The Russian navy's Black Sea Fleet has been forced to rebase nearly all its combat-ready warships from occupied Crimea to other locations, and its main naval hub is becoming ineffectual because of attacks by Kyiv, Ukraine's navy chief said. Vice-Admiral Oleksiy Neizhpapa said Ukrainian missile and naval drone strikes had caused heavy damage to the Sevastopol base, a logistics hub for repairs, maintenance, training and ammunition storage among other important functions for Russia. "They were established over many decades, possibly centuries. And clearly they are now losing this hub," Neizhpapa told Reuters in a rare interview in the port city of Odesa ahead of Ukraine Navy Day on Sunday. More than 28 months since Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv has dealt a series of stinging blows to Moscow in the Black Sea although Ukrainian ground troops are on the back foot across a sprawling front.

Russia's Black Sea Fleet suffered significant losses over the five months following the collapse of the U.N.-brokered grain deal as Ukraine staked a strong claim over major routes through the Black Sea. Russia's Black Sea fleet has suffered severe setbacks as Ukrainian forces continue to cripple a major piece of Moscow's war effort. Last week, Ukrainian media touted a major victory over the Russian fleet with the publication of a video that allegedly showed the destruction of a nearly 70 million missile ship, the Ivanovets. Multiple drones hit the vessel and sank it, with the crew's fate unknown. "As a result of a number of direct hits to the hull, the Russian ship received damage that was incompatible with further movement – the Ivanovets tilted to the stern and sank," said the Military Informant Telegram channel.

Ukraine has said it used sea drones to attack and destroy a Russian warship in the Black Sea near the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula. The military intelligence agency, known by its Ukrainian acronym GUR, published a video on Thursday that it said depicted a naval drone attack on the missile-armed corvette Ivanovets the night before. The grainy footage, running about 2 and a half minutes and accompanied by a dramatic soundtrack, showed a number of explosions, and the ship eventually listing to one side. It ended with the vessel sinking stern-first into the sea. "As a result of a number of direct hits to the hull, the Russian ship suffered damage incompatible with further movement," the intelligence agency said in a statement accompanying the video, apparently made up of live feeds from the drones.

Russia released a video reportedly showing Viktor Sokolov, commander of Russia's Black Sea Fleet in Crimea, at a meeting with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and other military top brass a day after Ukrainian special forces claimed he was among dozens of officers killed in an attack on the fleet's Sevastopol naval base. Ukraine said it was clarifying information regarding Sokolov. The United Kingdom's defence ministry said "a dynamic, deep strike battle" was under way in the Black Sea after the Russian Black Sea Fleet suffered a series of major attacks. Kyiv said its air defences destroyed 26 of 38 Russian drones fired overnight but that some of the drones hit the Danube River port of Izmail, damaging more than 30 vehicles and injuring two drivers during a two-hour attack. The drone barrage also prompted the temporary suspension of ferry services to Romania.

Ukrainian officials said on Monday that Russian strikes hit Ukraine's critical infrastructure in Kyiv, Kharkiv and other cities. The strikes appeared to be retaliation for what Moscow alleged was Ukraine's attack over the weekend on Russia's Black Sea Fleet. Loud explosions were heard across the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv early Monday morning. Some residents received text messages from the emergency services about the threat of a missile attack. Air raid sirens were heard for three straight hours.

Several blasts shook Kyiv on Monday, days after Russia blamed Ukraine for drone attacks on its Crimea fleet in the Black Sea. At least five explosions were heard in the Ukrainian capital between 8:00 am (0600 GMT) and 8:20 am, according to AFP journalists. Kyiv had already been hit on October 10 and 17 by drones. After Monday's blasts, mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a Telegram message: "An area of Kyiv is without electricity and certain areas without water following Russian strikes." Monday's attack on the Ukrainian capital comes after Russia pulled out of a landmark agreement that allowed vital grain shipments via a maritime safety corridor.

Russia's blockade of grain exports makes it "impossible" for fully loaded ships to leave port, Ukraine charged Sunday after Moscow claimed drone attacks on its Crimea fleet had exploited the grain corridor safe zone. Kyiv's maritime grain exports were halted after Russia pulled out of a landmark agreement that allowed the vital shipments. The July deal to unlock grain exports signed between Russia and Ukraine and brokered by Turkey and the United Nations, is critical to easing the global food crisis caused by the conflict. "(A) bulk carrier loaded with 40 tons of grain was supposed to leave the Ukraine port today," Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov tweeted. "These foodstuffs were intended for Ethiopians, that are on the verge of famine. But due to the blockage of the'grain corridor' by Russia the export is impossible," the Ukrainian minister said.

Western governments are calling on Russia to reverse its decision to pull out of a UN-brokered grain deal, a move that undermines efforts to ease a global food crisis, with Ukraine saying Moscow had planned the move well in advance. The Turkey and UN-brokered deal was signed between Russia and Ukraine in July under which Moscow allowed the grain ships to leave Ukrainian Black Sea ports. The agreement has already allowed more than 9 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain to be exported and was due to be renewed on November 19. Moscow suspended its participation in the deal on Saturday, effectively blocking 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 Black Sea Fleet headquarters near the port of Sevastopol in Russian-annexed Crimea. "Russia's decision to suspend participation in the Black Sea deal puts at risk the main export route of much needed grain and fertilisers to address the global food crisis caused by its war against Ukraine," European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Twitter on Sunday.

Fox News contributor Mike Pompeo joined'America Reports' to discuss Putin alleging Ukraine will use a'dirty bomb' in the war and the latest on Hunter Biden's business dealings. Russia announced it is withdrawing from the UN-facilitated Black Sea grain export agreement after an attack on its naval forces in Sevastopol, Crimea. "We've seen the reports from the Russian Federation regarding the suspension of their participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative following an attack on the Russian Black Sea Fleet," Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the U.N. Secretary General, said in a press release Saturday morning. "We are in touch with the Russian authorities on this matter." "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," Dujarric added.

"In the course of repelling a terrorist attack on the outer roadstead of Sevastopol, the use of naval weapons and naval aviation of the Black Sea Fleet destroyed four marine unmanned vehicles, three more devices were destroyed on the internal roadstead," a statement from the ministry read.