Grain Deal Collapsed. War On Communication Lines Coming

Over the past day, the situation on the fronts in Ukraine has not changed. Amid the ongoing battles, Russian missiles and UAVs continue to strike at military and energy infrastructure facilities throughout the country. Last night, an air alert sounded in all regions in southern and eastern Ukraine. Russian forces hit the facilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Cherkasy region. Among the targets there was a fuel depot located near the town of Smela. At night, Russian Geranium-2 UAVs struck several Ukrainian military facilities in the city of Kremenchug in the Poltava region. Local residents reported numerous explosions and a large fire. Russian kamikaze drones also struck targets in Dnepropetrovsk. In the morning, the Odessa region was also targeted by Russian forces. In their turn, Ukrainian units shelled Antonovsky Bridge in Kherson, and also struck at civilian infrastructure and residential buildings in Novaya Kakhovka. Most of the shells were intercepted by air defense systems. The cities of Donbass remain under fire of Ukrainian artillery. Ukrainian services cannot restore the supply of water and electricity to dozens of cities. The head of the Kiev region said that the capital may be left without electricity for two weeks due to the needed repairs. There will be no water in some districts for that time either. In the capital, about a third of all generating capacities have already been damaged, and it is unknown whether the Ukrainian authorities will be able to cope with this. They are already justifying the delays by the fact that there is allegedly lack of repairmen and necessary materials. Meanwhile, the countries involved in the grain deal are trying to decide its fate. President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow’s return to the deal is possible only after a detailed investigation of the recent attack on the Russian Black Sea Fleet and guarantees from Kiev that it will not use the grain corridor for military purposes. Despite the Russia’s decision to suspend its participation in negotiations, Turkey and the UN have resumed inspections of the cargos. On October 31, at least 12 ships moved along the corridor from Odessa to Turkey. Nevertheless, on November 2, representatives of Ukraine, the UN and Turkey, suspended the movement of ships with Ukrainian grain for an unknown reason. The UN plans to restore supplies on November 3. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation informed that the movement of dry cargoes along the corridor of the “grain deal” is unacceptable. No security guarantees are valid for dry cargoes passing through it any more. It is unlikely that Moscow will directly attack civilian vessels but it is possible that the area will be mined in order to hamper or prevent further passage of ships through this corridor. The current frightening situation may become a trigger for launching a war on communication lines at least in the Black Sea.