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.
1:54 a.m. ET, October 13, 2022
Analysis: Russia's hit-and-miss missile blitz forces a frantic race to shore up Ukrainian defenses
Analysis from CNN's Tim Lister
The Russian military appears to have embarked on a new tactic in its efforts to turn the tide of its faltering war: trying to overwhelm Ukraine’s largely Soviet-era air defenses with dozens of missiles and drones from multiple directions.
As Ukraine races to shore up its missile defenses in the wake of the assault, the math for Moscow is simple: A percentage of projectiles are bound to get through.
Russia’s aerial onslaught of the last few days has been largely directed at Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, using a variety of missiles and newly acquired Iranian drones. But while the damage has been substantial, Ukraine claims that it has taken out around half of the missiles fired — and it expects that success rate to improve as new air defenses arrive from Germany, the US and elsewhere.
Over the last three days, the Russians have been using a mix of their missile stocks. The majority were air-launched cruise missiles, some delivered by bombers based near the Caspian Sea. But they also deployed ship-launched Kalibrs from the Black Sea, ground-launched Iskander cruise missiles and dozens of attack drones.
The great unknown is just how far such a blitz is depleting Russian inventories — and whether increasingly they will resort to stocks of older, less accurate but equally powerful missiles.
Estimating Russian missile inventories is guesswork. In May, President Volodymr Zelensky said Russia had launched 2,154 missiles and had probably used up 60% of its precision-missile arsenal. That now looks like wishful thinking.
Biden on UN vote: "Russia cannot change borders by force"
US President Joe Biden said "the world has sent a clear message," after the UN General Assembly (UNGA) overwhelmingly approved a resolution on Wednesday condemning Russia's annexation of four Ukrainian zones as illegal.
"Russia is tearing at the very foundations of international peace and security. The stakes of this conflict are clear to all — and the world has sent a clear message in response: Russia cannot erase a sovereign state from the map. Russia cannot change borders by force. Russia cannot seize another country’s territory as its own," Biden said in a statement Wednesday. "Nearly eight months into this war, the world has just demonstrated that it is more united, and more determined than ever to hold Russia accountable for its violations."
Some 143 members of the United Nations voted to condemn Russia's illegal annexation attempt of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia following referendums derided by Western leaders as a sham. Only four UN members sided with Moscow — Belarus, North Korea, Nicaragua and Syria.
8:13 a.m. ET, October 13, 2022
Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv "massively shelled" overnight, mayor says
From CNN's Alex Stambaugh and Josh Pennington
The city of Mykolaiv, Ukraine, after a missile attack overnight, on October 13. (Twitter)
The southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv was "massively shelled" overnight, the city's Mayor Oleksandr Senkevych said on Telegram early Thursday.
"A five-story residential building was hit. Two of its upper floors were completely destroyed, and the rest are covered in rubble," Senkevych said.
He said rescuers are working at the scene. The mayor did not say if there were any injuries or deaths.
Another southern city, Nikopol, also reported shelling overnight, Ukrainian member of parliament Oleksiy Goncharenko said on Telegram.
Goncharenko said a 59-year-old man was injured and about 30 high-rise buildings and private houses were damaged, leaving around 2,000 families without electricity.
The latest attacks follow three consecutive days of deadly Russian strikes on civil infrastructure across Ukraine.
8:13 a.m. ET, October 13, 2022
Kyiv community hit by "kamikaze" drone attack, officials say
From CNN's Josh Pennington and Mohammed Tawfeeq
A "kamikaze" drone attacked a community in Ukraine's Kyiv region on Thursday, according to Ukrainian military officials.
"One of the regional communities was attacked," the Kyiv regional military administration said in a Telegram post. "Initial reports indicate a kamikaze drone attack. Rescuers teams have responded."
Authorities urged people to stay in shelters "until the air raid siren stops," the administration said.
The administration did not say if there were any injuries or reports of damage from the attack, which follows three straight days of deadly Russian strikes on civilian targets across Ukraine, including the capital region.
1:21 a.m. ET, October 13, 2022
New satellite images show traffic has resumed on Crimea bridge following deadly blast
From CNN's Paul P. Murphy
New satellite images from Maxar Technologies taken Wednesday show cars crossing the Kerch bridge in Crimea just days after a deadly explosion damaged the only road and rail link between Russia and the Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Moscow in 2014.
The explosion Saturday, which killed at least three people, was a major blow to Moscow and the Kremlin has responded with deadly attacks against Ukraine's civil infrastructure over the past three days.
A close view of the traffic and the repair work on the Crimea Bridge over the Kerch Strait, in Crimea on October 12. (Maxar Technologies)
The images show limited car and rail traffic has restarted on the bridge following the blast as repairs are ongoing.
The photos also show long lines of cargo trucks waiting to be ferried to Crimea from Russia.
A number of cargo trucks are seen queuing at the ferry terminal and at an abandoned airport waiting to make the crossing to Crimea from Russia on October 12. (Maxar Technologies)
Though car traffic on the bridge has resumed, larger vehicles like trucks, vans and buses are now traveling by ferry across the Kerch Strait.
Russian authorities have detained eight people in connection with the attack on the bridge, state media reported Wednesday.
A satellite image of a ferry carrying trucks across the Kerch Strait is seen on October 12. (Maxar Technologies)
The Crimea bridge is a critical artery for supplying the peninsula with both its daily needs and supplies for the Russian military. Over the past few months, dozens of Russian military convoys have used the bridge, carrying vehicles, armor and fuel.
Kyiv has not claimed responsibility for the blast on the 19-kilometer (about 12-mile) long bridge, which was was opened by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2018.
12:32 a.m. ET, October 13, 2022
UN General Assembly overwhelmingly condemns Russia's attempted annexations in Ukraine
From CNN's Richard Roth and Mohammed Tawfeeq
US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield address the UN General Assembly, before it voted on a resolution condemning Russia's illegal referendum in Ukraine at UN headquarters on Wednesday Oct. 12. (Bebeto Matthews/AP)
The UN General Assembly (UNGA) overwhelmingly approved a resolution on Wednesday telling Russia its annexation of four Ukrainian zones is illegal and not valid.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the resolution "historic" in a tweet and thanked the states that voted in favor.
During the assembly's emergency special session on Ukraine, US ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the vote "is important not just to the future of Ukraine and the future of Europe, but to the very foundations of this institution."
"After all, the UN was built on an idea: that never again would one country be allowed to take another's territory by force," she said.
The US diplomat said the resolution calls for peace and de-escalation, and "makes clear that we reject Russia's attempted annexations. That we reject this affront to territorial integrity, to national sovereignty, to peace and security."
She noted that "today it is Russia invading Ukraine. But tomorrow it could be another nation whose territory is violated. You could be next. What would you expect from this chamber?"
"So let us send a clear message today: these United Nations will not tolerate attempts at illegal annexation. We will never recognize it. These United Nations will not tolerate seizing a neighbor's land by force. We will stand up to it. These United Nations will not tolerate the destruction of the UN Charter. We will defend it," she told the assembly.
8:13 a.m. ET, October 13, 2022
Ukraine says Russian forces continue assault operations, with one town hit by more than 300 shells Wednesday
From CNN's Tim Lister and Julia Kesaieva
Smoke rises from a Russian artillery strike in Bakhmut, Donetsk oblast, Ukraine on October 12. (Carl Court/Getty Images)
Russian forces in occupied Ukraine continue to launch offensive operations amid the much higher tempo of missile attacks, according to the Ukrainian military.
In an update late Wednesday, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said enemy forces were "trying to conduct offensive actions at the Bakhmut and Avdiivka directions," both in the eastern Donetsk region. Those attacks and others in Donetsk had been repelled, it said.
It said that parts of Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions also came under attack, especially the town of Orikhiv.
Svitlana Mandrych, deputy head of Orikhiv, said a total of 324 shells had landed in the town on Wednesday
"Nine wounded residents...The infrastructure of the city is being destroyed. The population is being eliminated," she said, appealing to the townspeople to remain in shelters.
"We still have a night to survive ahead. Now we hear explosions again," Mandrych said.
The General Staff said Russian forces continued to use cruise missiles as well as drones and multiple launch rocket systems. Another 10 Iranian-made drones had been shot down Wednesday, it said.
It said the Ukrainian air force was again active — carrying out 27 strikes.
8:56 p.m. ET, October 12, 2022
Ukraine's weapons wish list includes multiple rocket systems, artillery and air defense as top priorities
From CNN's Ellie Kaufman
Ukraine's weapons wish list includes multiple launch rocket systems, artillery and air defense as current top weapons priorities, according to a handout provided to defense ministers participating in a Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting hosted by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in Brussels on Wednesday.
Ministers of defense from several countries are gathering to discuss weapons requirements and how the countries can continue to support Ukraine militarily as they battle Russia’s ongoing invasion of their country.
Under Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS), the handout states that Ukraine needs “additional NATO-standard MLRS systems and ammunition.” Under artillery, the handout states Kyiv needs more artillery for towed howitzers, self-propelled tracked howitzers and non-standard wheeled howitzers as well as large quantities of “additional 155mm, 152mm, and 122mm ammunition,” the handout states.
The third priority is “air defense” including missiles for Ukraine’s current medium-range air defense systems, the S-300 and SA-11. The list also states Ukraine needs a “transition to Western-origin layered air defense systems” and “additional Western and Soviet-era SHORAD systems.” Ukraine has been asking for more air defense systems, but the need has become more urgent as Russia has increased its use of Iranian-made drones.
Other priorities listed include radars, coastal defense, tanks and electronic warfare equipment.
