimir Romensky and Ekaterina Kotrikadze appeared on the latest Russian justice ministry list of “foreign agents”. They had been added because of their “political activities”, the ministry said.
Launched in 2008, TV Dozhd covered Russia’s opposition and protest movements. Last year the channel itself was labelled a “foreign agent”.
Norway reveals identity of suspected Russian agent
Norway’s counter-intelligence service (PST) has revealed what it said is the true identity of a Russian spy posing as a Brazilian researcher.
The PST named the suspect as Mikhail Mikushin, a Russian born in 1978, who they said had been passing himself off as a 37-year-old Brazilian named Jose Assis Giammaria.
Mikushin is a senior Russian military intelligence officer, according to a researcher at the investigative website Bellingcat.
“Great job, Norway, you’ve caught yourself a colonel from the GRU (Russia’s military intelligence agency),” Bellingcat researcher Christo Grozev tweeted.
Faulty oxygen equipment could have caused Russian fighter jet crash: TASS
The fatal crash of a Russian military jet in the Siberian city of Irkutsk could have been caused by faulty oxygen equipment, state TASS news agency has cited investigators as saying.
Two pilots were killed when the plane crashed into a two-storey house. At the time, officials said the plane, a Sukhoi Su-30 fighter, was on a test flight.
Russia’s state investigative committee, which is looking into possible violations of air safety regulations, told TASS the crew had lost consciousness.
“The investigation is checking whether the onboard oxygen equipment malfunctioned and caused the two pilots to lose control,” the agency quoted a committee spokesperson as saying.
Four million Ukrainians affected by power cuts: Zelenskyy
Four million people across Ukraine have been hit by power cuts due to Russia’s bombing campaign, Zelenskyy has said.
In his evening address, Zelenskyy stressed the whole country was suffering the consequences of the Russian campaign.
“About 4 million Ukrainians face restrictions now” from the rolling blackouts, he said. “We are doing everything so that the state has the opportunity to reduce such blackouts.”
Zelenskyy thanks Trudeau for Ukraine sovereign bond
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that Canada will sell a government-backed five-year bond to raise money for Ukraine, being the first country to do so.
Zelenskyy thanked Trudeau on Twitter, saying the bond “will allow everyone to contribute to our victory”.
Thank you to my friend @JustinTrudeau for today’s announcement. Ukraine sovereignty bond backed by Canadian Government will allow everyone to contribute to our victory https://t.co/4g4yVVZl3o
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) October 28, 2022
A statement by the Canadian government said the proceeds will “help the [Ukrainian] government continue operations, including providing essential services to Ukrainians, like pensions, and purchasing fuel before winter”.
Zelenskyy expresses doubt Russian mobilisation is really over
Zelenskyy has expressed doubt over Russia’s declaration that its partial mobilisation was complete, saying the poor performance of pro-Moscow forces meant more men could be needed.
“Very soon Russia may need a new wave of people to send to the war,” he said in a video address.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu earlier said the call-up of 300,000 reservists to fight in Ukraine was complete.
Kyiv’s power grid working in ’emergency mode’: Mayor
The mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, says the Ukrainian capital’s power grid is operating in “emergency mode”, with electricity supplies down by as much as half, compared with prewar levels.
“Due to a significant shortage of electricity, from 20 percent to 50 percent, the city’s energy supply system is operating in emergency mode,” Klitschko said on Telegram.
In the same post, Klitschko confirmed reports from the regional governor and Ukrenergo, the state energy company, that Kyiv and the surrounding region will see rolling blackouts in the coming days.
He expressed hope that Ukrenergo employees would restore the flow of electricity to its usual level “in two to three weeks, barring circumstances beyond their control”.
Blackouts in Ukraine as Russia edges closer to Bakhmut
“We are not afraid of the dark,” Zelenskyy has said, as Ukraine’s grid operator announced temporary blackouts in several cities following Russian attacks on energy facilities.
Russian soldiers are edging closer to Bakhmut, which has remained under Ukrainian control despite Moscow’s goal of capturing the entire Donbas region. Taking the city would hurt Ukraine’s supply lines and allow Russian forces to continue towards the cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, the crucial Ukrainian strongholds in the Donetsk province.
Al Jazeera’s Assed Baig reports from Kramatorsk and Mohammed Jamjoom from Kyiv, Ukraine.
Air defence equipment arrives in Kyiv: Mayor
Kyiv’s mayor has announced that new air defence equipment has arrived in the capital and expressed hope it would help protect the city’s energy infrastructure after weeks of Russian air attacks.
“The military have assured me [during a recent meeting] that new air defense equipment has arrived in the capital and our sky will be safer,” Vitali Klitschko said on Ukrainian TV.
“We hope that there will be no more attacks and provocations with kamikaze drones and missiles,” Klitschko added, in a reference to Iranian-made Shahed exploding drones spotted repeatedly over Ukrainian cities.
US announces $275m in new military aid
The US will provide a new $275m military assistance package for Ukraine to help it battle Russia’s invasion, the Pentagon says.
The package includes ammunition for HIMARS precision rocket launchers, various types of 155mm artillery rounds, anti-armour systems, small arms ammunition and four satellite communications antennas, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told journalists.
“We’re seeing Ukrainian infrastructure and electrical grids being targeted by the Russians and these antennas provide an additional capability on the ground at a critical time when Ukraine’s infrastructure is being hit,” Singh said.
‘Unprecedented’ power limits planned in Kyiv region: Operator
“Unprecedented” power restrictions will be introduced in the region surrounding Kyiv due to damage caused by Russian attacks on energy infrastructure, the local energy operator says.
“To prevent a complete blackout of the capital and central regions of Ukraine, the state energy company Ukrenergo is introducing unprecedented emergency restrictions,” DTEK said on Facebook.
It also quoted the Kyiv region’s governor as saying there may be power cuts “for an indefinite period of time”.
Ukraine’s energy system has “suffered new damage” and there is a “power deficit equal to 30 percent of consumption” in Kyiv, it said.
Canada to sanction 35 Russians, including Gazprom executives
Canada will sell a government-backed, five-year bond to raise money for Ukraine and impose new sanctions on 35 Russians, including Gazprom executives, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says.
“Canadians will now be able to go to major banks to purchase their sovereignty bonds, which will mature after five years with interest,” Trudeau said at a meeting of the Congress of Ukrainian Canadians.
“These funds will go to support the government of Ukraine, so they can continue to support the Ukrainian people,” he said in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Ukraine’s foreign minister speaks to Iranian counterpart about weapons
Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s minister of foreign affairs, has spoken to his Iranian counterpart about sending Iranian weapons to Russia and aiding their war efforts.
“Today, I received a call from Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, during which I demanded Iran to immediately cease the flow of weapons to Russia used to kill civilians and destroy critical infrastructure in Ukraine,” Kuleba posted on Twitter.
Iran has repeatedly denied claims that it has supplied drones to Russia.
Today, I received a call from Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, during which I demanded Iran to immediately cease the flow of weapons to Russia used to kill civilians and destroy critical infrastructure in Ukraine.
— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) October 28, 2022
‘Quit that Starlink in Ukraine business,’ Medvedev says
Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, has congratulated Elon Musk for buying Twitter but added that he should stop allowing Ukraine to use Starlink.
“Good luck Elon Musk in overcoming political bias and ideological dictatorship on Twitter. And quit that Starlink in Ukraine business,” the former Russian prime minister and president posted on the social media site that Musk now owns.
Musk-owned Starlink has launched more than 3,000 small satellites into low-Earth orbit. They are providing internet service in Ukraine, where the war has destroyed cellular and internet infrastructure. The service has been vital to Ukrainian military communications.
Good luck @elonmusk in overcoming political bias and ideological dictatorship on Twitter. And quit 👋 that Starlink in Ukraine business
— Dmitry Medvedev (@MedvedevRussiaE) October 28, 2022
‘People are concerned’: AJ correspondent
Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Jamjoon, reporting from Kyiv, says “people are concerned” as rolling blackouts return to the capital and other Ukrainian cities.
Electricity in the Kyiv region is at a “30 percent capacity deficit due to the Russian attacks that occurred on critical power infrastructure sites.”
Jamjoon explains that the energy company DTEK have said that “additional measures” will need to be taken to reduce energy consumption.
“The schedules for rolling blackouts in Kyiv are going to be reviewed and restrictions may be increased to up to six hours, and that’s a big change from where we were 24 hours ago,” he says.
“Right now, you have winter approaching, you have temperatures dropping and there is a lot of concern that Russia will try to weaponise the winter here in Ukraine.”
Partial mobilisation ‘complete’, Russian defence minister says
Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu says the “partial mobilisation” order Russia announced in September is complete.
Speaking at a meeting with President Vladimir Putin broadcast on state television, Shoigu said 82,000 of the recruits are in the conflict zone and a further 218,000 are in training.
Putin hailed the “patriotism” of the mobilised reservists.
Finland and Sweden committed to joining NATO together
Finland and Sweden are committed to joining NATO simultaneously, the prime ministers of the two countries say.
The Nordic countries launched their bids to join the military alliance in May in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
All NATO members except Turkey and Hungary have ratified the applications.
“It is very important for us, of course, that Finland and Sweden would join NATO hand in hand,” Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin told reporters, adding that she had discussed Turkey’s concerns with its president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in Prague recently.
Who controls what?
As the fighting intensifies in Bakhmut and Ukraine announces temporary blackouts, what does the situation look like on the ground?
Al Jazeera updates these four maps charting the war every day.
Only 3 percent of Ukrainian grain sent to countries in need: Russia
Russia says only 3 percent of food exported from Ukraine under a deal that allowed its grain shipments to resume has gone to the world’s poorest countries. It says Western nations have received half.
“The geography of the recipients of these cargoes has turned out to be completely inconsistent with the initially declared humanitarian objectives,” Russia said in a statement.
“Needy states such as Somalia, Ethiopia, Yemen, Sudan, Afghanistan have received just 3 percent of the food, mostly from the World Food Programme,” it said.
Since the signing of the UN-backed Black Sea Grain Initiative in July in Turkey, several million tonnes of corn, wheat, sunflower products, barley, rapeseed and soya have been exported from Ukraine.
But President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials have since complained that there are serious problems with the deal, raising fears that Moscow could block those exports unless its demands are met.
Russia transitions to a ‘defensive posture’, British defence ministry says
According to the latest war update from the British defence ministry, Russia has transitioned to more defensive tactics on the front lines in the past six weeks.
“This is likely due to a more realistic assessment that the severely undermanned, poorly trained force in Ukraine is currently only capable of defensive operations,” the ministry tweeted.
“Even if Russia succeeds in consolidating long-term defensive lines in Ukraine, its operational design will remain vulnerable,” it said
The ministry added that Russian reservists had joined units west of the Dnipro River.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 28 October 2022
Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/OGqWfuBLL0
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/yNo37EBZo9
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) October 28, 2022
‘Harder years, rough years are coming’: German president
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has plunged Europe into an era of insecurity, says the German president.
“When we look at the Russia of today, there is no room for old dreams,” President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said, referring to former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev’s dream of a “common European home”.
“It has also plunged us in Germany into another time, into an insecurity we thought we had overcome: a time marked by war, violence and flight, by concerns about the expansion of war into a wildfire in Europe,” he said.
“Harder years, rough years are coming.”
The president, who is from a wing of Germany’s Social Democrats that long argued for closer economic ties to Moscow, said the February 24 invasion had ruptured those hopes.
Swedish prosecutors to conduct new Nord Stream investigation
Swedish prosecutors say they will conduct a new crime scene investigation of the Nord Stream leaks after the navy and the pipeline owner also began surveys this week.
“I have decided to together with the Security Service (Sapo) conduct a number of complementary inspections of the crime scene,” public prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist said in a statement.
The Swedish armed forces have decided to assist the investigation following a request, Ljungqvist added, without giving any details about what they were looking for.
Four leaks emerged on the two Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea off the Danish island of Bornholm at the end of September.
Ukraine shot down more than 300 Iranian drones: Air force spokesperson
Ukraine has shot down more than 300 Iranian Shahed-136 ‘kamikaze’ drones so far, air force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat told a briefing.
The drones have become a key weapon in Russia’s arsenal during its war in Ukraine and have often been used to target crucial energy infrastructure in the past month.
Iran has denied Ukrainian and Western accusations of supplying drones to Russia.
Russian soldiers edge closer to Bakhmut
Russian soldiers are edging closer to Bakhmut, which has remained under Ukrainian control despite Moscow’s goal of capturing the entire Donbas region.
Russia has attacked Bakhmut with rockets for more than five months. The ground assault sped up after Russian troops forced the Ukrainians to withdraw from Luhansk in July.
Mercenaries from the Wagner Group are also reported to be leading the charge.
Taking the city would hurt Ukraine’s supply lines and allow Russian forces to continue towards Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, the crucial Ukrainian strongholds in the Donetsk province.
Kherson civilian departures ‘complete’: Russian-installed official
The head of Moscow-annexed Crimea said civilian departures from Russia-occupied Kherson were “completed” after he visited the region with the Kremlin’s domestic chief Sergei Kiriyenko.
“The work to organise residents leaving the left side of the Dnipro (river) to safe regions of Russia is completed,” Sergei Aksyonov, the Moscow-appointed head of Crimea, said on Telegram.
Kyiv has compared the evacuations with Soviet-like “deportations” of its people.