Russia-Ukraine war: Russia suspends critical grain deal

• ‘Send blankets and generators or we’ll freeze to death’

• Russia ends mobilisation drive, saying 300,000 men called up

• Russian Army so depleted some companies only have six men

• Ukrainian refugee reports host to police after being asked to wash more dishes

• Listen to the latest episode of our daily Ukraine podcast

Russia has suspended participation in a crucial UN-brokered deal to export agricultural produce from Ukrainian ports.

It comes after a drone attack on Russia's Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, in Russian-occupied Crimea on Saturday morning, which Moscow claimed had targeted ships involved in the grain exports. It blamed Ukraine and the UK for the attack.

"Taking into account... the terrorist act by the Kyiv regime with the participation of British experts against the ships of the Black Sea Fleet and civilian vessels involved in ensuring the security of the 'grain corridor,' the Russian side suspends participation in the implementation of agreements on the export of agricultural products from Ukrainian ports," the Russian defence ministry said on Telegram.

Shortly afterwards, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the UN was in contact Russian authorities and added: "It is vital that all parties refrain from any action that would imperil the Black Sea Grain Initiative which is a critical humanitarian effort that is clearly having a positive impact on access to food for millions of people around the world".

04:19 PM

That's all for today

Thanks for following. Today's top stories include:

• Russia pulled out of the UN-brokered grain deal, sparking widespread condemnation amid a global food crisis

• Russia's Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, occupied Crimea, was hit by a drone attack in the early hours of Saturday morning, which damaged at least one ship

• Russia accused the UK of involvement in the attacks on the Nord Stream gas pipelines in September, as well as the drone attack on Sevastopol on Saturday. In response, the UK said Moscow was 'peddling lies' to distract from its 'disastrous' war

• Iran is circumventing sanctions by stuffing its drones being used by Russia with US technology available online, Ukrainian experts suspect

• The UK Ministry of Defence said Moscow was 'likely' planning an expedited withdrawal from Kherson city, citing the removal of Potemkin's remains and mass civilian evacuations

• Ukraine accused Russia of looting medical equipment as it withdraws from areas of Kherson

• A former Air Marshal warned that Britain is “entirely exposed” to attacks by long-range Russian missiles

04:07 PM

Russia 'playing hunger games'

Ukraine's foreign minister accused Moscow of using a "false pretext" to suspend its participation in the Black Sea grain corridor on Saturday.

Russia said earlier it was suspending participation in the three-month-old deal after what it claimed was a Ukraine and UK-led attack on Russian ships in the Moscow-occupied Crimea peninsula.

"I call on all states to demand Russia to stop its hunger games and recommit to its obligations," Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twitter.

04:01 PM

French Prime Minister dismisses Russian accusations against Britain

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said she gives no credence to Russia's accusations on Saturday that Britain was involved in the explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea in September.

"There is an investigation underway and I give no credence to what was said this morning," she told reporters.

03:55 PM

Russia 'ready to supply 500,000 tonnes of grain' in place of Ukraine

Shortly before the reported announcement that it was pulling out of the UN grain deal, Russian Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev said that Russia was ready to supply up to 500,000 tonnes of grain to poor countries in the next four months for free, with assistance from Turkey, and supplant supplies of Ukrainian grains.

"Taking into account this year's harvest, the Russian Federation is fully prepared to replace Ukrainian grain and deliver supplies at affordable prices to all interested countries," he said.

Several million tonnes of corn, wheat, sunflower products, barley, rapeseed and soya have been exported from Ukraine since the Black Sea Grain Initiative was signed in Turkey on July 22nd. Around a quarter of that has gone to low- and lower-middle income countries that are struggling with food supplies.

03:37 PM

Ukraine accuses Russia of 'blackmail' over Crimea attacks

The Ukrainian president's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, accused Russia of "blackmail" and "invented terror attacks" on its own territory on Saturday following explosions in the Crimean peninsula.

Moscow blamed Ukraine and the UK for a drone attack on the Sevastopol port on Saturday morning.

Hours later, it said it was suspending its participation in a humanitarian deal supporting grain exports from Ukraine in response to the attack, Russian media reported.

03:28 PM

Why is the grain deal important?

Ukraine, before the war, was one of the world's largest grain exporters. Russia's invasion in February jeopardised global food supply chains, contributing to the food crisis.

Russia had initially blockaded Ukraine's Black Sea ports but exports have been possible via an agreed corridor since July.

With increasing numbers of people on the brink of famine, World Food Programme Executive Director David Beasley had said that getting the Black Sea ports open again was “the single most important thing we can do right now to help the world’s hungry”.

The deal was due to expire in mid-November but UN aid chief Martin Griffiths had said only on Wednesday that he was "relatively optimistic" the deal would be extended.

03:12 PM

UK says Russia is 'peddling lies' about its involvement in Nord Stream blasts

The UK's Ministry of Defence said Russia was "peddling lies" after it accused the British Navy of blowing up the Nord Stream gas pipelines in September, as well as helping to attack Russia's Black Sea Fleet in Crimea on Saturday morning.

In a statement, the UK Ministry of Defence 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."

03:12 PM

Russia blames UK for Nord Stream and Black Sea Fleet attacks

Russia on Saturday accused the UK of being behind a series of blasts that damaged the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines in September, as well as a drone attack on Russia's Black Sea Fleet in Crimea on Saturday morning.

Russia has previously blamed the West for the explosions but had not made such specific accusations about who was responsible.

It did not provide any evidence for its claim but 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."

It said the same British military specialists had helped Ukraine plan a drone attack on Moscow's Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol that took place in the early hours of Saturday morning. Russian officials have described that attack as "massive" but the extent of the damage remains unclear.

Many in the West suspect that Russia was to blame for the pipeline explosions. Both Russia and the US denied involvement.

03:06 PM

Russia 'suspends participation in grain deal'

Russia has suspended participation in the deal to export agricultural produce from Ukrainian ports following attacks on ships in Crimea, according to Russian news agency TASS, which cited the defence ministry.

Earlier on Saturday, the UN had urged Russia to extend the deal beyond its November 19th expiration date.

But Moscow claimed that its ships targeted in a drone attack in Crimea on Saturday were involved in the grain exports.

02:42 PM

Iranian-made drones used in Ukraine contain US parts

Iran is circumventing sanctions by stuffing its drones being used by Russia with American technology available on the web, the Telegraph can disclose.

More than 300 Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles have been shot down by Ukraine since their introduction to the battlefield a little over a month ago.

The drones, especially the Shahed-136, have become key weapons in Russia’s arsenal.

After an examination of a downed kamikaze drone, Ukrainian experts concluded that the machine uses technology that appears to originate from US firms.

The Telegraph's correspondent Joe Barnes has the full story.

02:23 PM

Russia to raise Nord Stream and Crimea attacks at Security Council

Russia said on Saturday that it would raise the Nord Stream pipeline blasts and an alleged drone attack in Crimea, both incidents in which Moscow has alleged British involvement, at the UN Security Council.

"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.

Moscow has so far provided no evidence for its claim.

02:09 PM

Who blew up Nord Stream?

The Nord Stream natural gas pipelines were hit by a series of underwater leaks in late September. Sweden and Denmark, which launched investigations, have both concluded that the four leaks were caused by explosions but have not said who might be responsible. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has called the damage an act of sabotage.

Russia - having previously blamed the West - is now specifically blaming the UK for blowing up the gas pipelines. It hasn't provided any evidence and the UK strongly denies the claim, describing it as an "invented story".

Meanwhile, many in the West suspect that Russia is to blame, which it also denies, saying it would have no motivation to do so.

After the accusations against Britain on Saturday, former cabinet minister Rory Stewart noted that Moscow had already claimed the gas pipeline was inoperable prior to the attack, producing a range of excuses.

Who could have done it? The Telegraph's Colin Freeman runs through the possibilities.

01:51 PM

'British donations' spotted in Ukraine

The BBC's Jeremy Bowen, currently in Ukraine, spotted a box containing what he believed to be donated British toiletries in a hospital in Donbas. The box included Carex soap, Dove shower gel and Garnier hair products, as well as syringes and other health care products.

"Someone went to a British supermarket and got all this stuff in the hope it might reach someone who needed it," he wrote. "And it did."

He noted that while shops are mostly well-stocked away from the frontlines, there are few shops open in areas where there is direct fighting.

However, charities say that donating money is usually more efficient than sending goods.

01:37 PM

Up to 100 prisoners of war reportedly exchanged

Russia's defence ministry said on Saturday that Ukraine had handed over 50 prisoners of war after negotiations.

Denis Pushilin, the Moscow-backed head of the Donetsk region, said that 50 people from each side were being exchanged. 

01:37 PM

Up to 100 prisoners of war reportedly exchanged

Russia's defence ministry said on Saturday that Ukraine had handed over 50 prisoners of war after negotiations.

Denis Pushilin, the Moscow-backed head of the Donetsk region, said that 50 people from each side were being exchanged. 

01:24 PM

Risk of attack via Belarus 'could rise after loss of Kherson'

There is currently little risk of an attack on Ukraine from Belarus despite a build-up of Russian forces there, according to Ukraine's defence intelligence chief.

But Maj. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov predicted that could change in the likely event that Russia loses Kherson.

He told The War Zone that there are "only about 4,300 (Russian) servicemen" currently in Belarus and "the majority - about 80 per cent of the grouping - are mobilised personnel. So... in the current stage there is not a threat of invasion from Belarus."

However, "that situation could change very fast when Russia loses Kherson," he said. There are much more highly-trained forces currently in Kherson, some of whom could "move northwards to Belarus and create a threat there," he said.

Elsewhere in the interview he said he expected the battle for Kherson to last until the end of November.

12:49 PM

Russian schoolgirls sew balaclavas for soldiers as 'patriotic duty'

Russian schoolgirls are sewing together balaclavas for soldiers fighting on the frontline.

A school in Vladimir region near Moscow said that it was the girls’ patriotic duty to make balaclavas. Photos showed them hunched over sewing machines at their desks in a classroom.

“We sow for our men,” the school wrote on its VKontakte social media page. “As part of the action to help the mobilised, students at School no. 4 in Sobinki have been sewing balaclavas for soldiers participating in the Special Operation during technology lessons and extracurricular activities.”

Russia’s ministry of defence says 300,000 men have now been conscripted for the Kremlin's war in Ukraine. But mobilised men have complained of being sent to the frontlines without proper clothing and equipment.

Various groups in Russia have crowdfunding equipment and made items of clothing. The balaclavas from School no. 4 are sent to the frontline with simple packaging carrying the slogan: “Remember warrior, you are the best! Russia is with you!”

12:25 PM

EU has so far frozen €17bn in Russian assets

The European Union has frozen Russian assets worth around €17 billion euros (£14.5 billion) since Moscow invaded Ukraine, EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders said in an interview published on Saturday.

The figure has risen from the roughly €13.8 billion euros "from oligarchs and other entities" that Reynders said had been frozen back in July.

"So far, the assets of 90 people have been frozen, more than €17 billion in seven member states, including €2.2 billion in Germany," he told German media group Funke.

Ukrainian officials have been calling for the assets to be used to rebuild their country after the war.

"If it is criminal money confiscated by the EU, it is possible to transfer it to a compensation fund for Ukraine," Reynders said in the interview.

But he noted that "This amount is far from being sufficient to finance reconstruction".

12:06 PM

Russia claims Sevastopol ships were part of grain deal

Russia is claiming that its ships that were targeted in a drone attack in Crimea's Sevastopol port on Saturday morning were involved in a UN-brokered deal to allow the export of Ukrainian grain.

"It should be emphasised that the ships of the Black Sea Fleet that were attacked by terrorists are involved in ensuring the security of the 'grain corridor' as part of an international initiative to export agricultural products from Ukrainian ports," Moscow's defence ministry said in a statement.

The grain deal is set to expire on November 19th, with the UN Secretary-General calling for an extension.

Russia had previously been accused of weaponising food as it blockaded exports of grain from Ukraine.

11:33 AM

Moscow 'likely' planning expedited withdrawal from Kherson city, says MoD

Moscow is "likely" planning an expedited withdrawal from Kherson city, according to the latest intelligence update from the UK Ministry of Defence.

It notes that the remains of the 18th century Russian statesman Prince Grigory Potemkin had been removed from Kherson cathedral, according to the Russian-appointed governor of Kherson, Vladimir Saldo. He also said that more than 70,000 civilians had now left Kherson city.

"In the Russian national identity, Potemkin is heavily associated with the Russian conquest of Ukrainian lands in the 18th century and highlights the weight Putin almost certainly places on perceived historical justification for the invasion," the MoD update states.

"This symbolic removal of Potemkin and the civilian exodus likely pre-empts Russian intent to expedite withdrawal from the area."

Ukrainian forces have been advancing towards Kherson for weeks. The battle for the city would be one of the most consequential of the war so far.

11:29 AM

Crimea attack 'biggest since the invasion began'

The drone attack on Sevastopol port on Saturday morning was the "most massive" assault on the Crimean peninsula since the Ukraine war began in February, according to the city's governor.

"Today at night, the most massive attack by UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) and remote-controlled surface vehicles in the waters of the Sevastopol bay was undertaken," Sevastopol governor Mikhail Razgozhayev told Russian state media.

Russian officials say one ship was damaged in the attack and that all the drones were shot down.

But Ukrainians have suggested that the damage could be more extensive.

11:05 AM

Ship damaged in Sevastopol drone attack

Russia's defence ministry says a ship was damaged in the drone attack against Sevastopol port, in Russian-occupied Crimea, on Saturday morning.

Sevastopol officials had earlier said that no facilities were hit in the assault, which reportedly lasted for several hours, and that all the drones had been shot down.

The defence ministry blamed Ukraine for the attack.

Sevastopol is home to Moscow's Black Sea Fleet and has been targeted before.

10:52 AM

Operation to recapture Kherson city will last 'until end of November'

The operation to recapture Kherson city from Russian forces will "most likely... last until the end of the next month," according to Ukraine's defence intelligence chief.

In an interview with The War Zone, Maj. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov said that "The most trained and most capable Russian units are currently in Kherson."

While Ukrainian forces were attempting to encircle and isolate them, the Russians are "opposing outwardly" and "it won't go through without a fight," he said.

10:29 AM

Son of Kursk submarine victim killed in Ukraine

A 25-year-old Russian man who was mobilised to fight in Ukraine has been killed, two decades after his father was killed in the Kursk submarine disaster at the age of 26, according to Russian media reports.

On social media, many lamented the tragedy of the father and son killed a generation apart while serving in the Russian military.

All 118 crew members were killed in August 2000 after becoming trapped deep under water on the Kursk, then Russia's most technologically advanced submarine.

09:57 AM

Russians looting medical equipment in Kherson, says Zelensky

Russian forces in the occupied Ukrainian region of Kherson are engaged in mass theft of medical equipment and ambulances in a bid to make the area uninhabitable, President Volodymyr Zelensky said late yesterday.

Ukrainian troops are gathered in force near Kherson, prompting Russian-installed officials to evacuate many residents.

"The occupiers have decided to close down medical institutions in towns, take away medical equipment, ambulances, everything. They are putting pressure on doctors who still remain... to move to the territory of Russia," Zelensky said.

"Russia is trying to make the Kherson region a no man's land," he added in an evening video address, saying pro-Moscow forces realised they could not hold onto the regional capital and were therefore taking what they could.

09:25 AM

UN chief urges extension of Ukraine-Russia grain deal

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged "all parties" to "make every effort" to extend the agreement on Ukrainian grain exports, including facilitating shipments of Russian grain.

The so-called Black Sea deal, signed in July by the UN, Ukraine, Russia and Turkey, has allowed more than nine million tons of Ukrainian grain to be exported – easing the global food crisis caused by the war. But uncertainty about whether the agreement will last has already led to rising prices.

The initial agreement was set to last 120 days, with the option for renewal on November 19 "if no party objects", Mr Guterres' spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said.

"We urge all parties to make every effort to renew the Black Sea Grain Initiative and implement both agreements to their fullest, including the expedited removal of any remaining impediments to Russian grain and fertiliser export," he said.

"We do not underestimate the challenges, but we know they can be overcome."

08:58 AM

Residents of Sevastopol asked not to post on social media

Sevastopol governor Mikhail Razvozhayev has asked residents not to post videos of a drone attack on the city to social media.

"It should be clear to everyone that such information is much needed for Ukrainian Nazis in order to understand how the defence of our city is built," he said.

Over the summer, Russia had problems with hapless holidaymakers in Crimea revealing military positions in social media posts.

08:44 AM

'No damage to civilian infrastructure' in Sevastopol drone attack

The governor of Sevastopol in Russia-annexed Crimea said the city's services were on "alert" after an alleged drone attack on the city's port in the early hours of Saturday morning, but that no "civilian infrastructure" had been damaged.

A student dormitory at an art college near the port saw "one windowpane burst" but "no harm was done", according to Mikhail Razvozhayev.

City authorities said that the harbour was "temporarily" closed to boats and ferries.

Sevastopol port is home to Moscow's Black Sea Fleet.

Earlier this week, Razvozhayev said that a drone had attacked a thermal power station near Sevastopol.

08:06 AM

Britain 'exposed' to Russian missile attacks

A former commander warns that the only way to protect London from hypersonic or ballistic attack would be to station a Type 45 destroyer in the Thames, writes Danielle Sheridan

07:37 AM

All drones over Sevastopol 'shot down'

Authorities in Moscow-annexed Crimea said all drones that had attacked the peninsula's Sevastopol port earlier on Saturday had been successfully "repelled" and "shot down".

"Today, starting at 04:30 am for several hours, various air defence systems in Sevastopol repelled drone attacks," Russian-installed Sevastopol governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said on Telegram.

"All UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles] have been shot down."

07:22 AM

'Russia will take into account modernisation of US nuclear bombs in Europe'

Russia, in its military planning, will take into account the modernisation of US nuclear bombs deployed in Europe, RIA news agency reported, citing Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko.

Earlier this week, Politico, citing a US diplomatic cable and two people familiar with the issue, reported that the United States had accelerated the deployment of its modernised B61-12 tactical nuclear weapons to Nato bases in Europe.

07:02 AM

Russian navy 'repelling' drone attack in Crimea

The Russian navy was "repelling" a drone attack in the bay of Sevastopol, home to Moscow's Black Sea Fleet in Crimea, a Russian-installed governor said.

"Ships of the Black Sea Fleet are repelling a UVA (unmanned aerial vehicle) in Sevastopol bay," Sevastopol governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said on Telegram.

"No facilities in the city have been hit. The situation is under control."

06:43 AM

Three civilians killed in Donetsk

Three civilians were killed by Russian troops in the Donetsk region on Friday, according to a local official.

"On October 28, the Russians killed three civilians in the Donetsk region: two in Kurdiumivka and one in Pivnichne. Eight people were wounded [on Friday]," said Pavlo Kyrylenko, the head of the Donetsk regional military administration.

He did not specify in his Telegram post how they were killed.

06:26 AM

Latest from the UK Ministry of Defence: Removal of Potemkin's remains likely pre-empts expedited Russian withdrawal from Kherson

06:00 AM

Ukrainian refugee's modern slavery complaint

An NHS mental health specialist who took in a Ukrainian refugee was reported for modern day slavery after she asked her guest to help out more with the dishes.

Hannah Debenham of East Sussex was under investigation for two months before the case was dropped this week when no evidence was found.

Detective Chief Inspector Gavin Patch, of Sussex Police, defended his force's actions, saying the investigation was “expedited as quickly as possible".

The refugee, a mother who cannot be named for legal reasons, initially complained to police that she was “expected to clear up and tidy up the house for little to no money under the disguise of the Ukrainian settlement scheme”, according to a police report.

READ MORE: Ukrainian refugee reports host to police after being asked to wash more dishes

05:16 AM

Russia ends mobilisation drive

Russia’s partial military mobilisation that triggered an exodus of men from the country has been completed, Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu has said.

Speaking at a meeting with Vladimir Putin, Gen Shoigu said: “Today we have stopped the deployment of the citizens who have been called up.

“The target put forward to us to call up 300,000 people has been completed. We are not planning any additional intakes.”

READ MORE: Russia ends mobilisation drive, saying 300,000 men called up

04:56 AM

‘Send blankets and generators or we’ll freeze to death’

Ukrainians will freeze to death this winter if the West does not urgently send blankets and generators to keep them warm, Vitali Klitschko has warned.

The 51-year-old mayor of Kyiv, and former heavyweight boxing champion of the world, told The Telegraph that increasing Russian attacks on power plants have left his country on the brink of a fresh humanitarian crisis.

“We are doing everything we can do to save the lives of our people and to protect them,” he said.

“But this winter will definitely be a huge challenge for us.”

READ MORE: Vitali Klitschko’s plea to West: ‘Send blankets and generators or we’ll freeze to death’

03:57 AM

Dutch military intelligence warns of Russian front companies

The Dutch military intelligence service has warned companies that Moscow is trying to obtain high-tech assets for its war in Ukraine through front companies, local media has reported.

Jan Swillens, head of the military intelligence service of the Netherlands (MIVD) said Russian secret services had set up dozens of "front companies" in the Netherlands to evade Western sanctions.

These companies were buying technology in the Netherlands and then importing it into Russia for military purposes, he told the Financieele Dagblad (FD) daily.

His comments were confirmed by the Dutch defence ministry, according to the Dutch news agency ANP and NOS public television.

A defence spokesman was quoted by ANP as saying: "The tougher the sanctions, the more difficult it becomes for Russian intelligence, and the more inventive they have to be to get around the sanctions."

It was therefore "difficult" for entrepreneurs to realise they were doing business indirectly with Russia, he said.

11:24 PM

Today's top stories

• Ukrainians will freeze to death this winter if the West does not urgently send blankets and generators to keep them warm, Vitali Klitschko has said

• Russia’s partial military mobilisation that triggered an exodus of men from the country has been completed, Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu has said

• An NHS mental health specialist who took in a Ukrainian refugee was reported for modern day slavery after she asked her guest to help out more with the dishes

• "Severely depleted" Russian Army companies in the Kherson region have been fighting with between six and eight men each, when they should be formed of around 100 soldiers, the Ministry of Defence has said