Russia's war in Ukraine

 

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Russia's war in Ukraine

By Tara Subramaniam and Jack Guy, CNN

Russia's war in Ukraine What we're covering

Moscow's strikes on civilian targets in Ukraine continued Thursday, including a "kamikaze" drone attack on the Kyiv region and shelling of residential buildings in the southern city of Mykolaiv.

New satellite images show some traffic has resumed on a key bridge in annexed Crimea after Russian state media said eight people had been arrested in connection with the massive explosion that damaged the structure. CLAIM_FREE_BITCOINS NOW

US President Joe Biden said "the world has sent a clear message," after the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution telling Russia its annexation of four Ukrainian zones is illegal and not valid.

NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels reaffirmed their commitment to support Ukraine with military aid following Russia's recent wave of attacks.

6:38 a.m. ET, October 13, 2022

Russia’s war against Ukraine is a "crusade" against the "collective West," German chancellor says

From CNN’s Claudia Otto in Berlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is "a crusade against what Putin calls the collective West," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Thursday.

"All along Vladimir Putin and his enablers have made one thing very clear, this war is not only about Ukraine, they consider the war against Ukraine as part of a larger crusade," Scholz said in a pre-recorded virtual speech at the Progressive Governance Summit.

"A crusade against liberal democracy, a crusade against the rules based on liberal order, a crusade against freedom and progress. A crusade against our way of life, a crusade against what Putin calls the collective West," he said.

Scholz added that Germany will support Ukraine financially, economically and for humanitarian and military needs.

"Including heavy weaponry, modern air defense system and tanks and make no mistakes we will continue our support as long as it takes," he said.

On Wednesday, Germany’s Economy Minister Robert Habeck said he is convinced Putin's attempt to destabilize Europe's economic order will fail.

"Putin will fail in his attempt to destabilize the basic economic order, the same way he will fail on the battlefield in Ukraine," Habeck said, speaking at a news conference in Berlin. 

6:25 a.m. ET, October 13, 2022

Putin says Moscow "making every effort" to assist countries impacted by recent "volatility"

From CNN's Uliana Pavlova and Alex Stambaugh

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during the 6th CICA Summit, October,13, in Astana, Kazakhstan. (Getty Images)

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow is "making every effort to provide critical products" to countries impacted by recent volatility in prices, while speaking at a summit in Kazakhstan on Thursday.

"Other regional associations have to deal with many acute problems, including the increased volatility in world prices for energy resources, food, fertilizers, raw materials and other important goods," Putin said while delivering remarks at the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) summit in the Kazakh capital Astana.

"This leads to a deterioration in the quality of life in developed and developing countries. Moreover, there is a real threat of famine and widespread social upheaval, especially in the poorest countries."

"Russia, for its part, is making every effort to provide critical products to countries in need. We call for the elimination of all artificial, illegitimate barriers to the restoration of the normal functioning of global supply chains in order to address urgent food security challenges," Putin said.

The Russian leader did not reference the war in Ukraine in his remarks. However, he again criticized NATO for the "failure of their policies," referencing their role in Afghanistan.

"After more than 20 years of the military presence of the United States and NATO [in Afghanistan], the failure of their policies, was unable to independently resolve the problems associated with terrorist threats," Putin said.

Putin said that, together with other Asian countries, Russia is looking to form a "system of equal and indivisible security based on the universally recognized principles of international law of the UN Charter."

Some context: Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in February sent the prices of energy and other commodities soaring.

In the case of wheat, prices later fell back sharply after spiking to an all-time high in March, as investors cheered a deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey to restart exports of grain from key Ukrainian ports.

However, natural gas prices increased further as Russia toyed with supply to Europe via key pipelines and heat waves pushed up electricity usage, with the economic impact of the war in Ukraine still being felt around the world.

5:47 a.m. ET, October 13, 2022

Kyiv police say recent drone attacks targeted infrastructure

From Olga Voitovych in Kyiv

"Kamikaze" drones carried out attacks targeting infrastructure facilities in the Kyiv region, according the head of the regional police. 

Three "kamikaze" drones hit the district of Bucha, the head of Kyiv region police Andrii Nebytov said.

"Tonight, the enemy carried out a series of attacks on the infrastructure of Kyiv region. As a result of the explosions a fire broke out," he said in a Telegram post on Thursday.

There are no casualties, according to a preliminary assessment.

The police chief did not elaborate on what kind of infrastructure facilities were targeted in Bucha.  

Drones also struck targets in the Makariv community in the Kyiv region overnight, he said. 

Oleksii Kuleba, head of Kyiv region military administration, also posted about the drones on Telegram.

"Today, around 5 am, the Russians carried out an attack on the Kyiv region. In one of the communities of the region, there were three attacks by enemy kamikaze drones on an infrastructure facility. This caused a fire," he said.

"There are no casualties. At 06:45, the fire was localized, there is no open fire. 43 people and 12 units of emergency services equipment were involved in extinguishing the fire," added Kuleba.

He asked residents not to film the location of the attacks or share on social media.

"Do not specify locations and places of incoming hits. Be responsible, because our safety depends on it," Kuleba added.

Some context: Thursday's "kamikaze" drone attacks come after three consecutive days of deadly Russian strikes on civilian targets across Ukraine, including the capital region.

5:33 a.m. ET, October 13, 2022

Ukraine has only 10% of what it needs for air defenses, Zelensky says

From CNN’s Xiaofei Xu in Paris

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a video address to the European Council, on October 13, in Strasbourg, France. (Jean-Francois Badias/AP)

As deadly Russian airstrikes in Ukraine continued into a fourth day, President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated his plea for more air defense capacities, saying Kyiv has only about 10% of what it needs to combat Moscow’s blitz.

"We are fighting a large country that has a lot of equipment and lots of missiles," Zelensky said Thursday during a virtual address at the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly session.

"There is nothing I can add about that, we have about 10% of what we need," Zelensky told European lawmakers.

He called on Western countries such as the United States and France to increase their military aid to Ukraine.

Zelensky’s plea comes amid one of the fiercest bombing campaigns that Russia has waged against Ukraine since invading the country in late February.

4:55 a.m. ET, October 13, 2022

Ukraine receives additional emergency funding from IMF, says Ukrainian prime minister

From CNN's Olga Voitovych in Kyiv

Ukraine has received additional emergency funding from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), according to the Ukrainian prime minister.

"Ukraine received $1.3 billion of additional emergency financing support from the International Monetary Fund. The funds will be used to finance priority needs: Strengthening defense capabilities, paying pensions, social programs and supporting the economy," said Denys Shmyhal.

"In total, the IMF has provided our country with $2.7 billion since the beginning of the full-scale war," he said.

On October 7, the IMF executive board approved the additional funds "under the food shock window of the Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI) to help meet Ukraine’s urgent balance of payments needs."

"The scale and intensity of Russia’s war against Ukraine that started more than seven months ago have caused tremendous human suffering and economic pain," the IMF said in a press release last week.

"This disbursement under the RFI (equivalent to 50 percent of Ukraine’s quota in the IMF) will help meet urgent balance of payment needs, including due to a large cereal export shortfall, while playing a catalytic role for further financial support from Ukraine’s creditors and donors," the IMF added.

5:08 a.m. ET, October 13, 2022

Ukraine's heating season to start on time despite Russian attacks on infrastructure: minister

From Olga Voitovych in Kyiv

Satellite image showing damaged transformers at the Tets-5 power station, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on October 12. (Maxar Technologies/Reuters)

Heating season in Ukraine will not be delayed by Russian attacks on the country's energy infrastructure, a Ukrainian minister has said.

"The heating season will start on time, without any postponements or changes. It will start as planned: as soon as the average daily temperature is below 8 degrees Celsius for three days. Even the weather is on our side," Minister for Communities and Territories Development Oleksii Chernyshov said. 

“There is electricity again in almost 4,000 settlements. Damage [from] the enemy's missile attack has been repaired as quickly as possible, in two days. Only eight settlements remain without electricity, work there will be completed in the coming days,” he added. 

On Tuesday, Ukraine’s Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said about 30% of energy infrastructure in Ukraine had been hit by Russian missiles since Monday. 

Kyiv is urging all Ukrainians to save electricity, especially from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.

3:32 a.m. ET, October 13, 2022

Turkey's President Erdoğan renews call for Ukraine war to stop: "Our priority is to end the bloodshed"

From CNN's Alex Stambaugh and Josh Pennington 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, fifth right, speaks during the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Astana, Kazakhstan, on October 13. (Murat Cetinmuhurdar/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reiterated his calls Thursday for an end to the war in Ukraine while speaking at a conference in Kazakhstan, where Russian President Vladimir Putin is in attendance. 

"Each of us is feeling the regional and global impact of the crisis in Ukraine ... Despite these difficulties on the ground, our priority is to end the bloodshed as soon as possible," Erdoğan said while delivering remarks.

Later Thursday, Erdoğan and Putin are expected to meet for a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) summit in the Kazakh capital Astana, according to Russian state-run news agency TASS.

Erdoğan has repeatedly called for an end to the war and played a key role in the UN-brokered deal between Moscow and Kyiv this summer to allow the resumption of grain shipments from Black Sea ports in Ukraine.

3:24 a.m. ET, October 13, 2022

NATO chief, US defense secretary reiterate support for Ukraine ahead of ministers meeting

From CNN's Alex Stambaugh

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, left, shakes hands with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during a news conference on the second day of a meeting of the alliance's defense ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, on October 13. (Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP/Getty Images)

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reiterated their support for Ukraine ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels on Thursday. 

"We still stand by Ukraine for as long as it takes, we will step up our support and in particular we will provide more air defense assistance to Ukraine," Stoltenberg said in Brussels alongside Austin. 

UN vote: Stoltenberg praised the UN General Assembly's approval Wednesday of a resolution telling Russia its annexation of four Ukrainian zones is illegal and not valid, calling the vote a "clear condemnation of the illegal annexation of Ukrainian territories and a clear call on Russian President [Vladimir] Putin to reverse these decisions and respect the territorial integrity of Ukraine."

"I absolutely agree with you ... and I couldn't have put it better," Austin said, reiterating that the US will continue to support Ukraine "for as long as it takes."

"I want to applaud all of our allies and partners who've stepped up to provide assistance to Ukraine," Austin said. "This alliance is the essential forum for consultation, decision making and action when it comes to security of the region and transatlantic security as well."

Austin reaffirmed Washington's commitment to Article 5 — the principle that an attack on one member of NATO is an attack on all members — and to "defending every inch of NATO's territory."

3:08 a.m. ET, October 13, 2022

At least 7 people missing in Mykolaiv rubble after shelling, officials say

From CNN's Alex Stambaugh and Josh Pennington 

An apartment building damaged by a Russian military strike, in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, on October 13. (State Emergency Service of Ukraine/Reuters)

At least seven people are missing as rescuers search through the rubble of a residential building in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv following Russian shelling overnight, the Mykolaiv regional military administration said on Telegram on Thursday. 

An 11-year-old boy has been rescued and is receiving medical treatment, they said. 

The administration said the city had been hit by eight S-300 missiles overnight. 

The attacks mark the fourth consecutive day of Russian strikes targeting civilian infrastructure across Ukraine.