October 17, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

By Tara Subramaniam, Aditi Sangal, Sana Noor Haq and Mike Hayes, CNN

Updated 3:37 a.m. ET, October 18, 2022
29 Posts
Sort byDropdown arrow
8:46 a.m. ET, October 17, 2022

Ukrainian foreign minister calls for sanctions against Iran 

From CNN's Olga Voitovych in Kyiv and Chris Liakos in London

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba during the press conference ahead of Security Council meeting on situation in Ukraine at UN Headquarters, in New York, on September 22.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba during the press conference ahead of Security Council meeting on situation in Ukraine at UN Headquarters, in New York, on September 22. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket/Getty Images)

Ukraine’s foreign minister said "the patience broke," as he explained why he called for sanctions against Iran on Monday at an EU meeting after dozens of Iranian-made drones struck across the country and the capital city of Kyiv, killing at least three people. 

“Today, for the first time in the history of Ukrainian-Iranian relations, I called for sanctions against Iran,” Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in the video statement on his Facebook page.

“The patience broke. We listened to various explanations and arguments for a very long time, but it’s impossible to hide the truth. And this truth today flew into the houses of the city of Kyiv. Therefore, the time has come to apply sanctions against Iran for the supply of weapons to the Russian Federation,” Kuleba said. 

The foreign minister said sanctions against Iran would send a message that anyone helping Russia will “suffer and feel the price of it.”

Earlier Monday, EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell said that the EU “will look for concrete evidence” on Iran’s involvement in the war in Ukraine, ahead of today's scheduled meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg. 

8:22 a.m. ET, October 17, 2022

US to factor in Russia's use of "kamikaze" drones in Ukraine in future decisions, official says

From CNN's MJ Lee

Firefighters work on a building in Kyiv, Ukraine, on October 17, after a Russian drone attack.
Firefighters work on a building in Kyiv, Ukraine, on October 17, after a Russian drone attack. (Roman Hrytsyna/AP)

As Ukraine’s capital city of Kyiv has come under attack by so-called “kamikaze” drones, according to a top Ukrainian official, the Biden administration will factor in Russia’s use of these deadly drones in its future decision-making and planning as it pertains to helping Ukraine, according to a senior administration official. 

That decision-making notably includes ongoing deliberations about providing Ukraine with air defense systems, which is Kyiv's top need at this point in the war as Ukrainian officials have repeatedly said.

In recent days, US President Joe Biden and top US officials have made clear that the US plans to continue providing Ukraine with various air defense systems – including the expedited delivery of two NASAMS systems. 

While the US is certain that Russians are in fact using these “kamikaze” drones and that they are lethal, the senior administration official also told CNN Monday, for now, the administration will let the Ukrainians describe and characterize how much harm attacks from those drones have caused on the ground. 

8:21 a.m. ET, October 17, 2022

It's mid-afternoon in Kyiv. Here's what you need to know

From CNN staff

As Moscow escalates its assault on Ukraine, emergency services are working to rescue people from fatal "kamikaze" drone attacks launched by Russia early Monday.

Here are the latest developments:

  • Drone strikes rock Kyiv: A pregnant woman is among three people killed in a spate of "kamikaze" drone attacks targeting the Ukrainian capital city, according to local authorities. Kyiv and US intelligence say Moscow used weapons supplied by Iran, a claim Tehran vehemently denies.
  • EU to investigate Iran's ties with Moscow: The European Union "will look for concrete evidence" on Iran’s involvement in Russia's military assault on Ukraine, the bloc's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said Monday.
  • Moscow targets Ukrainian energy infrastructure: Russia's defense ministry said Monday that its forces launched massive high-precision strikes on military targets and energy infrastructure facilities across Ukraine, with the Ukrainian prime minister urging residents to minimize their electricity consumption.
  • Ukraine-Saudi relations at critical juncture: Relations between Ukraine and Saudi Arabia are "strengthening," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday. His comments came after Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pledged $400 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

8:19 a.m. ET, October 17, 2022

Attacks in Ukraine's Sumy region kill at least 3 and injure 9, official says

From CNN's Olga Voitovych in Kyiv

At least three people were killed, nine injured and others remain trapped in the rubble after rocket attacks on critical infrastructure in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region, according to the regional head of the military administration.

“At 5:20 in the morning, three Russian rockets hit the civil infrastructure facility. At least three people died. Nine are wounded. There are still people under the rubble,” Dmytro Zhyvytskyi, the head of the Sumy region military administration, said on Telegram.

Electricity was also impacted and 1,625 subscribers were disconnected from the electricity supply in the Sumy region, Zhyvytskyi said.

He urged people to minimize electricity use during peak hours. 

8:15 a.m. ET, October 17, 2022

Russian official warns Israel against supplying weapons to Ukraine

From CNN's Uliana Pavlova and Hadas Gold

The United Russia Party Leader Dmitry Medvedev speaks during the Congress of The United Russia Party, on December 4, in Moscow, Russia.
The United Russia Party Leader Dmitry Medvedev speaks during the Congress of The United Russia Party, on December 4, in Moscow, Russia. (Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images)

Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russia's Security Council and former Russian president, has warned Israel against supplying military weapons to Ukraine. 

"Israel seems to be planning to supply weapons to the Kyiv regime. A very reckless move. It will destroy all interstate relations between our countries," Medvedev said in a Telegram post, without providing more details.

CNN reached out to the Israeli prime minister’s office for a response but they had no comment to Medvedev’s claims.

Some background: Nachman Shai, Israel's minister of diaspora affairs — whose agenda does not include military policy – tweeted Sunday, in support of sending military aid to Ukraine.

"This morning it was reported that Iran is transferring ballistic missiles to Russia. There is no longer any doubt where Israel should stand in this bloody conflict. The time has come for Ukraine to receive military aid as well, just as the USA and NATO countries provide," he said.

Remember: Although Israel has officially condemned the invasion and regularly sends aid to Ukraine, it has not yet sent any weapons to Kyiv, and has been criticized for not being more forceful in its criticism of Russia.

8:12 a.m. ET, October 17, 2022

Russian journalist who held anti-war poster on state TV has fled the country, state media reports

From CNN's Katharina Krebs in London

Marina Ovsyannikova speaks to journalists as she arrives for a hearing in a court in Moscow, Russia, on July 28.
Marina Ovsyannikova speaks to journalists as she arrives for a hearing in a court in Moscow, Russia, on July 28. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP)

Marina Ovsyannikova, the Russian journalist who held up an anti-war poster on Russian state TV earlier this year, has fled Russia and is now under protection of a European country, Russian state media RIA Novosti reported Monday citing a comment from her lawyer Dmitry Zakhvatov.

"Marina Ovsyannikova was forced to leave Russia," said Zakhvatov, adding that the journalist is now "under the protection of one of the European countries."

Ovsyannikova was charged according to the Russian criminal code with disseminating false information about the Russian military after participating in a protest in July, which could lead to punishment of up to 10 years in prison.

In early October, she was placed on the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs' "wanted list."

8:21 a.m. ET, October 17, 2022

Pregnant woman among those killed in attacks on Kyiv, mayor says

From CNN's Olga Voitovych in Kyiv

A six-month pregnant woman was one of the people killed in a drone strike on a residential building in Kyiv, according to the city's mayor. 

"The bodies of three dead civilians were pulled out during search and rescue operations in a residential building in the city center, hit by a Russian drone. Among them is a young couple, a husband and wife, who were expecting a child. The woman was 6 months pregnant," Vitalii Klitschko said in a statement on Telegram.

Moscow launched drone attacks on residential buildings early Monday in Kyiv. Ukraine and US intelligence claimed that Russia used Iranian-supplied "kamikaze" drones to hit multiple regions in Ukraine, which Tehran has repeatedly denied.

7:36 a.m. ET, October 17, 2022

"People were running, screaming" during Kyiv drone attacks, eyewitness tells CNN

From Victoria Butenko and Maria Avdeeva in Kyiv

A Ukrainian woman is seen with her child after the Russian attacks in Kyiv, Ukraine on Monday.
A Ukrainian woman is seen with her child after the Russian attacks in Kyiv, Ukraine on Monday. (Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Civilians were "running" and "screaming" amid deadly drone attacks launched by Russia across Kyiv early Monday, according to an eyewitness at the scene.

Vitalii, a man in his 20s, told CNN he was at a train station when the deadly strikes hit the Ukrainian capital city. He declined to give CNN his last name due to security concerns.

Vitalii said he saw "Shahed" drones flying overhead — the name given to Iranian-made "kamikaze" drones that Kyiv and US intelligence claim Moscow is using in their military assault on Ukraine.

"We were at the railway station (during the attack), we just arrived. We just got off the train and saw this Shahed flying over us. We saw a flash and an explosion," he said.

"We went to the basement, and when we got out, we saw a second hit over there, where there is smoke now. We had been staying in the basement for about two hours, and then there was another explosion. When it was quiet, we took a taxi and left.

"People first started coming out of the basement. After, when there was another explosion, everyone went back to the basement. People were running, screaming. There was panic. People were scared because they didn’t understand what was going on."

He added: "We have seen the explanation in internet about how it ('Shahed') works, it buzzes. We have heard, seen it. It flew just above us — a triangular one. And it exploded."

Anna works in a local coffee shop close to where the attack took place. She declined to give CNN her last name due to security concerns.

"I learned about the attack from the news. At first I decided not to go work, so I arrived only around 10:30 a.m. (local time)," she told CNN.

"It was scary, but not as scary as at the beginning of the war. That is, we are somehow used to it.

"I had a feeling this morning that something was going to happen, because I was here last Monday, I saw what happened. Thank God, I wasn’t here at the moment when everything happened.

"Last week we did not work because of this situation because we were afraid of new attacks. Today I really start thinking, whether it is safe," she added,

"I’m scared, but it’s hard to believe that it (drone or rocket) could fly here."

A woman is rescued as Ukraine's capital is rocked by explosions during a drone attack in the early morning on Monday in Kyiv, Ukraine.
A woman is rescued as Ukraine's capital is rocked by explosions during a drone attack in the early morning on Monday in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Photo by Paula Bronstein /Getty Images)

7:22 a.m. ET, October 17, 2022

Russia says it launched massive high-precision strikes on energy infrastructure targets in Ukraine

From Uliana Pavlova

Smoke rises as Ukraine's capital is rocked by explosions during a drone attack in the early morning on Monday, October 17, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Smoke rises as Ukraine's capital is rocked by explosions during a drone attack in the early morning on Monday, October 17, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

Russia's defense ministry said on Monday that its forces launched massive high-precision strikes on military targets and energy infrastructure facilities across Ukraine.

"During the day, the Russian armed forces continued to strike with high-precision long-range air and sea-based weapons at military command and control facilities and the energy system targets of Ukraine. All designated objects were hit," the ministry said in a statement.

Drone attacks launched by Moscow on residential buildings early Monday have killed at least three people in Kyiv, a senior Ukrainian official has said, with search and rescue operations still underway.

Kyiv and US intelligence claimed that Russia used Iranian-supplied "kamikaze" drones to hit multiple regions in Ukraine, which Tehran has repeatedly denied.