For full coverage of the crisis in Ukraine, visit Flashpoint Ukraine.
The latest developments in Russia’s war on Ukraine. All times EDT.
11 p.m.: Boxer Vasiliy Lomachenko returned from military service in Ukraine and beat Jamaine Ortiz by unanimous decision in New York to restart his quest to get another shot at the lightweight titles, The Associated Press reported.
Lomachenko returned to his country after it was invaded by Russia in February and joined a territorial defense battalion, patrolling the streets to enforce a 10 p.m. curfew. Now he’s back fighting and hoping for a shot at Devin Haney, the undisputed lightweight champion who was sitting ringside and joined him in the ring after the fight.
10:30 p.m.:
9:26 p.m.: In his nightly video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukrainian forces had repelled a "fierce offensive" by Russian troops in the eastern Donetsk region.
Zelenskiyy said a military unit from Chop in western Ukraine had undertaken the action but did not say where the clash had occurred, Reuters reports.
"Today they stopped the fierce offensive actions of the enemy," Zelenskiyy said. "The Russian attack was repelled."
The president also said Ukraine's "exchange fund" had been replenished, meaning Russian servicemen had been taken prisoner. The fiercest fighting in Donetsk region has been around the towns of Bakhmut and Avdiivka.
8:28 p.m.:
7:37 p.m.: The United Nations, Turkey and Ukraine agreed on Sunday on an Oct. 31 movement plan for 16 vessels that are in Turkish waters, a day after Russia suspended its participation to the Black Sea grain initiative that allowed food exports from Ukrainian ports, Reuters reported.
In a statement, the Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) in Istanbul, where Russian, Ukrainian and Turkish and U.N. personnel are working, said the three delegations had also agreed for inspections to be provided on Monday to 40 outbound vessels.
JCC said the Russian delegation was informed of both plans.
6:17 p.m.: U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday expressed "deep concern" as Ukraine's maritime grain exports were halted after Russia suspended its participation in a deal that allowed the vital shipments, Agence France-Presse reported.
"The Secretary-General is deeply concerned about the ongoing situation regarding the Black Sea Grain Initiative," his spokesman said.
"He has decided to delay his departure for the Arab League Summit in Algiers by a day to focus on the issue."
5:37 p.m.: Russia has suspended its participation in the inspection of cargo ships carrying Ukrainian grain, the Joint Coordination Centre, the body overseeing the deal, said late Sunday, according to Agence France-Presse.
The announcement came a day after Russia suspended its participation in a landmark agreement that allowed vital grain exports to resume.
4:54 p.m.:
4 p.m.: Tens of thousands of Czechs have gathered in Prague to demonstrate their solidarity with Ukraine and support for democratic values, The Associated Press reports.
Sunday's rally took place in reaction to three recent anti-government demonstrations where other protesters demanded the resignation of the pro-Western coalition government of conservative Prime Minister Petr Fiala for its support for Ukraine. Those earlier rallies also protested soaring energy prices and opposed the country's membership in the European Union and NATO.
On Sunday, those turning out in Prague waved Czech, Ukrainian and EU flags and displayed banners that read "Czech Republic against fear" and "We will manage it."
3:25 p.m.: The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is warning of the catastrophic consequences of Russia suspending its participation in the UN-brokered grain deal. With the war in Ukraine altering the global patterns of food production and supply, the inflation in low-income countries has surged to almost 90%, with 345 million people estimated to experience acute food insecurity this year.
According to the IRC, as tens of millions of people continue to experience extreme hunger in East Africa and Somalia teeters on the brink of famine as a result of the worst drought in 40 years, the renewed blockade will continue to impede the import of 80% of grain imported from the Russia-Ukraine region, thereby driving further hunger.
Shashwat Saraf, IRC’s East Africa Emergency Director warned “the renewed blockade is prompting grave concerns about the growing global hunger crisis, especially in East Africa where over 20 million people are experiencing hunger or in places like Yemen which relies on Russia and Ukraine for almost half its wheat import and where over 19 million people need food assistance.”
1:45 p.m.: Wheat futures are expected to leap on Monday as Russia's withdrawal from a Black Sea corridor agreement puts Ukrainian exports at risk, Reuters reports.
Wheat markets have been volatile due to developments in Moscow's eight-month-old invasion of Ukraine, as both countries are among the world's largest wheat exporters.
Ukraine is also a major corn supplier.
The establishment of the corridor, which allowed over 9 million tons of grain and oilseed commodities to be shipped from Ukrainian ports, helped to steady grain markets and curb global prices after they hit record levels.
Moscow’s decision to pull out of the U.N. led grain initiative has blocked 218 vessels from leaving Ukrainian Sea ports Ukraine's infrastructure ministry said.
"Russia's announcement is certainly bullish for prices and the start of the week is very likely to see prices climb, simply because less grain is going to come out of Ukraine," Arthur Portier of consultancy Agritel told Reuters.
Moscow suspended its participation in the Black Sea deal on Saturday, in response to what it called a major Ukrainian drone attack on its fleet in Russian-annexed Crimea.
1:35 p.m.: Russian authorities are targeting students and staff, who have voiced opposition against the war in Ukraine. RFE/RL spoke with former associate professor at St. Petersburg State University (SPSU), Denis Skopin, who was fired late October, as a result of the deepening crackdown on academic freedom inside Russia.
“The act committed by the employee is immoral and incompatible with the implementation of educational functions and the continuation of this work,” the university’s dismissal order stated.
“A university is a place where people should think, where qualities such as critical thinking and independent thought should be encouraged,” Skopin told RFE/RL’s North. Realities during an interview. “Unfortunately, this is no longer possible in today's Russia,” he said.
11:35 a.m.: In a statement Sunday, spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is "deeply concerned" about the ongoing suspension of the Ukraine Black Sea grain deal and has delayed his departure to Algiers for the Arab League Summit by a day to “engage in intense contacts aiming at the end of the Russian suspension of its participation."
"The same engagement also aims at the renewal and full implementation of the initiative to facilitate exports of food and fertilizer from Ukraine, as well as removing the remaining obstacles to the exports of Russian food and fertilizer," Dujarric said.
11:15 a.m.: Looking to find alternatives to Russian natural gas, European leaders are turning to Africa. According to the New York Times, African leaders hope that Europe’s appetite for new sources of energy will give the continent new opportunities.
“With the war, it’s a U-turn,” said Mamadou Fall Kane, an energy adviser to Senegal’s president. “The narrative has changed.”
In interviews, African leaders lamented that it had taken a war to give them bargaining power on energy deals.
The hope in African capitals is that Europe’s appetite will mean the financing of gas facilities not just for export but for use at home.
10:50 a.m.: Russian troops maybe close to losing the will to fight. A CNN analysis examines historic events from previous wars such as WWI, where tired and jaded German and British combat units respectively paused warfare, even celebrated together for a few days during the Christmas holidays.
Jeff McCausland, a combat veteran of the Gulf War and a visiting professor of International Security Studies at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania says it has become apparent that many poorly trained and supplied soldiers in the Russian army have lost their will to fight. “Fear and panic are more infectious than Covid” for an army, says McCausland, co-author of “Battle Tested! Gettysburg Leadership Lessons for 21st Century Leaders.”
9:45 a.m.: “Due to Russia’s blocking of the ‘grain corridor,’ exports are impossible said the Ukrainian minister of Infrastructure Oleskandr Kubrakov. Cargo vessel Ikaria Angel carrying 40,000 metric tons of grain set for Ethiopia remains in Ukrainian port as Russia reimposes blockade, The Kyiv Independent reports.
9:30a.m.: Russia's defense ministry on Sunday said it had recovered and analyzed the wreckage of drones used to attack ships of Russia's Black Sea Fleet in Crimea the day before.
Reuters reports the ministry said its analysis showed that the drones were equipped with Canadian-made navigation modules for an attack that it said was carried out by Ukraine under British leadership, a claim Britain has denied.
8:50 a.m.: France’s foreign ministry Sunday, called Russian accusations that Britain participated in attacks against the Nord Stream gas pipeline and Russian navy ships in Crimea baseless, Reuters reports.
The accusations formed part of Moscow's strategy "to turn attention away from its sole responsibility in the war of aggression that it is conducting against Ukraine," the ministry's deputy spokesperson said in a statement.
8:45 a.m.: The European Union on Sunday called on Russia to reverse its decision to pull out of a U.N.-brokered grain deal, a move that undermined efforts to ease a global food crisis, and that Ukraine said Moscow had planned well in advance.
Moscow pulled out of the initiative Saturday, effectively cutting shipments from Ukraine, one of the world's top grain exporters, in response to what it called a major Ukrainian drone attack earlier in the day on its fleet near the port of Sevastopol in Russian-annexed Crimea, Reuters reports.
"Russia's decision to suspend participation in the Black Sea deal puts at risk the main export route of much needed grain and fertilizers to address the global food crisis caused by its war against Ukraine," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Twitter.
"The EU urges Russia to (reverse) its decision."
On Saturday, U.S. President Joe Biden called the move "purely outrageous," saying it would increase starvation, while Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused Moscow of weaponizing food. On Sunday, Russia's ambassador to Washington, said the U.S. response was "outrageous" and made false assertions about Moscow's move.
6 a.m.:
5 a.m.: Russia's ambassador to Washington scolded the United States on Sunday for making what he said were false assertions about Moscow's decision to suspend its participation in a U.N.-brokered Black Sea grain deal, Reuters reported.
"Washington's reaction to the terrorist attack on the port of Sevastopol is truly outrageous," Ambassador Anatoly Antonov said on Telegram. "We have not seen any signs of condemnation of the reckless actions by the Kyiv regime."
President Joe Biden denounced Russia's move on the grain deal as "purely outrageous" and said it would increase starvation.
4:17 a.m.: The European Union has frozen Russian assets worth around $16.9 billion since Moscow invaded Ukraine, EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders said in an interview with German media group Funke, including the Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung daily, and published Saturday.
The figure has risen from the roughly $13.75 billion "from oligarchs and other entities" that Reynders announced in July that the EU had frozen, mainly in five countries, Agence France-Presse reported.
Ukrainian officials are demanding that the funds be used to rebuild their country after the war.
The total of frozen assets was 14.5 billion euros by mid-September, when the Commissioner criticized the lack of efforts from several member states, including Hungary.
In the interview, Reynders said of the frozen assets that "if it is criminal money confiscated by the EU," it could "be transferred to a compensation fund for Ukraine.”
3:30 a.m.:
2:42 a.m.: In a statement from the United Nations Coordinator for the Black Sea Grain Initiative: Amir Abdulla, the U.N. coordinator for the Black Sea Grain Initiative, was notified Saturday by the delegation of the Russian Federation to the Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) of its concerns about the safety of movements of merchant vessels under the Black Sea Grain Initiative. Abdulla brought this to the attention of the Turkish and Ukrainian delegations to the JCC.
Earlier Saturday, nine vessels (five outbound and four inbound) transited safely the maritime humanitarian corridor established by the JCC. There are more than ten vessels both outbound and inbound waiting to enter the corridor.
A joint agreement has not been reached at the JCC for the movement of inbound and outbound vessels on 30 October.
The JCC is reviewing recent developments, assessing the impact on JCC’s operations and is discussing next steps.
1:20 a.m.:
12:10 a.m.: Russian Nuclear Threats Highlight Central Europe's Shelters: The period of peace that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union lulled governments into neglecting their civil protection plans. Shelters that once promised safety during the nuclear era are more commonly neglected, unsuitable, or museum relics of a bygone time. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports.
Some information in this report came from Agence France-Presse, The Associated Press and Reuters.
