Russian strikes knock out power, water in Kyiv and other cities

A massive barrage of Russiancruise missile and drone strikes hit critical infrastructure in Kyiv, Kharkiv and other Ukrainiancitiesearly Monday, knocking out power and water suppliesin apparent retaliation for what Moscow alleged was a Ukrainian attack on its Black Sea fleet.

Russia has intensified its attacks on Ukraine's power plants and other key infrastructure as the war enters its ninth month, forcing rolling power cuts.

"The Kremlin is taking revenge for military failures on peaceful people who are left without electricity and heat before the winter," Oleksii Kuleba, the governor for the region of Kyiv,said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed that Monday's bombardment was meant to retaliate for what he said was Saturday's unsuccessful Ukrainian aerial and underwater drone attack on Russia's Sevastopol-based Black Sea Fleet on the Russian-annexed Crimea Peninsula.

"Partly, yes. But it's not all we could have done," Putin responded, regarding retaliation, at a newsconference in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi.

He claimed Ukrainian drones had traveled to their targets through an internationally agreed zone meant to ensure the safety of ships exporting grain from Ukrainian ports. The threat from such a trajectory endangered Russian ships patrolling the zone as well as the grain ships themselves, Putin said, justifying his country's suspension of its participation in the deal that enabled the exports.

Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces carried out "strikes with long-range, high-precision air- and sea-based weapons against the military command and energy systems of Ukraine."

"The goals of the strikes were achieved. All designated targets were hit," the ministry said.

Meanwhile,12 ships with grain leftUkrainian ports on Monday despite aRussian threat to reimpose a blockade that threatened hunger across the world, Ukraine's Ministry of Infrastructure said. One vessel carried Ukrainian wheat to Ethiopia, where a severe drought is affecting millions of people.

But the volume of grain transported was thrown into doubt after Russia's Defence Ministry said in a statement late Monday that "traffic along the security corridor defined by the Black Sea Initiative has been suspended" over allegations that Ukraine has been using the zone to strike Russian forces.

13 wounded

In Monday's ground attacks, Ukraine's air force said it shot down 44 of more than 50 cruise missiles that Russia launched.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Russian missiles and drones hit 10 Ukrainian regions and damaged 18 sites, mostly energy facilities. Hundreds of localities in seven Ukrainian regions were left without power, he said on Facebook. Thirteen people were wounded, Ukrainian police chiefIhor Klymenko said.

Loud explosions were heard across the Ukrainian capitalas residents prepared to go to work. The emergency servicessent out text messages warningabout the threat of a missile attack, and air raid sirens wailed for three hours.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said 80 per centof consumers in the city of threemillion were left without water because of damage to a power facility. By Monday evening, workers had reduced the percentage to 40 per centand the number of apartments without electricity from 350,000 to 270,000. To cut power consumption, Kyiv authorities extended intervals between subway trains and replaced electric trolleybuses and trams with buses, Klitschko said. Subway service resumed Monday night.

Across Kyiv, hundreds lined up, often for more than an hour, to pump water by hand from wells to fill plastic bottles and cans.

"Itis really inconvenient," one 34-year-old resident, who agreed to provide only his first name, Denis, said as he collected water. "But the truth is, it's not a problem. The problem is we have a war."

Smoke rose from the left bank of the Dnieper River in Kyiv, either from a missile strike or where Ukrainian forces shot it down.

Soldiers were seen inspecting a crater and debris from where one of the missiles landed on the outskirts of Kyiv. The missiles flew fast and low and sounded like bombs exploding, according to witnesses.

"It was scary," said Oleksandr Ryabtsev, 28, who was on his way to work. "I raised my head and it was flying there. You could see this cruise missile. I didn't even go to work. I went home."

Shmyhal, the prime minister, said that in the Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv regions, emergency power shutdowns were underway.

In the eastern city of Kharkiv, two strikes hit critical infrastructure facilities, according to authorities, and the subway ceased operating.

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Critical infrastructure objects were also hit in the Cherkasy region southeast of Kyiv. In the Kirovohrad region of central Ukraine, anenergy facility was hit, according to local authorities. In Vinnytsia, a missile that was shot down landed on civilian buildings, causing damage but no casualties, according to regional Gov. Serhii Borzov.

Power was cut to parts of Ukraine's train network, the Ukrainian Railways reported.

'A crisis of huge proportions'

Ukraine has denied responsibility for Saturday's Black Sea Fleet attack, saying that Russia mishandled its own weapons, but Moscow still announced it was retaliating by halting its participation in the UNand Turkey-brokered grain deal.

Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar urged his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoigu, in a phone call Monday to "reconsider" Moscow's suspension of its participation in the grain deal, which has allowed more than ninemillion tons (8.1 million tonnes) of grain to be exported from Ukraine.

According to a statement, Akar hailed the deal as an example of how problems can be solved through "co-operation and dialogue" and argued it's a "completely humanitarian activity" that should be kept separate from the conflict.

At the United Nations in New York, Martin Griffiths, who leads the U.N. team facilitating the deal, told the Security Council that Monday's ship movements and inspections were undertaken as emergency measures, given Russia's suspension of its participation.

The United Nations' trade chief, Rebeca Grynspan, warned the Council that uncertainty over the deal and high global fertilizer prices may turn today's crisis over the affordability of food into "tomorrow's crisis of availability and a crisis of huge proportions."

She said the agreements enabled wheat exports from Russia to triple between July and September and wheat exports from Ukraine to more than quadruple, lowering food prices.

Missile lands in Moldova

Monday's strikes were the thirdtime this month that Russia unleashed a massive barrage of strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure. On Oct. 10, a similar attack rocked the war-torn country following an explosion on the Kerch Bridge linking Crimea to mainland Russia an incident Moscow blamed on Kyiv.

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"What I'm hearing - my consultations with Congress, Republicans and Democrats alike - is the support is strong," said U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, expressing doubt that a Republican-controlled Congress would jeopardize U.S. support of Ukraine moving forward.

One of theRussian missilesUkraine shot down landed on aMoldovan border city, causing damage but no casualties. Moldova's interior ministry released photos showing a thick plume of smoke rising over the northern city of Naslavcea, on the border with Ukraine, as well as broken house windows.

Another Russian attack hit two tugboats transporting grain barges in the Dnieper River port of Ochakiv in Ukraine's southern Mykolaiv region, killing at least two crew members, Ukraine's Unian news agency reported, citing a Ukrainian military official.

In another development, Russia's Defence Ministry on Monday reported completing a partial mobilization of troops, ostensibly fulfilling a promise to end the call-up at 300,000 men. Some human rights lawyers, however, warned that only Putin can end the call-up by signing a decree.