Ukraine news LATEST: Evil Putin sparks food shortage fears as Russia's U-turn on grain deal creating global 'famine' | The Sun
UKRAINE'S President has slammed Russia for creating "an artificial famine" as Moscow halted the UN-brokered Black Sea grain initiative.
The agreement was brokered earlier in Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine and allowed grain ships to export food products to countries across the globe via the Black Sea.
Speaking on Ukrainian television, hero leader Volodymyr Zelensky had this to say of Russia's decision to quit the agreement: “How can Russia be among the G-20 if it is deliberately working for starvation on several continents?”
He added that Putin was “doing everything to ensure that millions of Africans, millions of residents of the Middle East and South Asia find themselves in conditions of artificial famine or at least a severe price crisis.”
Read our Ukraine-Russia live blog below for the latest updates…
- Henry Moore
'Several thousand' Russian reservists deployed in Ukraine without weapons, MoD reports
The British Ministry of Defence has revealed its latest intel on the situation in Ukraine.
Its statement said: "Russia has deployed several thousand newly mobilised reservists to the front line in Ukraine since mid-October. In many cases they are poorly equipped.
"In September, Russian officers were concerned that some recently mobilised reservists were arriving in Ukraine without weapons.
"Open source images suggest that those rifles which have been issued to mobilised reservists are typically AKMs, a weapon first introduced in 1959. Many are likely in barely usable condition following poor storage.
"AKM fires 7.62mm ammunition while Russia’s regular combat units are mostly armed with 5.45mm AK-74M or AK-12 rifles.
"The integration of reservists with contract soldiers and combat veterans in Ukraine will mean Russian logisticians will have to push two types of small arms ammunition to front line positions, rather than one.
"This will likely further complicate Russia’s already strained logistics systems."
- Henry Moore
In pictures: Stunning images show tanks battle in Ukraine
These images, taken on Friday, October 28, show Howitzers of the 53rd Mechanized Brigade firing towards Russian strongholds in Bakhmut, Donetsk.
Donetsk is one of the four illegally occupied regions in Ukraine, following Putin’s brutal annexation of the areas several weeks ago.
- Louis Allwood
Krasna Bridge detonated by Russia
Russia detonated the Krasna Bridge in the eastern Luhansk region yesterday according to a Ukrainian official.
The decision to destroy the bridge was a strategic one in order to hamper Ukrainian forces.
Serhiy Haidai, the Luhansk regional governor, said Russian forces are "afraid" that the Ukrainians are "very close".
- Louis Allwood
Liz Truss feared Putin's nuke test would blow radiation to UK
Liz Truss' fears were so severe that she reportedly considered plans to roll out a Cold War-era nuclear attack information campaign.
A source told The Mail on Sunday: "Liz was obsessed with the prevailing wind.
"We found her watching the weather forecasts with unusual interest."
- Louis Allwood
Airline will start using Russian airspace
Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways has announced that it will be resuming travel over Russian airspace after a pause due to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
"The Polar Route provides a safe, direct and the fastest flight experience to our customers travelling from the East Coast of North America to Hong Kong," the airline said.
- Louis Allwood
Nord Stream attack to be raised at Security Council by Russia
Russia said it will bring up the blasts with the UN.
“The Russian side intends to draw the attention of the international community, in particular through the UN Security Council, to the series of terrorist attacks against Russia in the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea, including the involvement of Great Britain,” Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Telegram.
- Louis Allwood
Putin ‘uses three body doubles'
Major General Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine's head of military intelligence has claimed Russian President Vladimir Putin has been using three body doubles, who have had plastic surgery to resemble him.
This suggestion comes amid growing claims Putin is suffering a number of illnesses including Parkinson's and cancer.
In an interview with the Mail on Sunday, Budanov claimed Ukrainian secret services had detected Putin body doubles standing in for him on a number of "special occasions" in the past, but this had become "usual practice" now.
"We know specifically about three people that keep appearing, but how many there are, we don't know," Budanow said.
"They all had plastic surgery to look alike."
- Louis Allwood
'We have not seen any signs of condemnation'
Russia's defence ministry said Ukraine attacked its Black Sea Fleet near Sevastopol on Saturday.
Anatoly Antonov, the Russian ambassador to the US, said on Telegram: "Washington's reaction to the terrorist attack on the port of Sevastopol is truly outrageous.
"We have not seen any signs of condemnation of the reckless actions by the Kyiv regime."
- Louis Allwood
Russia suffers heavy losses as nearly 1,000 troops killed
Ukraine's Ministry of Defence have claimed that Russian forces have suffered severe losses within the past 24 hours as it is claimed that 950 soldiers were killed.
The Ministry also claims that Russia lost a further 52 tanks in combat taking the total number to 5,453.
- Louis Allwood
Joe Biden slams Putin for halting grain exports
US President Joe Biden called Russia's move to halt Ukraine Black Sea grain exports "purely outrageous".
He added that it would increase starvation, while the Secretary of State accused Russia of weaponising food.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement: "Any act by Russia to disrupt these critical grain exports is essentially a statement that people and families around the world should pay more for food or go hungry."
- Louis Allwood
MoD hit back at Russia's Royal Navy claims
The UK's Ministry of Defence have hit back at Russia's false claims that the Royal Navy blew up the Nord Stream pipe line saying it's a distraction "from their disastrous handling of the illegal invasion of Ukraine".
Vladimir Putin's Russian Ministry said: "According to available information, representatives of this unit of the British Navy took part in the planning, provision and implementation of a terrorist attack in the Baltic Sea on September 26 this year – blowing up the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines."
The allegations have been described as lies on an “epic scale” by the UK's MoD.
The UK's Ministry said: "To detract from their disastrous handling of the illegal invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Ministry of Defence is resorting to peddling false claims of an epic scale.
"This invented story, says more about arguments going on inside the Russian Government than it does about the west."
- Louis Allwood
Zelensky slams Putin
Ukraine's steadfast president Volodymyr Zelensky slammed the "crazy" Kremlin for sending Russian troops "to their deaths."
“This is where the craziness of the Russian command is most evident. Day after day, for months, they are driving people to their deaths there, concentrating the highest level of artillery strikes,” Mr Zelensky said in his nightly address.
- Louis Allwood
Russia using 'mobilised reservists'
Russia is using “mobilised reservists” in its battle on the Dnipro River due to "extremely low" manpower, British intelligence suggests.
Madman Vladimir Putin is reportedly sending these “poorly trained” soldiers to their deaths, as he desperately attempts to hold onto land in the region.
According to the MoD, Russia will need to recruit “higher quality” soldiers if it hopes to secure the location.
- Henry Moore
Krasna Bridge detonated by Russia
Russia detonated the Krasna Bridge in the eastern Luhansk region yesterday according to a Ukrainian official.
The decision to destroy the bridge was a strategic one in order to hamper Ukrainian forces.
Serhiy Haidai, the Luhansk regional governor, said Russian forces are “afraid” that the Ukrainians are “very close”.
- Henry Moore
EU to work with UN in resolving grain crisis
Josep Borrell Fontelles, the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, has revealed he is working with the UN in order to resolve the crisis in the Black Sea.
Over the weekend, Russia pulled out of the grain agreement brokered by the UN earlier this year.
Thousands of tonnes of grain will go undelivered as long as the Kremlin's suspension is in place.
- Henry Moore
Ukraine's first lady calls on the world to unite behind Ukraine
Appearing via video link to thousands of protesters at a rally in Prague, Olena Zelenska, Ukraine's first lady, pleaded with the world to support Ukraine.
“We will not let Russia drag us or the whole world into darkness,” she said.
“Darkness will never win. As long as people don’t close their eyes to war, our light will never go out.”
- Henry Moore
Thousands gather in Prague in solidarity with Ukraine
Tens of thousands of people gathered in the Czech capital of Prague today, as they stood in solidarity with the people of Ukraine.
These protests were in response to calls for the pro-Western government to resign.
Olena Zelenska, Ukraine's first lady, shared a massive of gratitude to the protestors, and called Russia's invasion of Ukraine “the darkest moment in its history.”
- Henry Moore
Russia suffers heavy losses as nearly 1,000 troops killed
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence has claimed that Russian forces have suffered severe losses within the past 24 hours as it is claimed that 950 soldiers were killed.
The Ministry also claims that Russia lost a further 52 tanks in combat taking the total number to 5,453.
- Henry Moore
Turkey attempt to resolve grain crisis
Turkey has reportedly entered negotiations with the Kremlin to resolve the suspension of the UN-brokered Black Sea grain agreement.
As reported by Bloomberg, Turkish negotiators believe there are still "grounds for optimism" that the situation can be resolved.
Ukrainian grain is crucial to the world's food supply.
- Henry Moore
218 ships currently blocked due to grain deal suspension
Ukraine‘s infrastructure ministry has reported that 218 grain ships are "effectively blocked" due to Russia's suspension of the UN-brokered agreement, Reuters reports.
The Kremlin suspended the deal this weekend, after it accused Ukraine of committing a drone strike in Crimea.
- Henry Moore
Putin suffers major blow is army recruits prisoners
VLADIMIR Putin has suffered a major blow as the Russian Wagner Group is now admitting “prisoners with serious medical concerns” in a desperate attempt to bolster numbers, according to the UK's Ministry of Defence.
Putin's private Wagner Group has been mass-recruiting inmates from Russia's infamous prisons, where drug use is widespread and diseases often spread through the sharing of dirty needles.
The UK’s Ministry of Defence have released their latest intelligence update saying: “On 27 October 2022, Russian mogul Yevgeny Prigozhin posted online, apparently admitting allegations that his private military company, the Wagner Group, had altered its standards & was recruiting Russian convicts suffering from serious diseases including HIV & Hepatitis C.
“The role of Wagner Group has evolved significantly since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In previous conflicts, it maintained relatively high recruitment standards, with many of its operators having previously served as professional Russian soldiers.
“The admission of prisoners with serious medical concerns highlights an approach which now prioritises numbers over experience or quality.”
- Henry Moore
Russia claims grain deal anger is 'unfair'
Russian ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said today that the West's criticism over the suspension of the Black Sea grain deal is 'unfair.'
“It is unfair to condemn Russia in suspending the implementation of the deal. This happened because of the reckless actions by the Ukrainian authorities,” he said on Facebook.
- Henry Moore
Ukraine destroys 40 Iranian drones in one week
Over the last week, Ukraine has shot down at least 40 Iranian drones as the under-siege nation looks to fight off Putin's advances, Zelensky has said.
In his nightly address, the steadfast president said: "During the week – from Saturday to Saturday – more than 40 Iranian strike drones, a significant number of Russian missiles, six attack helicopters of the occupiers, several of their planes were shot down…
"Such a result means hundreds of Ukrainian lives saved, dozens of critical infrastructure objects saved."
- Henry Moore
Zelensky calls on Ukrainians to conserve energy as Russia's assault continues
In his nightly address, Zelensky pleaded with Ukrainian to watch their energy usage, as Putin's forces continue to assault vital infrastructure across the country.
"I want to emphasize: the return of the technical possibility of supply does not mean that the energy shortage in the system has been overcome," he said.
"Russian terror continues. It is very cynical. Sometimes it repeatedly attacks deliberately when repairs have begun, when recovery work is in progress. Unfortunately, we have casualties in repair crews, in energy companies. My condolences to their families.
"Therefore, please – this applies to all Ukrainians – it is very important to be conscious of electricity consumption. This necessity persists. Now we all have to contribute to maintaining the stability of the entire power system."
- Henry Moore
UN chief 'deeply concerned' by grain deal suspension
Antonio Guterres, the United Nations Secretary-General, is said to be "deeply concerned" regarding Russia's choice to suspend the Black Sea grain agreement.
"The Secretary-General continues to engage in intense contacts aiming at the end of the Russian suspension of its participation," a UN spokesperson said, reports Reuters.
"The same engagement also aims at the renewal and full implementation of the initiative to facilitate exports of food and fertiliser from Ukraine, as well as removing the remaining obstacles to the exports of Russian food and fertiliser."
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