Theme: Russia

Ukraine’s national police released on Wednesday bodycam footage that, it says, shows the moments between two Russian bomb strikes that killed at least 40 people at an aid center and a shelter, in the Zaporizhzhia region in southern Ukraine. According to Ukraine, nine gliding bombs, some weighing 3,000 kg, hit the village as people had gathered to get humanitarian aid, and more than 30 people may still be under the rubble on the third day of searches; the Russian military has not publicly commented on the attack.

The toll of the Russian attack on Komyshuvakha has risen to 40 dead, with the search in its third day, Zelensky announced, according to Le Monde. Zelensky arrived in Madrid on his fifth visit to Spain and meets Pedro Sánchez and other leaders on Thursday on the sidelines of an Ibero-American summit, with strengthening air defense as the top priority. He lamented “very few reactions around the world” and urged allies to bolster the country's air defense “right now”. The European Commission praised Ukraine's progress toward membership but urged faster rule-of-law reforms to conclude negotiations by the end of 2028.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine, the United States and Russia are preparing a trilateral format at the team level to take place in less than a week, after a detailed, hour-and-a-half-long conversation with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Witkoff said the United States would mediate the working-level talks, scheduled for November 10-11 in Abu Dhabi. Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said the talks may be held in Abu Dhabi around November 10. Zelensky said air defense remains a key priority and that Ukraine needs interceptors for Patriot systems.

Russia attacked overnight with 310 drones, including 81 jet-powered drones, according to Ukraine’s air force, which said it downed or suppressed 272 drones of various types. The attacks triggered power and water outages for hours across Kyiv and surrounding regions, and residents in the capital were urged to use public drinking water fountains before supplies were restored. Russia’s Ministry of Defense said it shot down 709 Ukrainian drones the previous night. Retailer Ozon said a drone attack caused a fire at its logistics center in Adygeysk, in Russia’s Adygea region, but that there were no casualties.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Beijing is maintaining contact with the relevant parties regarding a meeting between the leaders of China, Russia and the United States. The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit is set to take place in Shenzhen on November 18-19. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the agenda of a possible meeting of the leaders in China is being coordinated with the Chinese and US sides: “It is being agreed upon now.” Peskov ruled out, for now, continuing the talks at the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Miami: “No, this is out of the question yet.”

Ukrainian drone strikes have killed three people in Russia’s Belgorod region, while attacks cut power to multiple cities in Ukraine and parts of Russian-occupied Crimea, according to officials. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia’s overnight attacks damaged power generation facilities and substations in nine regions, leaving emergency outages in many cities. Russia’s Defense Ministry confirmed on Telegram that it hit two power stations in Ukraine’s Kyiv and Zhytomyr regions and said it downed 709 Ukrainian drones across 14 regions, Crimea and the Black and Azov seas. In southern Russia, a Ukrainian drone attack started a fire at a distribution facility of Ozon, in the town of Adygeysk in the Republic of Adygea, regional head Murat Kumpilov said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he hoped Trump would continue his peacemaking efforts after the Democratic victory and treated any changes in Congress as a domestic US matter: “President Trump continues to exercise his powers. We sincerely hope that he will also continue his peacemaking efforts.”

New Jersey Democratic Governor Mikie Sherrill warned port and terminal operators in the state against “purchasing or unloading the illegal Russian fuel currently bound for the east coast of the United States,” in a letter dated November 2. Sherrill said Congress banned energy imports from Russia in April 2022, in response to the country’s attack on Ukraine, and that importing Russian diesel would violate the ban and could lead to civil and criminal charges. A Treasury license authorizes transactions tied to the sale, delivery, offloading and importation of Russian diesel, including into the United States, through April 7, 2027. The White House defended the authorization: “The President secured a deal to supply global markets with diesel, lowering prices for the United States and the world,” spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said. A Phillips 66 executive said he did not believe Russia has enough distillate to make much of a difference to the global supply crunch.

The death toll from the Russian strike on Komyshuvakha, in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, rose to 40 from 37 on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram, adding that some bodies had not yet been identified. The previous figure came from local authorities.

First Lady Melania Trump will bring representatives of Russia and Ukraine together at the White House, an event the White House described as an extraordinary moment in American history. Melania was praised for helping broker a localized ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia that lasted from 3 a.m. on October 27 until late on November 1, local time, in Oleshky, in the Kherson region. The first lady called the ceasefire a “success” and said “nearly 800 people” had been evacuated, but neither Ukraine nor Russia publicly confirmed exactly how many people left or where they relocated. Yana Lantratova, Russia’s human rights commissioner, who is expected at the meeting, was sanctioned by the United States in 2022, making her ineligible to enter the country without a special waiver from the State Department. Separately, the Kremlin confirmed three-way talks with Ukraine and the United States in Abu Dhabi from November 10 to 11, with Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to President Vladimir Putin, as Moscow’s chief negotiator. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin hopes to finalize plans in the coming days for a meeting between the leaders of Russia, the United States and China.

The Hamburg Higher Regional Court has scheduled 19 more hearings between February and June 2027, extending until at least mid-2027 the trial over the sabotage of the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 pipelines, court press spokeswoman Judge Mareike Franzen said. Sergey Kuznetsov, a former special operations officer of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, is standing trial, charged with a war crime, carrying out explosions, destroying structures and disrupting the operations of public utilities. He was detained in Italy in August 2025 and extradited to Germany.

The death toll from a Russian bombing of an aid distribution point in Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhia region on Monday has risen to 37, with dozens missing, in one of the deadliest strikes on civilians this year, officials said in a Reuters report republished by The Straits Times. Ivan Fedorov, the co-head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Defense Council, wrote on Telegram that 59 people were missing. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said Russian forces first dropped aerial bombs on the school building in Komyshuvakha as people arrived to collect aid, then struck the shelter with more bombs. Two members of a rescue crew and four police officers were among the dead, emergency services said. Russia’s Defense Ministry said the attack targeted Ukrainian military units in Komyshuvakha and two other settlements, and that up to 25 Ukrainian servicemen were killed.

Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland called in a joint statement on the European Commission to terminate investment protection treaties with Russia that remain in force in 17 member states. According to Estonia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the treaties are being used to influence European Union (EU) policy in Russia’s favor and their continued application threatens the bloc’s overall economic security. The ministry said the treaties contain provisions that encourage investment in Russia and allow individuals under sanctions to bring claims before international courts against member states and against the EU as a whole. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said the EU’s task was to ensure “that Russia’s international isolation is maintained without concessions.”

China's foreign ministry said that Beijing is in communication with the relevant parties about a summit between Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Shenzhen on November 18 and 19. Spokesperson Mao Ning gave no details on the possible meeting, according to EFE, in a text republished by ABC Color. The Kremlin said on October 21 that the meeting was being prepared; according to the Financial Times, officials from the three countries had been holding serious talks for days about arranging the first trilateral meeting of the heads of state, and Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that work is under way on organizing it.

Russia’s Defense Ministry says, in a Reuters text republished by Investing.com, that two power stations in Ukraine’s regions of Kyiv and Zhytomyr were hit, in strikes that also targeted a cargo vessel at sea near Odesa and follow Tuesday’s missile and drone bombardments that knocked out power to swaths of Ukraine. US envoy Steve Witkoff announced that the US will bring together delegations from Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi on November 10–11 to discuss post-war security agreements, de-escalation and ending the war.

At least 31 people were killed after Russian bombs hit an aid distribution center in Zaporizhzhia, with at least nine 3,000 kg aerial bombs falling on the village of Komyshuvakha on Monday and the center collapsing after a direct hit, regional administration head Mykhailo Semikin said. At least 26 people were killed in two separate strikes, the second against a building, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. The target was a military unit, Russia’s Defense Ministry maintains.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Donald Trump said he was optimistic that Ukraine-Russia peace talks were making ground, according to TASS, which carried the interview. According to the quote published by the agency, Trump said: “I think they’re both at the point of saying, ‘Let’s make a deal.’”

Belarus is hosting the high-level international conference “Eurasian Security: Reality and Prospects in a Transforming World.” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Minsk to take part in the meeting. The Belarusian state agency BelTA frames the meeting as a continuation of Minsk’s role as a platform for dialogue on security.

The United States-mediated peace talks are scheduled for November 10–11 in Abu Dhabi. According to Zelenskiy, Russia launched 289 drones, 17 ballistic missiles and 59 cruise missiles overnight against power plants and substations from Odesa to Rivne. Friedrich Merz said in Berlin that the talks are the right step and that Europe must take part in the process, urging Russia to engage in serious ceasefire negotiations and saying he has seen no sign of that so far. Moscow said it hit Ukrainian military units around Komyshuvakha and in two other settlements in the Zaporizhzhia region, with up to 25 Ukrainian servicemen killed.

Armed men held about 40 people in the basement of a house in the village of Petropavlivska Borshchahivka, in the Kyiv region, and four were taken out and brought to a hospital after the crowd demanded that a doctor be let in — at the scene, the head of Ukraine’s National Guard, Oleksandr Pivnenko, said military personnel of his department, including those who had left their units without permission, were in the basement, and there was a confrontation with the police. According to Ukrainian media reports, the alleged prison was said to be a building of the Azov Battalion, a National Guard unit created in 2014. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the lack of public reaction from Western human rights organizations did not surprise Moscow and that European bodies try to shield the Ukrainian leadership — and said Ukrainians who do not want to fight for Kyiv may surrender to Russian troops.

Russia bombarded Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in waves on Tuesday, with dozens of missiles and hundreds of drones, knocking out power across swaths of the country. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at least 33 people were killed on Monday when Russia twice bombed a school used for aid distribution in Komyshuvakha, in the Zaporizhzhia region, and that about 50 people were still believed buried under the rubble. The Kyivvodokanal utility said that the capital’s water supply was suspended because the main water facilities were left without power after the attacks. Operator DTEK said the attacks knocked three of its thermal power plants completely offline. The U.S.-mediated tripartite talks in Abu Dhabi are set for November 10 and 11. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said it was important that Russia seriously and effectively engage in ceasefire negotiations.

An Ozon logistics center in Adygeysk was hit by a drone attack, and employees were evacuated. According to preliminary information, no one was hurt, the company’s press service said. A fire broke out in the warehouse after the attack, and emergency services were working at the scene.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he hopes the upcoming US-mediated talks with Russia in Abu Dhabi will lead to a three-way meeting of leaders that includes Russian President Vladimir Putin. The talks are scheduled for November 10-11, and, according to the Northeast Times, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says Russia has yet to engage seriously.

The management of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, under Russian control, said on Tuesday that a Ukrainian drone had killed two people in a car, including a female employee at the station, according to Reuters, in a text republished by Street Insider. The statement gave no indication where the attack occurred and said the employee was the third killed in the past two weeks and the 13th since April. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said last week that an employee at the plant had been killed, but gave no details. Ukraine did not comment on the accusation. Russian forces seized the plant, Europe's largest, with six reactors, in the first weeks of the invasion that began in February 2022. The facility is offline, and IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi has repeatedly called for military restraint around it.

The confirmed death toll from the Russian attack on a school used to distribute humanitarian aid in Komyshuvakha, in the Zaporizhzhia region, has risen to 33, according to the latest figures cited by Ukrainian media. Two waves of aerial bombs hit the town on Monday, during the weekly food distribution, and killed 29 people in the toll released that day. Latvia has called an extraordinary meeting of the United Nations (UN) Security Council after the Russian attacks on civilians in Ukraine, including the aid distribution center in Komyshuvakha.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Tuesday that Poland prevented what appeared to be an attempted provocation on its border with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad overnight. According to him, “individuals with flashlights” were seen in the area and the border guard told him, just after midnight, of “disturbing movement” on the Polish-Russian border; the guards prevented any incident. Police, the military, border guards and intelligence services reinforced security along the borders with Russia and Belarus, including near Kaliningrad, and counter-terrorism units were sent to the northeast after “more precise” information that acts of sabotage, including a possible incursion by “armed people,” were possible in the first half of November. Tusk said it was not possible to confirm with full certainty that the episode was an attempted provocation and that Russia’s escalation would continue, not limited to that incident. In the Warmian-Masurian region, Polish services intervened near Sępopol, where no one crossed into Polish territory and those observed withdrew into Kaliningrad, according to an RMF24 account carried by United24 Media.

A Russian delegation will travel to Abu Dhabi on November 10-11 for trilateral talks with Ukraine and the United States (US), Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed: “Yes, I can confirm that date.” Negotiator Vladimir Medinsky will again lead the delegation, as in the previous round, interrupted after the conflict between Iran, on one side, and the US and Israel, on the other. It will be the first trilateral meeting since February. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he had seen no sign that Russia wanted to negotiate seriously: “I have not seen any sign of that so far.” Merz also promised more aid and help with energy supplies for Ukraine going into winter and said Russia risked further escalation and a global food crisis through attacks in the Black Sea, according to Reuters, in a text republished by StreetInsider. Zelensky defended a ceasefire in the Black Sea, where attacks have intensified in recent months.

A Russian missile destroyed Dnipro’s hospice on Monday night, and nearly 50 terminally ill patients were transferred to other facilities; the oldest was 90 years old. In Kharkiv, a hospital was hit and 73 people were wounded, most of them elderly patients, according to Volodymyr Zelensky. Russian strikes on an aid center, a hospice and a hospital killed at least 38 civilians and injured scores of others in 24 hours. Kyiv’s water supply was entirely cut off “due to enemy attacks and damage to the capital’s energy infrastructure,” the supplier Kyivvodokanal said, and the entire metro network was suspended on Tuesday. Russia also struck energy infrastructure in nine regions, affecting water and heating. Zelensky said Russia launched 289 drones, 17 ballistic missiles and 59 cruise missiles overnight across the country, and three thermal power plants of Ukraine’s largest private energy company were out of operation, according to the company. The UN human rights monitoring mission said the aid distribution at the school in Komyshuvakha had been highly publicized and that the attack “seems to have violated the most fundamental principles of international humanitarian law.”

Russia’s Defense Ministry said the attack on Komyshuvakha targeted Ukrainian military units near the village and in two other settlements in the Zaporizhzhia region, according to Reuters, in a text republished by UOL. In a statement released on Tuesday, the ministry said up to 25 Ukrainian soldiers were killed and that 15 vehicles and an electronic warfare station were destroyed. Both Russia and Ukraine deny deliberately targeting civilians in the conflict. Ukrainian authorities say the school that was hit was being used as an aid distribution point and shelter; President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian forces first dropped aerial bombs on the school, used for aid distribution every Monday, and that no classes were being held. The acting head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration, Mykhailo Semikin, said five people were wounded and nearly 50 were still missing.

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, ruled out telephone talks with Russia, saying Moscow would use the conversation as a pretext to avoid further meetings; he spoke at a press conference alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin. In the German capital, Zelensky ruled out inviting Vladimir Putin to Kyiv and said no Ukrainian intends to go to Moscow. The president confirmed that Ukrainian, Russian and US officials will meet in Abu Dhabi on November 10 and 11, and that Kyiv wants a halt to attacks on energy infrastructure, safe passage for grain shipments through the Black Sea and further prisoner exchanges. Merz said he does not see Russia seriously engaging in ceasefire negotiations and that Europe needs a voice on sanctions and post-war security.

The European Commission said representatives from Ukraine, the United States (US), France, Germany, Britain, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the World Bank will meet in Brussels on Wednesday, on the eve of the resumption of US-mediated talks, according to spokesperson Paula Pinho. US special envoy Steve Witkoff said Washington will also mediate working-level talks between Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi on November 10 and 11. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that a Russian delegation will travel to the United Arab Emirates and that presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky will lead the team. Peskov ruled out the European Union joining the Abu Dhabi talks because the agreed format is trilateral, between Russia and Ukraine with US mediation.

The death toll from a Russian attack on a site where people had gathered to receive humanitarian aid in Komyshuvakha, in the Zaporizhzhia region, rose to 31 on Tuesday, with dozens still missing under the rubble. The dead included four police officers and two rescue workers, according to the acting head of the regional military administration, Mykhailo Semikin, and at least five people were hurt. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia launched 289 attack drones, 17 ballistic missiles and 59 cruise missiles across nine regions, triggering emergency power cuts. In Kharkiv, a combined Russian missile and drone attack wounded at least 62 people, according to local authorities. Russia’s Ministry of Defense said it shot down 856 Ukrainian drones overnight, and Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 493 drones were fired toward the capital.

The office of US first lady Melania Trump announced that she will convene Russian and Ukrainian representatives at the White House on Thursday and deliver remarks about the temporary ceasefire in Oleshky, a Russian-occupied city in Ukraine’s Kherson region, which she helped negotiate. The White House credited Melania Trump with independently initiating discussions between the two countries and securing the localized truce, which allowed humanitarian aid to reach civilians and residents to evacuate. The announcement did not specify who will attend the meeting or provide details about the agenda.

General Zhang Shengmin, vice-chairman of China’s Central Military Commission, received Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov in Beijing in his first publicly reported meeting with a foreign official since he became a member of the Politburo. At the meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, Zhang pledged to deepen military cooperation and strategic coordination with Russia. According to Reuters, in a text republished by Internazionale, Zhang and President Xi Jinping are the only two active members of China’s supreme military command, after five of the seven members appointed in a 2022 reshuffle were purged.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Tuesday that Poland prevented what appeared to be an attempted provocation on its border with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad overnight. Tusk gave few details but said that “individuals with flashlights” had been observed in the border area and that Polish guards prevented any incident from happening. According to the prime minister, additional police and other troops, including counterterrorism units, were directed to Poland’s northeastern border regions after authorities received “more precise” information that acts of sabotage, including a potential incursion by “armed people”, were possible in the first half of November. Members of Poland’s GROM special operations unit were deployed to the border with Kaliningrad to take part in a police operation aimed at preventing “planned acts of sabotage”, according to Russian state agency TASS; Tusk announced the deployment ahead of a cabinet meeting. Tusk said it was not possible to confirm with full certainty that the incident was an attempted provocation, and that Russia’s escalation would continue and was unlikely to be limited to that episode.

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever tendered his resignation to King Philippe on Monday as coalition talks deadlocked over a deficit-cutting budget, with the monarch putting off his decision until the end of the week; the government is seeking savings and new revenue to cut a budget deficit that exceeds five percent of GDP. The king will launch discussions with the different party leaders of the governing coalition and will receive De Wever again on Friday. All Belgian political forces oppose using frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine, and a possible resignation of De Wever would not change that position, the Rapporteur portal reported, as cited by Sputnik.

The death toll from a Russian attack on a site where people had gathered to receive humanitarian aid in Komyshuvakha, in southern Ukraine, rose to 29 on Tuesday, with 48 people still missing; in the same wave of overnight strikes, hospitals were damaged and scores of people wounded. The head of the Zaporizhzhia regional military administration, Mykhailo Semikin, said the attack left 29 dead, 5 injured and 48 people whose whereabouts are unknown. President Volodymyr Zelensky said that after the first strike on the local school “used for humanitarian needs”, there was a second attack on the place where people were sheltering.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told the Financial Times that “work is under way” on organizing a meeting between Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump and Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, scheduled for Shenzhen, China, on November 18-19. China’s foreign ministry said Beijing was “in communication with relevant parties” about a possible meeting between the Chinese and Russian heads of state, but omitted any mention of Trump. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said there is no final decision or confirmation yet on the trilateral meeting.

The United States will mediate technical-level talks between Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi on November 10 and 11, special envoy Steve Witkoff announced. According to Witkoff, discussions will focus on post-war security arrangements, de-escalation, humanitarian efforts and next steps toward peace. The US delegation is expected to include Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, according to Reuters. The Kremlin said presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky will remain Russia’s chief negotiator in the new round, according to Sputnik.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said it had downed 856 Ukrainian drones over Russia’s regions overnight, with two employees injured at the Yaroslavl refinery and emergency services fighting a fire at the site, according to Evrayev — Russia’s Battlegroup South said it had shot down 87 Ukrainian copter drones over the past day.

The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) ceased operations on November 1, 2026, after 35 years, and entered a liquidation period, after its mandate expired on October 31 with the Security Council approving neither of the two draft resolutions. The United States text received 11 votes in favor, 1 Russian veto and 3 abstentions, and the alternative Russian text, which extended the mission until October 31, 2027, received 3 votes in favor, 1 vote against from the United States and 11 abstentions. The US text removed the word referendum from the mission’s name and made the Moroccan autonomy proposal the sole basis for further negotiations. The Russian delegation said it could reverse the entire resolution process and called the vote a life-saving veto, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita said the end of the mission does not mean the end of the ceasefire, and Oxfam warned that losing the monitoring role could undermine stability, with serious consequences for civilians.

Russia's Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that its forces struck facilities of Ukraine's energy complex in the Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv regions that supply military enterprises. The ministry said the strikes also hit port infrastructure in the Odesa region and naval vessels used for military purposes.

The Russian flag was raised in the Western Sahara territory controlled by the Polisario Front, in gratitude for Moscow's position at the UN Security Council on the conflict, Mohamed Yeslem Beissat, head of the Polisario delegation that visited Moscow this spring, told Sputnik. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said the country could not support an initiative that would strip the people of Western Sahara of their right to vote.

Yaroslavl Governor Mikhail Yevrayev said that two staff members of the Yaroslavl oil refinery suffered shrapnel injuries in a Ukrainian overnight drone attack and were hospitalized, with the refinery’s infrastructure damaged even as defenses and electronic warfare repelled, according to him, 124 drones; Russian defenses further claim that 493 drones flew toward Moscow between the night of November 2 and the morning of November 3, with 187 neutralized approaching the capital.

The death toll from the Russian bombing of an aid distribution center and a neighboring shelter in Komyshuvakha, in the Zaporizhzhia region has risen to at least 26, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the emergency services said. Five people were injured and 27 reported missing after at least nine 3,000 kg aerial bombs hit the village. Zelenskyy said the first strike hit the local school used for humanitarian needs and the second hit the place where people were sheltering.

Emergency alert systems in Russia and Ukraine were hit in cyberattacks overnight, with fake warnings of possible nuclear strikes broadcast to users in both countries, according to France 24, and have since been restored, with attribution still unknown.

US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to represent the US in talks with delegations from Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi on November 10–11, 2026, according to a US official cited by Reuters, while American negotiators meet this week in Brussels with France, Germany, the UK, the EU and NATO to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine, Europe's future security framework and economic support for Ukraine's reconstruction.

The United States, Russia and Ukraine will hold peace talks in Abu Dhabi on November 10–11, 2026, according to Axios. Discussions will focus on post-war security arrangements, de-escalation, humanitarian efforts and next steps toward peace. Kushner and Witkoff will lead the U.S. delegation. Lower-level U.S. officials will meet this week in Brussels with representatives from France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that after the humanitarian operation in Oleshky there was a moment when the next steps could have shown that progress toward peace was possible, and that the strike on Komyshuvakha, in the Zaporizhzhia region, showed Russia was “sending an entirely opposite signal” and “counting on more killings.” He called for “a strong and tough response” from the world. Zelenskyy wrote on X that after the first aerial strike there was a “double-tap strike” with nine more bombs aimed specifically at the shelter where people were taking cover. The death toll differed between sources: Ukraine's emergency services counted at least 24, and TRT World reported 26.

Twenty-four people were killed and five injured in a Russian bombing of an aid distribution center in Komyshuvakha, in the Zaporizhzhia region, according to regional head Mykhailo Semikin, who said at least nine 3,000 kg aerial bombs hit the village. Another 27 people were initially reported missing. President Volodymyr Zelensky said 10 guided bombs targeted an area that included a school building used to distribute aid and a nearby shelter, and Ukraine’s emergency services counted 24 dead.

Russia ratified an agreement setting out the principles of its relations with Burkina Faso, by decree signed by Vladimir Putin, according to the state-run TASS news agency. The text provides for regular dialogue and exchanges of views at various levels on bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

Russian airstrikes killed at least 18 people and wounded five in Komyshuvakha, in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region, according to Volodymyr Zelensky. The Ukrainian president said the strikes had been hitting the settlement since the morning and that a school used as a humanitarian aid distribution center had been struck.

Ukraine's General Staff said on Monday that Russian forces had used last week's humanitarian ceasefire in the Russian-held southern town of Oleshky to strengthen their military positions. The six-day ceasefire, brokered through US first lady Melania Trump, was meant to allow aid deliveries and civilian evacuations from the frontline town. In total, nearly 800 people were evacuated, Melania Trump said on X.

Ukraine and Russia said their emergency alert apps had been hacked overnight, sending citizens false warnings about impending air raids and chemical and nuclear attacks. In Ukraine, one of the alarms said Russia had launched a hypersonic Oreshnik missile — one capable of carrying a nuclear warhead — and that a nuclear alert had been declared.

Ukraine has hit three Russian refineries since Friday. The Novokuibyshevsk refinery, owned by Rosneft, was targeted in a drone attack on Friday, the first Ukrainian strike on a Russian refinery since October 15; over the weekend, drones hit a Rosneft refinery in Bashkortostan and Lukoil's Kstovo refinery in Nizhny Novgorod.

Iran's Supreme National Security Council head, Major General Mohsen Rezaei, held a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, Iranian state media reported. Both sides stressed the importance of continuing strategic cooperation in accordance with the roadmap outlined by the two countries' leaders.

The United States proposed resuming Russian natural gas sales to Europe through Ukraine, according to The Wall Street Journal. The idea was raised by envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff during trips to Moscow and Kyiv in September and would involve selling the gas through a US intermediary to circumvent European sanctions.

A new daily record for gas supplies to China via the Power of Siberia pipeline was set on November 1, according to Gazprom. The company said Russia expects to supply 39 billion cubic meters to China this year through the route.

United States (US) President Donald Trump reiterated on Sunday his threat to resume strikes against Iran, telling a campaign rally he may have to give Tehran “the hammer” at some unspecified time. On Monday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that signals that new military actions are planned against Iran cause alarm.

Authorities in Ukraine and Russia said their emergency alert mobile apps were targeted by cyberattacks late Sunday, with users in Ukraine receiving false warnings of dangerously high radiation levels in the capital, Kyiv. Hours later, Russia said its own alert system had also been hacked.

A ceasefire of several days in a Russian-occupied Ukrainian city has ended after allowing hundreds of residents to leave. Moscow and Kyiv assessed the truce in Alyoshki positively, according to the press review of the Russian agency TASS.

The frigate Admiral Golovko, armed with Zircon hypersonic missiles, set out from Severomorsk on a long-distance deployment toward the Atlantic, where over the coming months its crew will carry out flag-showing and naval-presence missions in operationally important areas, the Northern Fleet's press service reported.

Russia and Mozambique are working on launching a direct sea freight line, the Mozambican transport and logistics minister said. The draft memorandum on direct maritime transport between the countries is under discussion, with signing expected in 2027.

Russia and Ukraine have both reported cyberattacks targeting their emergency alert apps, with hackers sending fake warnings of nuclear, chemical and radiation threats to mobile phone users. In Russia, the emergency ministry's app was hit by a massive cyberattack that resulted in the spread of false information to the public, according to Reuters, which cited the state news agency TASS. The fake alert sent to Russia's app warned that nuclear warheads mounted on P1-Suns, a Ukrainian attack drone, had been launched against all regions of Russia.

The president of the Central African Republic, Faustin-Archange Touadera, said that pressure and attempts to discredit his country's cooperation with Russia will not change its course, in an interview with the Russian state news agency TASS. According to him, the course is based on real security and development needs, not on momentary considerations.

The US backs a rapid resumption of Russian natural gas exports to Europe via pipelines crossing Ukraine, as part of talks aimed at securing an energy ceasefire before winter, according to Reuters, in a text republished by Arab News. The idea, raised by envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff during trips to Moscow and Kyiv in September, would involve selling Russian gas via a US intermediary to circumvent European sanctions, according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

After the truce ended, Russia and Ukraine reported cyberattacks against their warning apps — with false information about drone strikes published on the Russian side and false radiation alerts on the Ukrainian side, according to TRT World. Russia reported its case on Monday, hours after the Ukrainian report, according to The Hindu.

The Central African Republic (CAR) Army and Russian military specialists thwarted a large-scale operation by a coalition of armed groups in the Nabagai-Tissi area of Vakaga on October 10, according to TASS. The opposing force numbered about 1,300 fighters and had planned an offensive against Vakaga and Bamingui-Bangoran for the second half of October; more than 60 militants were neutralized and Western-made weaponry was seized, the agency added.

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Sunday that an underage Russian national was detained over a threat to carry out a terrorist attack in Moscow’s Tsaritsyno Park, after Russia received a tip-off from the United States, The Moscow Times reported.

Ukraine said it evacuated 167 more people on Sunday from threatened areas of the southern Kherson region, including 22 children and 21 people with limited mobility requiring special assistance, on the day a multi-day localized truce between Russia and Ukraine ended with no violations reported by either side and no sign of an extension, according to Al Jazeera. The pause in hostilities allowed besieged residents to be evacuated from the front-line city of Oleshky, in a rare joint operation between Kyiv and Moscow that ended on Saturday; an estimated 2,000 civilians were in the city when the temporary truce took hold, according to AP News.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that his country would stop hitting Russian oil refineries — a key demand of US President Donald Trump — if Washington provides Patriot interceptor missiles. He tied the pause to one month of deliveries: if the systems are provided for a month, Kyiv would halt the attacks on the refineries for the same period, according to the Straits Times. Patriot missiles are among the most important weapons Ukraine has to intercept Russian drones and missiles.

Long-range Ukrainian drones set fire to the Kstovo refinery in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region overnight, shortly after a major strike on another large refinery in Samara owned by the state-owned energy giant Rosneft, Russian state media reported, according to The Guardian. Ukrainian officials told the Kyiv Independent that they never agreed to a demand from Jared Kushner, the US president’s son-in-law, to pause refinery strikes for 30 days.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had struck energy infrastructure in four regions overnight from Saturday into Sunday, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without power, according to the BBC. The humanitarian ceasefire in the Kherson region, which has allowed civilians to evacuate the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky, is due to end on Sunday night.

The Russian Defense Ministry said, according to the TASS news agency, that nearly 50 Ukrainian drones were shot down over Russian regions during the day.

Russian diesel fuel is sometimes sold on the European market under different brands, despite Europe’s ban on purchases of Russian oil and petrochemicals, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said, according to TASS. He also said gas reserves in European underground storage facilities are today at their lowest level on record, with winter ahead.

The governor of Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region, Gleb Nikitin, reported a “massive drone attack” during the night in which an industrial enterprise in the Kstovo district sustained significant damage, according to The Hindu. Ukrainian media treated the target as the Kstovo oil refinery, described as “one of Russia’s largest oil refineries, producing fuel and lubricants.”

Pope Leo XIV said he hopes the humanitarian mission in Alyoshki will be followed by other peace initiatives and will strengthen dialogue between the sides, according to the Russian state agency TASS. Evacuees from the city, in the Kherson Region, were accommodated at a health resort in Russia’s southern Krasnodar Region, the agency reported.

The United Nations Security Council rejected a US-drafted resolution seeking to extend the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), with 11 votes in favor, one veto from Russia and three abstentions. The mission’s mandate expired at midnight on Saturday, October 31. Morocco celebrated the defeat of the resolution, according to Al Jazeera.

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said this Sunday that an underage Russian national was detained over a threat to carry out a terrorist attack in Moscow’s Tsaritsyno Park, after Russia received a tip-off from the United States, according to the Interfax news agency, cited by The Moscow Times. The FSB said, according to Reuters, that it was “grateful to the American side for providing the information”.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said, according to the TASS news agency, that Russian forces struck a dry cargo vessel carrying cargoes for the Ukrainian army 16 kilometers southeast of Odessa. The ministry said Russian forces continued drone attacks throughout the day on sea vessels used to transport military cargoes.

The longest truce of the Ukraine war, brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump and limited to the Kherson region, was set to end on Sunday evening with neither side announcing an extension, according to AFP. Neither side reported violations after the truce began, in what one Ukrainian lawmaker described as the “biggest de-escalation since 2022.” A Ukrainian officer said he feared fighting worse than before once the truce ends and said Russian forces positioned across the Dnipro River had taken advantage of the calm of the past few days to amass new troops, transport ammunition stocks and collect intelligence on Ukrainian positions using surveillance drones.

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said it had received information from the United States, through established partner channels, about preparations for a terrorist attack in Moscow and said it was taking appropriate measures, according to Reuters, in a text republished by US News. In a separate statement, the US Embassy in Moscow said it was “aware of a credible threat of a mass casualty event” on Saturday at the Tsaritsyno Museum Reserve and that the US government was coordinating with Russian authorities.

Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said Russian President Vladimir Putin would take a call from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and said the Russian leader has never refused to talk, according to G1.

Central African Republic President Faustin-Archange Touadera told TASS in an interview that relations with Russia are based on the principle of full partnership in security, the economy, and personnel training.

A woman who was in a car was injured when drone debris fell in the Nizhny Novgorod Region, Governor Gleb Nikitin said on his Max channel. According to the governor, an industrial facility in the region sustained significant damage in a massive drone attack, and the target was not named. Authorities said they were taking measures to keep supplies flowing; the region is home to the NORSI oil refinery, one of Russia’s largest. There is no confirmation in the information released so far that the refinery was the facility hit, according to G1.

Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said the first rounds of talks on Ukraine should take place in a trilateral format involving the US, Russia and Ukraine. According to him, European representatives may also be at the table, but the process must begin in the trilateral format, given working-level contacts with the Americans. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Europeans must be at the table, but not with their current approach, which he said demands Russia’s defeat and rules out dialogue. Ushakov also said Putin would take a call from Zelensky and has never refused to talk, according to Interfax, in a G1 report.

The seven core members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies (OPEC+) agreed in principle to keep production targets unchanged next month, three people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters, in an article published by Channel NewsAsia. Sunday’s online meeting of the group — Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, Kuwait, Algeria, Kazakhstan and Oman — comes as Gulf members have been boosting exports disrupted for months by the conflict. Most, however, are still pumping well below their targets.

Russian Ambassador to Denmark Vladimir Barbin told TASS that Denmark currently serves as a logistical base for the Ukrainian armed forces and that Copenhagen’s grant-based military aid to Kiev has already exceeded 10.5 billion euros. Barbin also said Copenhagen’s intention to order Patriot missiles from Washington for subsequent transfer to Kiev shows that Denmark is financing the continuation of hostilities rather than seeking a political and diplomatic settlement of the conflict.

Kyiv has emergency power outages because of damage to the capital’s power grid, according to the DTEK energy company, cited by TASS. About 200,000 households were without electricity on Saturday in the Dnipropetrovsk region and another 80,000 in the Kyiv region, where a thermal power plant was hit by drones, according to Le Monde.

The Lukoil oil refinery in Kstovo, in the Nizhny Novgorod region, was targeted by a Ukrainian attack overnight from Saturday to Sunday, according to Le Monde, which cited Ukrainian media including the RBC news agency. The regional governor, Gleb Nikitin, reported “a massive drone attack” during the night and on Sunday morning, in which “an industrial enterprise in the Kstovo district suffered major damage,” with no casualties according to preliminary information. Le Monde reported that the plant is one of Russia’s largest refineries, with a capacity of about 17 million metric tons of oil a year, or about 340,000 barrels per day.

Iran has bought Russian Su-35 fighter jets and expects to receive them after the war ends, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesperson Mohammad Akraminia said, according to Middle East Eye. The aircraft were supposed to arrive before the war began, and the necessary preparations and training have been completed, the spokesperson said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday that he spoke on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) talks in Atlanta with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov about the possibility of Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin interacting at next month’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. “We didn’t have a meeting. We spoke,” Rubio said at a press conference after the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting. The conversation dealt “just briefly” with the opportunity for the leaders of the two countries to interact at APEC, according to TASS. Le Monde’s live coverage noted that Trump and Putin could meet in mid-November, according to the top US diplomat.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Russia and Ukraine to stop targeting civilian ships in the Black Sea and agreed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to work on a new grain corridor through the sea, according to Al Jazeera. The two spoke at a joint news conference in Istanbul on Saturday. “It is clear that attacks against civilian vessels and actions that further escalate tensions in the Black Sea serve no one’s interests,” Erdogan said. He added that the attacks are unacceptable “regardless of who carries them out or what justification is offered.”

Russia’s ambassador to Copenhagen, Vladimir Barbin, said in an interview with the TASS news agency that Denmark is mobilizing resources and working to undermine Russia’s positions in the post-Soviet space and in Global South countries.

Russia and Ukraine agreed to organize regular humanitarian missions in Oleshky, a town in the Kherson region, following the completion of a joint humanitarian operation, according to Russian Human Rights Commissioner Yana Lantratova, in remarks carried by Xinhua. Lantratova said joint efforts would continue with Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s parliamentary commissioner for human rights, to provide assistance. Reuters reported the statement that the two sides agreed to carry out regular humanitarian missions, “a very important step”.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb defended the phone call he and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre made to Vladimir Putin this week, after criticism from some anti-Moscow hawks in Europe, according to RT. Stubb said it was important to hear firsthand the Russian leader's view of the root causes of the Ukraine conflict and described the direct exchange of opinions as a turning point. According to him, the channel was reopened at Kyiv's request, with messages from Zelensky relayed to Putin.

G20 foreign ministers ended two days of talks in Atlanta without consensus on key issues, including Russia's war against Ukraine, and without a joint communiqué, according to the South China Morning Post. The group relied on a chairman's statement summarizing the discussions and listing priorities such as energy, food security and freedom of navigation, released by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio after the meetings closed. Rubio said he would not pretend that countries were close to universally accepted solutions to these problems, but that some governments are working together on supply chains and critical minerals.

Residents evacuated from Russian-occupied Oleshky crossed into Ukrainian-held territory on Saturday and were reunited with their families. The operation began on Friday and was carried out under the most significant truce since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine four and a half years ago, according to The Guardian. An estimated 2,000 people remained in the city when the truce took hold and could choose evacuation to Ukrainian-held or Russian-held territory, or to stay with food and medical supplies replenished.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday that there is growing interest by the international community in facilitating a limited ceasefire in the Black Sea to ensure unfettered energy and grain shipments by Russia and Ukraine, according to Reuters, in a text republished by U.S. News. Turkey submitted proposals to Washington some time ago to ensure the safety of grain shipments through the Black Sea, and Rubio said the US is examining them, according to TASS: “We are examining proposals, for example, that were forwarded to us maybe some weeks ago, maybe a week ago from Turkey in that regard.”

In a statement on the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in the United States, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said it delivered an assessment of destructive actions undermining international trade, including the interception of commercial fleets, sanctions, asset freezes and other unscrupulous methods, according to Sputnik. Lavrov laid out Russia’s view of the sources of global tension, “particularly in areas critical to the global economy: energy and food security, and the stable functioning of supply chains and shipping routes on an open and non-discriminatory basis.” The ministry also said Russia remains committed to being a reliable trading partner and a leading supplier of energy, food and fertilizers to a wide range of countries that need them, according to TASS.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he spoke briefly with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Atlanta about the possibility of the two countries’ leaders meeting on the sidelines of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) next month, according to TASS. “We spoke just briefly about the opportunity for our leaders to potentially interact at APEC next month,” Rubio said at a press conference following the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting. He said there was no meeting, only a conversation.

The traditional family photo opening the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting was canceled in the US after countries including Australia and the UK refused to appear beside Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, according to the Guardian. About one-third of the countries signaled they would not appear beside Russian representatives, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio pulled the plug on the photo. “In no case will there be a family photo with European partners and Mr Lavrov together because there is no normality with Russia,” German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said.

The US Embassy in Moscow warned on Saturday of a “credible threat” of a mass-casualty incident at the Tsaritsyno Museum Reserve in the Russian capital, according to the Hindustan Times. Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said it had received information from the US through established cooperation channels about a possible terrorist attack in Moscow.

Russia extended a ban on diesel exports by domestic producers until January 31, 2027, according to a government statement posted on its website Saturday. The extension covers diesel fuel, marine fuel and gas oils exported directly by producers, and, according to the government, it aims to maintain stability in the domestic fuel market. The earlier easing came after an agreement on October 9 between President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump to supply Russian diesel to international markets.

Two people were killed and five injured in a Ukrainian drone attack on a private house in the village of Klimovo, in Russia's Bryansk region, according to regional governor Yegor Kovalchuk, in a post cited by the Xinhua news agency. The fatal victims were a 30-year-old woman and a 41-year-old man, the governor said.

Drone attacks left about 200,000 families without electricity in Dnipro and the surrounding region and more than 80,000 families in the Kyiv region, according to Interfax-Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian Shahed drones struck a combined heat and power plant in Kyiv and four electrical substations in the Dnipropetrovsk region, according to UNN.

Hundreds of residents of Oleshky, a city occupied by Russia, were evacuated after a humanitarian ceasefire mediated by US First Lady Melania Trump, and planes carrying evacuees landed in Gomel, in Belarus, on Saturday morning, according to Russian and Ukrainian authorities cited by the BBC. The local ceasefire began on Tuesday and is due to last through Sunday, as the operation races to deliver food and medicine to the roughly 2,000 residents still in the city, according to AP.

Russia vetoed on Friday the US-backed resolution on Western Sahara, which had the support of 11 of the 15 members of the Security Council, according to Al Jazeera. A rival Russian draft failed to secure the nine votes needed for adoption. The mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) expires on Saturday unless the council reaches a last-minute agreement. The US text would have affirmed that genuine autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is “the only feasible solution to negotiate a mutually acceptable solution”, according to the Associated Press (AP), in a text republished by U.S. News.

Russia's Defense Ministry said it struck a dry cargo ship at sea 18 kilometers south of Odessa that was delivering military cargo for the needs of the Ukrainian army, according to the state news agency TASS.

The Kremlin said that about 150 documents were signed at the Russia-Africa summit, according to the Sputnik news agency. According to AFP, in a text republished by BSS News, delegations from 48 African countries took part in the meeting, 22 of them represented by their leaders.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski on Friday called for a rapid ceasefire in the Black Sea that would allow safe passage for grain shipments from both Ukraine and Russia. “I spoke in favor of doing something quickly because the people of the Global South need this grain,” he told reporters during a two-day meeting of foreign ministers from the Group of 20 (G20) major economies in Atlanta.

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met on Friday in Atlanta on the sidelines of a G20 meeting, and Motegi demanded the immediate release of a Japanese national detained in Russia's Sakhalin region, according to Reuters, in a text republished by the Japan Times. According to TASS, the last time the two countries' foreign ministers held direct face-to-face talks was in September 2021.

The traditional family photo that opens the G20 foreign ministers' meeting was canceled in the United States after Australia, the UK and several countries refused to appear beside Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, The Guardian reported. Secretary of State Marco Rubio pulled the plug after European delegations, the UK and Australia made it known they would boycott or walk out of the ceremonial snapshot. European diplomats refused to stand for an official photo with Lavrov, leading the American hosts to cancel the planned picture, the BBC reported.

At a press conference after the first day of the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the Russia-US diesel deal irritates US lawmakers and that Moscow is well aware of it, according to TASS. Lavrov said the sanctions imposed under former US President Joe Biden remain in place and that the current administration has added sanctions on Lukoil and Rosneft.

Stephen Hubbard, 74, a retired Michigan teacher, said on Friday that he only believed he would be freed when he was given new clothes and led to the prison exit, in his first public remarks since his release. He said he had been told many times that he would be released but never trusted what he heard. Trump, who hosted him in the Oval Office, said he had asked Vladimir Putin to free Hubbard and that the United States did not have to release anyone in return. Hubbard was held for more than four years on charges that he fought as a mercenary in Ukraine; his legal team denies the accusations and says he was not involved in any military activity. Putin decided to release him as a gesture of goodwill, according to TASS.

Russia and the United States vetoed each other’s rival Western Sahara resolutions at the Security Council on Friday, leaving the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission there without a renewal a day before its mandate expires, according to Reuters, in a text republished by The Star. The US-drafted resolution would have cemented Morocco’s autonomy plan as the only basis for talks and scaled back the military component of the mission. The Russian-drafted resolution, which would have extended the mandate for another year without changes, was vetoed by the United States.

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi demanded on Friday the immediate release of a Japanese national detained in Sakhalin Oblast, according to Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at a meeting of about 30 minutes with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta, which began at 1:35 p.m. local time. According to Reuters, in a text republished by the WQXC website, Russia said this month it had detained a Japanese journalist in its far eastern Sakhalin region on suspicion of espionage.

US President Donald Trump said the United States is not lifting restrictions on the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) for now, according to TASS. Asked whether he was considering lifting sanctions on the Russian sovereign fund, Trump said: “Not lifting, or not doing anything.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia has not changed its position during the talks between Russia, the United States and Ukraine in the United Arab Emirates, according to TASS. In the same statement, Lavrov said a compromise cannot extend to fundamental principles upon which a state's existence depends, least of all when the lives of millions hang in the balance.

The foreign ministers of Japan and Russia met on Friday on the fringes of the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting, according to Kyodo News. It was their first full-fledged talks in five years, according to TASS.

Pentagon officials have asked several North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries in recent weeks to tone down their rhetoric regarding the threat posed by Russia, according to Reuters.

People living in the besieged Russian-held city of Oleshky in southern Ukraine began to be evacuated on Friday as part of a joint relief operation, the first of its kind in four years and eight months of war, the Guardian reported. The humanitarian convoy, including 25 buses and ambulances, arrived in the city to deliver food and medicine and evacuate those wishing to leave for Russia or Ukraine. The localized ceasefire in the Kherson region allowed the roads out of Oleshky to be demined, making the evacuation possible.

Ukraine requested an emergency meeting of the United Nations (UN) Security Council on Friday, October 30, over Russia's latest wave of missile and drone attacks that left at least 25 people dead and 110 wounded nationwide, the Kyiv Post reported. According to LIGA.net, the request was submitted in response to the Russian attacks on Dnipro, Kremenchuk and Chernihiv on October 29.

Novaya Gazeta’s editor-in-chief, Sergei Sokolov, announced in a video published on Friday that the newspaper is ceasing to exist, saying that Russian authorities and special services forced the newsroom to end its work, The Guardian reported. Also according to The Guardian, Sokolov was taken in for questioning this month and Russian authorities searched his home in a criminal case involving a colleague, journalist Oleg Roldugin, who was arrested in April.

The American hosts canceled the official family photo at the Group of 20 (G20) foreign ministers’ meeting in the United States (US) after European diplomats refused to stand next to Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the BBC reported. According to the Times of India, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio canceled the traditional group photo after several European officials threatened to boycott or walk out over Russia’s participation.

Russia’s deputy prime minister, Alexander Novak, said on Friday that Ukraine has resumed attacks on Russian oil refineries after a brief pause and warned that the strikes could reduce the diesel exports Moscow has planned, The Hindu reported. Novak also said Russia had shipped around 510,000 metric tons of diesel in October under the deal and plans a higher amount in November, around 2.15 million metric tons.

Ukraine has temporarily paused strikes on Russian oil refineries after weeks of pressure from US President Donald Trump, The Wall Street Journal reported, in an article published by Türkiye Today, citing people familiar with the operations. The unofficial pause reportedly began early last week and is expected to last until after the US midterm elections, potentially extending further into November, according to the report. “Our guys tried to be a little more careful during these days. But they do not have an order” not to hit refineries, Zelenskyy told reporters in Kyiv.

The European Commission has received about €8 billion in revenue generated from the reinvestment of frozen Russian sovereign assets held at Belgium-based Euroclear since 2024, according to TASS, citing the depository's report. The latest tranche, of €1.4 billion, was transferred to the Commission in August.

Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov told Vesti journalist Pavel Zarubin that Moscow and Washington have begun coordinating the exact date for trilateral talks between Russia, the United States (US) and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi and confirmed the meeting will take place in November, TASS reported. Only mid-November had been mentioned before, with no specific dates stated, he added.

The chief executive of Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom, Alexey Likhachev, said that employees of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant are being deliberately targeted by Ukrainian troops, according to TASS.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit Türkiye for talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Russia’s war against Ukraine and Black Sea security, according to TRT World. The Istanbul meeting will focus on strengthening bilateral ties and regional developments, the broadcaster said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that preparations for trilateral talks on Ukraine do not imply any commitment to limiting hostilities, according to Sputnik. Peskov told reporters that Russia is against a ceasefire that would give the Ukrainians a respite.

More than 1,400 Africans have been enlisted since 2023 to fight for Russia in Ukraine, an issue notably absent from the official agenda of the Russia-Africa summit, according to France 24. In Tunisia, the families of several men who traveled to Russia for work or study are still searching for answers about the fate of their loved ones.

Mozambique’s President Daniel Chapo invited Russian companies to invest in the country’s economic development and build sustainable partnerships, speaking at the plenary session of the Russia-Africa summit, according to the Russian state agency TASS. According to 360 Mozambique, Chapo listed mechanized agriculture, industry, infrastructure, transport, logistics, energy, tourism, digital transformation and the blue economy among the priority areas for cooperation.

Serbia’s incoming leadership plans to hold talks with Russia to negotiate a long-term natural gas supply agreement. According to the Russian broadcaster RT, Russia is Serbia’s dominant natural gas supplier, accounting for up to 90% of its imports in 2025.

The evacuation of Oleshky, a Ukrainian city under Russian occupation, is under way, confirmed by Russian and Ukrainian authorities, with a convoy of 25 buses allowing up to 750 people to leave until 14:00 local time (12:00 GMT), along with ambulances for people with limited mobility. Ukrainian ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets and his Russian counterpart, Yana Lantratova, traveled to the city together on Friday to follow the operation, the BBC reported. An aid convoy entered the Russian-held town, in Ukraine's southern Kherson region, after weeks of efforts to organize a relief operation for residents, Al Jazeera reported.

Ukraine resumed drone attacks on Russian oil refineries, and a refinery in Russia's Samara region was struck in the new wave, according to Al Jazeera. Russian authorities say they intercepted more than 1,000 Ukrainian drones over multiple regions overnight, the broadcaster reported.

Seoul is seeking a way out of its diplomatic dispute with Kyiv, which began after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed in his September 23 address to the United Nations General Assembly the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea, a transfer Seoul says it had asked to keep confidential. A senior presidential official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the government did not believe it was desirable for the issue to drag on and that discussions were under way to find a way out, according to the Korea Herald. The official also denied that Seoul was tilting toward Moscow, saying relations with Russia operate under international sanctions and restrictions and that the country continues to take part in international efforts to support Ukraine.

Russian forces carried out a massive overnight strike on Ukrainian military-industrial enterprises and the power facilities sustaining them, also hitting port infrastructure in the Odessa region, as well as drone and missile plants in Kyiv, substations in Kyiv and Dnepropetrovsk and port targets in Odessa, Russia's Defense Ministry said, as cited by TASS. Ukraine's air defense forces say they neutralized three Russian missiles and 96 drones in the overnight attack, with impacts recorded at 17 locations, Ukrinform reported.

In Atlanta, Marco Rubio will cross paths with Sergei Lavrov, already in Atlanta, according to Russian state media, and talks will address energy and supply-chain challenges, according to a US official cited by France 24; French diplomatic sources say no joint declaration is expected, reflecting divisions among members, according to The National.

Russia will immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel, plus 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons immediately thereafter, according to the Associated Press (AP), which reports that US sanctions will not apply until April 2027 to diesel loaded onto tankers as of Friday and that Russia confirmed its readiness to supply oil and oil products to American and global markets.

Novaya Gazeta’s newsroom announced the paper’s end: it will switch off the lights in its headquarters where it has lived for 30 years and shut down the servers on November 9, according to Le Monde; the paper says Russian authorities expelled it from its headquarters and disabled the donation system, according to EFE, in a text republished by Infobae.

An aid convoy started moving overnight toward Oleshky, a Russian-held town in southern Ukraine, carrying food and medical supplies, according to the Russian newspaper Izvestia — Ukrainian ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, who heads Ukraine’s negotiating team, said Thursday that demining of the routes was completed and the humanitarian convoy was assembled and ready, according to the Associated Press (AP). The Kremlin said it hopes the aid reaches Oleshky on Thursday or Friday and that those who wish to leave will be able to do so, Interfax reported on Thursday.

Pentagon officials have in recent weeks asked several North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries to tone down public statements about the threat posed by Russia, according to Reuters, which cites four people familiar with the matter — Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby was one of the officials delivering the message, the people said. Asked for comment, a Pentagon official said that “private conversations among allies are just that” and declined to comment on the allegations.

Ukraine’s military has paused its strikes on Russian oil refineries after pressure from US President Donald Trump, according to the Wall Street Journal, which cited people with knowledge of the operations. The unofficial pause is expected to last until after the US midterm elections and potentially deeper into November, according to the Jerusalem Post, which also reported that long-range strike units were told in mid-October that the campaign against refineries was on hold once missions already in motion were completed.

A Russian delegation led by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Atlanta, in the United States, for the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting, according to TASS. The Russian foreign ministry said Lavrov would head the delegation at the G20 ministers’ meeting, according to EFE, in a text republished by swissinfo.ch. The meeting is scheduled for October 30-31 and is a preparatory step for the G20 leaders’ summit in Miami on December 14-15, according to TASS.

President Vladimir Putin will hold more than 10 bilateral meetings with the leaders of African states after the Russia-Africa summit, according to TASS. The summit brought together delegations from 48 African countries, 22 of them headed by their leaders, and Putin said Russia was “prepared to further expand the geographical reach of our agricultural product shipments”, according to Africanews.

President Vladimir Putin said Russia is ready for a war with Europe but “does not want” a conflict, and that Moscow “supports any steps” toward restoring relations with European countries, according to TASS, in a text republished by RBC Ukraine.

A Russian drone slammed into a busy platform at the railway station in Dnipro, Ukraine, killing at least 14 people, according to ABC News. Ukraine’s Air Force said it had intercepted three jet-powered drones in the daytime attack, but a fourth evaded its defenses and hit the station, also according to ABC News.

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said on Friday that Russian air defense forces destroyed 16 drones heading toward the capital and that emergency crews are working where debris fell, according to state agency TASS.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine halted attacks on Russian refineries for three days while Russia kept striking Ukrainian energy infrastructure during the energy truce. In an account to journalists at a closed-door briefing on Oct. 27, he said: “For three days we did not respond with strikes on Russian refineries while Russia was striking our energy sector,” and said he had proposed to respond calmly against other targets for at least 72 hours, without touching the refineries. The pace of Ukrainian attacks on refineries has fallen in recent weeks; the most recent were at Ryazan on Oct. 15 and in St. Petersburg on Oct. 18, according to the Kyiv Independent.

The third Russia–Africa Summit, in the Kremlin, adopted the Declaration of the 3rd Russia–Africa Summit, the declaration on cooperation in the civilian application of artificial intelligence technologies and the partnership forum action plan for 2027–2029, according to the Kremlin. The joint declaration provides for energy sovereignty and security, reform of the United Nations (UN) Security Council to reflect current geopolitical realities and wider use of national currencies in mutual payments, according to Sputnik Africa.

Colombia's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that 256 Colombians have died and 973 are missing in Russia's war against Ukraine, according to G1. The deaths were recorded through two channels — 162 through information from Ukraine and 94 through information from Russia — and among the missing, 676 cases were registered through Ukraine and 297 through Russia, according to UPI.

President Vladimir Putin said the West failed in its goal of inflicting a strategic defeat on Moscow and is unlikely to succeed by 2030, at a press conference following the Russia-Africa Summit, according to the Russian state agency TASS. Putin said that many are only talking about preparing for war by 2030, that Russia is prepared, but that it does not want any kind of war with Europe.

Seven oil tankers carrying an estimated 288,000 tonnes of Russian diesel are now sailing towards the United States, the first phase of a supply deal negotiated between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin earlier this month that reverses years of sanctions on Russian oil, according to the Guardian. The newspaper reports it is still uncertain whether the vessels will be able to unload their cargo, amid a political row over the legality of the shipments. The transport is tracked by Greenpeace, which counted seven ships while previous reports had counted three. Putin agreed to supply the US with 1.8 million tonnes of diesel in a deal announced on October 9, starting with 300,000 tonnes immediately, and Trump announced a six-month waiver of existing sanctions to allow the shipments to proceed, according to the Guardian.

A Russian drone strike killed at least 14 people on a crowded platform at the Dnipro station in Ukraine on Thursday, where passengers waited to board a regional train to Zaporizhzhia, Reuters reported in a text republished by SRN News. Ukrainian state railway operator Ukrzaliznytsia said a jet-powered drone struck the platform and that the air force intercepted three drones, but a fourth broke through the defenses. President Volodymyr Zelensky called the attack “horrific” and said it demands a response from Kyiv’s allies.

The container ship Contship Jet, Greek-owned and operated by Israel's ZIM Integrated Shipping Services, was hit by at least three unmanned drone vessels and sank in the Black Sea, according to Globes. The ship had sailed from Haifa, and the 421 containers it carried went down with it. The crew was rescued unharmed. All 18 crew members, 14 Filipinos and four Ukrainians, were taken to the Bulgarian port of Varna, according to Israel Hayom. ZIM said the ship was small, chartered and not owned by the company, that the crew was safely evacuated and that the initial estimate of financial damage is minimal, the company told Globes.

Russia's Defense Ministry said it hit a dry cargo ship at sea carrying military and dual-use cargo to the port of Odessa for the Ukrainian armed forces. “As a result of strikes at sea, a dry cargo ship delivering military and dual-use cargo to the port of Odessa for the Ukrainian armed forces was hit,” the ministry said in a statement, according to Sputnik.

Alexander Novak named agriculture, transport, mineral resources mining and electric power as key areas for cooperation with African nations, according to TASS. He cited oil, gas, gold and uranium in particular and said Russian expertise could be valuable in that area: “Our expertise can be valuable here as well.”

Russia and Ukraine began a localized ceasefire on Tuesday to allow humanitarian aid into Oleshky, a Russian-occupied town on the left bank of the Dnipro in southern Ukraine, according to DW. Both sides confirmed the truce took effect at 3 a.m. local time (0100 GMT), after an agreement brokered by US first lady Melania Trump. Around 2,000 people, including up to 50 children, remain trapped in the town, according to Ukrainian and US estimates.

A Kremlin spokesperson told Al Jazeera that Moscow is ready to mediate between Iran and the United States if requested, according to Middle East Eye. The same spokesperson said Russia is willing to receive Iran's enriched uranium if the material remains a sticking point in negotiations.

Russia fired an RSM-56 Bulava ballistic missile on Wednesday, October 28, from the Generalissimo Suvorov nuclear submarine in the Sea of Okhotsk, the Russian Defense Ministry said, according to G1. The missile can carry a multiple-warhead nuclear payload.

Estonia plans to build around 150 bunkers in its northeastern Ida-Virumaa region bordering Russia to strengthen its defensive readiness, Defense Minister Martin Herem said Wednesday, according to TRT World.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense said on Thursday its air defenses intercepted and destroyed 1,214 Ukrainian drones between 8 p.m. on October 28 and 8 a.m. on October 29, Moscow time, according to the Russian agency Sputnik. The count covers the whole night, and Moscow says the drones targeted Russia in that period, according to TRT World.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 613 drones were launched toward the city and its surroundings between 20:30 and 7:00, and that most were neutralized by air defense. On the other side, a train was hit in Dnipro and at least 13 people were killed, according to Ukrainian authorities. The head of the Dnipro region, Serhiy Ganzha, reported 13 dead and said at least five injured were receiving medical care.

Ethiopia received 12 Su-35 fighter jets from Russia, as fighting intensified in the northern Tigray region neighboring Eritrea, according to the BBC, and will acquire four S-400 air defense batteries, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has announced, according to Al Jazeera.

European officials allege Russian planes violated Polish, Lithuanian and Estonian airspace, testing reaction times, while suspected Russian drones were downed over Poland, Finland and the Baltic states, according to Al Jazeera. Representatives of five European Union (EU) intelligence agencies told the Financial Times, that Russia was seeking to “kill” European defense bosses and target their supply chains.

Vladimir Putin is expected to hold more than 20 bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa Summit, attended by representatives from 48 African countries, according to Sputnik. Putin said Russia-Ethiopia trade topped $1.3 billion in January-September, more than double the whole of 2025.

Trilateral talks on Ukraine in Abu Dhabi, with representatives of Russia, Ukraine and the United States, will take place after November 4, and the exact date has yet to be determined, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov told reporters, according to the TASS news agency. The Kremlin is ready to resume the format after November 4, when Russia celebrates National Unity Day, according to the Kyiv Independent.

Another 15 drones flying toward Moscow, in Russia, have been destroyed, according to the mayor of the Russian capital, Sergey Sobyanin, TASS reported.

Volodymyr Zelensky called the ceasefire in force since Tuesday morning in Oleshky, in Kherson Oblast an “immense success,” according to Le Monde, and called for a meeting between Russia, Ukraine and the United States in November. The local ceasefire has passed 30 hours without a single incident, according to The Guardian.

Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev said the company will increase the number of Russian nuclear experts at the Bushehr plant in southern Iran to 700, according to Mehr News. An agreement has been signed for the site of several new units, and more than 500 people are planned to be added to the 192 Russian experts currently working in construction and services at the plant.

German police arrested two Belarusian nationals suspected of planning sabotage attacks in southern Germany, the Munich General Prosecutor’s Office said on Wednesday, according to the Straits Times, and Der Spiegel reported they were working on behalf of Russia. The suspects planned to set fire to a building or critical infrastructure facility in the Nuremberg area, the prosecutor’s office said. Der Spiegel reported that Romanian authorities are also investigating the two men for suspected involvement in an arson attack on an industrial park in Brasov on the night of September 14, the site of a defense firm making grenade launchers and ammunition.

Trade between Russia and African nations has grown 1.5 times since 2022 and passed 27 billion dollars, Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, according to TASS. The Russia–Africa summit in Moscow gathered delegations from 48 countries, with 22 leaders attending, to discuss trade, security, arms and grain, according to France 24. Putin said Russia had supplied 13 million metric tons of agricultural products to Africa in the first nine months of the year.

Vladimir Putin praised Elon Musk’s genius and said he was in touch with Starlink’s controlling shareholder as Russia develops its own satellite communications for its military to use against Ukraine, according to The Guardian. “We are in close contact with our American partners — including Mr. Musk — because it is very important, in orbit, not to get in each other’s way and to maintain a certain level of discipline and order,” he said.

Security guarantees for Russia and Ukraine will be discussed in Abu Dhabi at a trilateral meeting in November, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to TASS. Peskov said the security guarantees should be mutual.

Russia is discussing the creation of a port and logistics hub on Africa's east coast as part of the International North-South Transport Corridor, Ryabkov said, according to TASS. “In particular, we are discussing establishment of a Russian port transport and logistics hub on the east coast of Africa as part of the International North-South Transport Corridor,” he said.

At the plenary session of the Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum, Vladimir Putin said that vile and cynical means of every kind are used, including tariff wars, illegitimate sanctions, economic diktat, blackmail and interference in internal affairs, according to Sputnik. Russia exported 13 million metric tons of agricultural products to African countries in the first nine months of this year, according to TASS, citing Putin. Sputnik also reported that Putin said Russia–Africa trade exceeded US$ 27 billion last year.

A localized truce in the devastated city of Oleshky, in southern Ukraine, held for its first 30 hours without violations, Russia’s ombudsperson Yana Lantratova and Ukraine’s human rights ombudsperson Dmytro Lubinets said on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press (AP), in a text republished by The Hill. The truce began on Tuesday and is due to last through Sunday, in a humanitarian operation racing to get about 2,000 remaining residents food and medicine and to evacuate those who want to leave.

The Pacific Fleet’s strategic nuclear-powered submarine Generalissimo Suvorov test-fired a Bulava intercontinental ballistic missile from a submerged position in the Sea of Okhotsk toward the Chizha range in the Arkhangelsk Region, according to Russia’s Defense Ministry cited by TASS. The launch went ahead under the combat training plan, with the crew of the Project 955A Borei-A-class strategic submarine, according to the ministry.

Libyan Presidential Council Chairman Mohammad Al-Manfi told Vladimir Putin he expects to develop a strategic partnership with Moscow, according to Sputnik. Al-Manfi said expanding cooperation with Russia remains important for Libya despite Western pressure, and voiced hope that Russian oil companies will return to the country.

A private geospatial-intelligence firm examined 40 missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia by Houthis and Iraqi militias between July 1 and Oct. 19, according to the Associated Press (AP), which points to a match with Russian spy-satellite activity. The Saudi deputy minister for public diplomacy told the AP that Iran and the Houthis receive intelligence from elements in Russia and China.

Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov told Channel One that Vladimir Putin has emphasized countless times that Volodymyr Zelensky can come to Moscow if he wants a one-on-one, where he will be provided with “all necessary precautions”, according to TASS. According to Ushakov, Zelensky’s surname was mentioned in light of the Ukrainian president’s insistent desire to talk directly with Putin.

A ceasefire that began with the aim of getting food and medicine to the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky has been extended across the wider southern region of Kherson, according to sources cited by the BBC. Under the deal, the ceasefire will be followed by deliveries of humanitarian aid to Oleshky and then evacuations, planned for Friday, for anyone wishing to leave. David Arakhamia, a key official in President Volodymyr Zelensky’s parliamentary party, said it would continue until 22:59 Ukrainian time on Sunday, November 1, and described the truce as the “largest de-escalation since 2022”.

A private geospatial intelligence firm said it examined 40 missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia, attributed to Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen and militias in Iraq, between July 1 and October 19, according to the Associated Press (AP). Nawaf Obaid, founder of AURORAH Geosignal Intelligence, said there is a “100% match” between the satellites’ activity and the strikes. Three officials, including one from Saudi Arabia and another in the top ranks of the Houthis, as well as a private intelligence analyst, told AP that the Houthis and other Iranian allies have benefited from Russian intelligence.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian told Vladimir Putin that Iran, Russia and other countries in the region can resolve local problems without US interference, according to TASS. According to TRT World, Pezeshkian said trade between the two countries is growing “day by day” and that US actions in the region make it easier to strengthen cooperation with countries subject to unilateral US sanctions: “Our trade is expanding and growing day by day.” Russia is meeting all its commitments on projects in Iran and construction of the Bushehr nuclear power plant is under way, according to Mehr News.

Russian President Vladimir Putin received Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Moscow for bilateral talks on the sidelines of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, according to the Russian state agency TASS.

A local ceasefire in Oleshky, a southern Ukrainian city under Russian occupation, appeared to be holding on Tuesday, with both sides ceasing drone attacks ahead of an apparent evacuation of about 2,000 trapped civilians, the Guardian reported. Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said Russian President Vladimir Putin told Finland's president, Alexander Stubb, and Norway's prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, that Zelensky could come to Moscow for direct talks.

Finland's president and Norway's prime minister on Tuesday held a “frank and substantive” call with Russian President Vladimir Putin about efforts to end the war in Ukraine, according to Le Monde. A statement from the two Nordic leaders said the call was held in consultation with Ukraine and followed an October 20 meeting in Oslo between Støre, Stubb, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and US envoy Steve Witkoff.

The third Russia-Africa Summit will take place in Moscow on October 28-29, chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin and AU chair Évariste Ndayishimiye, president of Burundi, according to the Kremlin. Representatives of almost 50 African countries will take part, including heads of state and government and leaders of the continent’s integration associations, the Kremlin said. Russia’s foreign ministry says the summit will lead to major decisions and outcomes, according to Sputnik.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will take part in the Eighth Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) summit in Moscow, according to TASS — five bilateral meetings are expected during the day, including with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

A localized ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine took effect early Tuesday ahead of a humanitarian mission in Oleshky brokered by US first lady Melania Trump, according to AP. The local pause in fighting started at 3 a.m. to allow an aid mission into the Russian-occupied town in southern Ukraine later this week. According to the UN, up to 2,000 people are stranded in Oleshky with dwindling food and medicine and are unable to leave because of explosive mines and drone attacks in the area. In a Telegram statement, Russia’s defence ministry said it had stopped firing toward the Ukrainian city of Kherson at 04:00 Moscow time (01:00 GMT) in preparation for the humanitarian operation, the BBC reported.

One person was killed and ten others were wounded — nine hospitalized — in Russian attacks on the Ukrainian capital, according to an evening Telegram toll from Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko, according to Le Monde. Most of the wounded are students living in a university dormitory hit in the Desniansky district.

Romania’s Intelligence Service said on Monday it had identified a sabotage network coordinated by Russia, which it believes was responsible for a fire in September at an industrial site in central Romania near a state-owned weapons company, the Jerusalem Post reported. Romanian President Nicusor Dan accused Russia of having significantly escalated attacks on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) eastern flank this month. Russia’s embassy in Bucharest could not be reached for comment outside business hours, but Moscow has repeatedly denied such accusations.

A ceasefire tied to a humanitarian operation in Alyoshki is set to take effect in the Kherson direction from 4:00 a.m. Moscow time (1:00 a.m. GMT) on October 27, according to the TASS news agency. Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov announced on October 23 that Russian forces would cease fire in the Kherson direction from 4:00 a.m. on October 27 to allow for the operation in Alyoshki, in the Kherson Region.

The Student List, which won Sunday's parliamentary election in Serbia with 52.73 percent of the vote in preliminary results, will not impose sanctions on Russia, its representative Jovo Bakic told RT Balkan. According to him, the new government will keep its longstanding ties with Moscow despite EU pressure.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Monday that authorities in Kiev have intensified targeted strikes on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and its satellite town of Energodar, according to the Sputnik news agency. Asked about the situation around the plant, Zakharova described Energodar as home to the plant's employees, who “continue to perform their duties in the most difficult conditions”, and her statement did not detail dates, locations or targets of the strikes.

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said President Vladimir Putin will hold 24 bilateral meetings during the week of the Russia-Africa summit, five of them on Tuesday, October 27, Sputnik reported. Ushakov said Putin will meet the Egyptian president, the Ethiopian prime minister and the president of the Republic of Congo on Wednesday.

The number of people injured in the missile attack on Yelets has risen to seven, according to TASS.

Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) on his victory in the presidential election in a message published by the Kremlin's press service on Monday, according to Brasil de Fato. In the letter, which addresses the Brazilian as “dear friend”, Putin praised Lula's efforts to protect Brazilian sovereignty and its “legitimate interests on the global stage”. The Russian president also said Moscow and Brasília will keep working closely to strengthen bilateral cooperation in all areas and constructive interaction within the United Nations (UN), BRICS, the G20 and other multilateral bodies.

Two people were killed and 17 others, including a child, were injured in a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s Voronezh region, the regional governor said Monday, according to TRT World.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian travels to Russia tonight to attend the Gas Exporting Countries Forum summit, with bilateral meetings with some of the attending leaders also planned, according to Mehr News. IRNA reported that Iran, one of the world’s largest holders of gas reserves, will be represented by Pezeshkian at the forum.

Ugandan Vice President Jessica Alupo arrived in Moscow on Monday to attend the Russia-Africa summit, according to Sputnik; she will lead Uganda’s delegation to the Third Russia-Africa Summit scheduled for October 28–29 in Moscow, a top foreign affairs official said on Friday, according to New Vision.

A Russian strike on the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia injured four people overnight, the regional governor said on Telegram, according to The Hindu; two more were injured in strikes on the Chernihiv region, Ukraine’s emergency service said; President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv would halt strikes on Russian refineries only if Moscow stops hitting power infrastructure, or if the US allows the use of Starshield or supplies Patriots.

Former Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić warned that the bloc that won the snap election would impose sanctions on Russia as early as March or April, according to Sputnik.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said a trilateral meeting between Kyiv, Washington and Moscow will take place in November to restart stalled peace negotiations, TRT World reported. Moscow and Kyiv confirmed the trilateral round between Russia, Ukraine and the United States is planned for the first half of November in Abu Dhabi, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, as cited by Al Jazeera.

The caretaker head of Iran’s oil ministry, Hamid Bovard, said in Moscow that broad agreements on gas exchange between Iran and Russia had reached the final stages, according to the Mehr News Agency. The initial transfer volume was estimated at around 1.8 billion cubic meters per year, and the project’s potential capacity in subsequent phases at up to 55 billion cubic meters annually, according to the same agency.

US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Sunday that trilateral talks on Ukraine are going to be happening “some pretty soon”, according to the Sputnik news agency. Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov told Russian media that “the next deadline is November 4 — a major holiday for us” and that Russia would be ready to resume negotiations after that.

Russia's Defence Ministry said on Sunday that its drones struck a cargo vessel bound for the Black Sea port of Chornomorsk in an overnight attack and another cargo vessel en route to the port of Odesa during the day, according to Reuters, in a text republished by MarketScreener. Russian forces also hit a logistics centre, a distribution centre and a logistics terminal in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv overnight, according to the ministry. Reuters could not independently verify the ministry's information.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday, October 25, that Moscow would support the appointment of an EU diplomatic envoy to take part in negotiations, provided the designated representative shows a genuine commitment to a peaceful settlement. Speaking to Russian state news agency TASS, Peskov said Moscow remains open to European diplomatic engagement but accused Brussels of failing to adopt a constructive approach to resolving the conflict in Ukraine, according to the Kyiv Post.

Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said that Moscow, Beijing and Washington are, basically, prepared for a meeting between Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping and Donald Trump on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit and that preparations for it have already begun, according to Sputnik. The summit will be held in Shenzhen, China, on November 18 and 19, according to the agency.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the initial reaction of European leaders to the unrest in Europe was anti-American, with claims that the events resulted from the US administration’s actions and its support for right-wing parties, according to TASS. He said the reaction surprised him, in an interview with Vesti reporter Pavel Zarubin. According to Putin, claims that Russia was inciting mass unrest in Europe did not emerge immediately.

At least three people were killed and 16 injured in Ukrainian attacks on Russia, while 10 people were injured in Russian strikes on Ukraine, officials from both countries said on Sunday. In Belgorod, one person was killed and 14 injured in a large-scale overnight drone attack, regional Governor Alexander Shuvaev said on the Russian social media platform Max. In Ukraine, 10 people, including three emergency responders, were injured in Russian strikes in Kharkiv and Vinnytsia, Ukraine's State Emergency Service said.

Russian air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 532 Ukrainian drones of the fixed-wing type over Russian regions overnight, according to the Russian Defense Ministry, as cited by TASS.

Russia denies plans to evacuate staff working at Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant, according to Middle East Eye.

United States (US) President Donald Trump said Washington will do business with Ukraine and with Russia after this war ends, according to TRT World.

The center of Belgorod in western Russia came under a massive Ukrainian drone strike with significant damage and casualties, according to the city's mayor, Valentin Demidov. In a post on his Max channel, he said the strike hit residential neighborhoods in the city center, damaging residential buildings, cars and social and commercial facilities, and that preliminary reports indicated there were casualties.

Ozon said its logistics center in Omsk came under a drone attack, with all staff evacuated and a fire at the site, and no one injured according to preliminary information. According to TASS, Russian air defenses were repelling the attack as the drones reached the Northern Industrial Cluster, and emergency services were working at the scene. Temporary restrictions on flight arrivals and departures had been imposed at Omsk Airport earlier on Saturday.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will travel to Moscow on Tuesday, October 27, for the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) summit, according to Iran's ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, who spoke to RIA Novosti. The main topics will be economic and trade cooperation between the two countries, including the North-South Corridor, energy security, food security and trade, as well as geopolitical issues between the two presidents.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin have directed their governments to expand bilateral cooperation, with the goal of raising trade between the two countries to $100 billion by 2030, according to Ambassador Vinay Kumar, quoted by The Hindu. The two countries are also working towards two-way investment of $50 billion by 2030.

Russia's Defense Ministry said Russian forces damaged at sea a cargo vessel carrying supplies for Ukraine's armed forces to the port of Odessa, according to a statement cited by Sputnik. Overnight, the ministry added, Russian forces also struck a workshop producing uncrewed boats at the port of Chernomorsk.

The White House said US First Lady Melania Trump “successfully secured” a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky, the BBC reported. According to the statement, the truce in the “front-line war city on the brink of disaster” would begin on October 29, though Ukraine and Russia have so far not commented. Oleshky, in the Kherson region, was seized by Russian forces in the first days of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Iran and 11 other countries warned that attacks against nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards must never be accepted as normal, according to Press TV. “Nuclear facilities shall never, under any circumstances, be subjected to attack or threat of attack,” the countries said in a joint statement delivered at the First Committee of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly on Friday. The statement was signed by Belarus, Burkina Faso, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, Nicaragua, Niger, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Zimbabwe.

Three Russian tankers carrying 40,000 tonnes of diesel are heading to the United States, the first such shipment since 2023, the Hindustan Times reported. Novak said the first three fuel tankers are already on their way to the eastern coast of the Atlantic Ocean, with significant support from the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), according to Reuters, in a report republished by the Hindustan Times.

Russian air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 616 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones overnight over Russian regions and the waters of the Azov and Black seas, the Russian Defense Ministry said, according to TASS.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will travel to Moscow next week for the Gas Exporting Countries Forum summit on October 27 and is expected to meet Vladimir Putin, Iranian media reported, citing Iran’s envoy to Russia, Kazem Jalali, in a Middle East Eye report.

Two former Ukrainian prisoners held alongside freed US prisoner Stephen Hubbard said they witnessed him being beaten and humiliated by Russian guards during his four-year detention, according to the BBC. The accounts from the two corroborate statements by Hubbard’s family that he was tortured in prison.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine is ready to hold a trilateral meeting with the United States and Russia next month in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, according to Xinhua, citing the Interfax-Ukraine news agency. The meeting at the negotiating-team level is planned for the first half of November and depends on the Russian side, he said in an online address to the Hudson Institute. The Kyiv Independent reported that negotiation teams from the three countries will meet in Abu Dhabi in November to begin peace talks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that Beijing has “influence” over Moscow that it should use to stop the war in Ukraine, according to the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

Russia's Chief of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, announced that the Russian army is ceasing fire in the Kherson direction and introducing a “regime of silence” starting at 4am Moscow time (1am GMT) on October 27, for a humanitarian operation in the Aliochki area, according to Sputnik. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that trilateral talks involving Russia, the US and Ukraine are scheduled for November in Abu Dhabi, to discuss a solution to the war, according to The Cradle. The Russian announcement comes after the White House said first lady Melania Trump had brokered a ceasefire in the city of Oleshky to allow for humanitarian aid and the evacuation of civilians.

Austria's foreign ministry said on Friday it was expelling four Vienna-based Russian diplomats over “activities incompatible with their diplomatic status”, a term that, according to the Jerusalem Post, is usually used for spying. Three of them worked at Russia's embassy to Austria and one at the Russian delegation to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on military security and arms control, the ministry said. The move brings to 18 the number of Russian diplomats Austria has expelled since 2020.

The White House said First Lady Melania Trump “secured a ceasefire” between Russia and Ukraine in the southern Ukrainian city of Oleshky. Neither Russia nor Ukraine immediately confirmed Friday's statement. According to the White House statement, her representatives worked directly with “Russian and Ukrainian leadership to define the terms of the localized ceasefire”, and civilian leaders from both countries will work together to grant humanitarian access to civilians in the city.

Romania's naval authority said the Comoros-flagged Khoryv, with a crew of 13 Ukrainian and Azerbaijani sailors, sent a distress signal 13 nautical miles off Romania's port of Constanta, just beyond Romanian territorial waters. Nine sailors were rescued, three were missing and one body was recovered. President Nicusor Dan told reporters the ship had been hit by a drone and described the episode as part of “Russia's escalation process” in its war in Ukraine. Ursula von der Leyen said in an online post she was “deeply alarmed by yet another Russian escalation in the Black Sea”. A civilian vessel carrying Ukrainian and Azerbaijani crew was struck off the coast of Romania, she said, and “these reckless attacks target innocent lives and openly defy international law”.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Thursday (October 22) that Beijing opposes using a “Cold War mentality” to fuel conflicts in the Arctic, according to Opera Mundi. The statement came after the EU voiced concern over China-Russia cooperation in the region. “The Arctic affects the common interests of the international community. The right and freedom of countries to conduct activities in the Arctic, in accordance with the law, must be fully respected,” Mao said, in response to a question from RT. The spokeswoman also criticized the formation of geopolitical blocs in the region: “Dividing countries into blocs, with a Cold War mentality, and inciting geopolitical confrontations does not promote peace, stability or development in the Arctic region.” The 31st meeting between Chinese Premier Li Qiang and his Russian counterpart, Mikhail Mishustin, in St Petersburg, attended by President Vladimir Putin, reaffirmed the commitment to deepen the strategic partnership between the two countries.

Estonia is overhauling its military strategy, moving troops closer to the border and investing in long-range arms, amid what the newspaper describes as Russian grey-zone tactics on NATO’s eastern flank, according to The Hindu. The country’s defence spending is set to rise 42% in 2026, to €2.4 billion, or around 5.4% of gross domestic product (GDP).

Siluanov said 99.1% of settlements in Russia-China trade are carried out in rubles and yuan, in remarks to the Rossiya-1 television channel, according to Anadolu. Speaking at the opening of the 11th Russia-China Financial Dialogue in Beijing, he said Moscow and Beijing must “maintain the stability of bilateral financial infrastructure.”

Russia reaffirmed its readiness to resume trilateral peace talks on the war in Ukraine, with the negotiations set to focus on ways to ensure postwar security for both sides, according to TRT World. Ushakov said Putin told Steve Witkoff that Moscow was, in principle, prepared to resume the talks around November 10.

A tanker carrying 40,000 metric tons of Russian diesel is heading towards New York following an agreement with US President Donald Trump, Reuters says. Russia agreed to lift its self-imposed ban on diesel exports and supply the fuel to global markets, including the US, after the agreement reached between President Vladimir Putin and Trump, also according to Reuters.

Aleksandar Vucic, who resigned as president of Serbia on September 27, promised he would not impose sanctions against Russia and would not recognize Kosovo’s independence, according to TASS. Snap parliamentary elections in Serbia will be held on October 25, with Vucic leading the Progressive Party list as its candidate for prime minister, also according to TASS.

The EU is considering lifting sanctions on Yusha Group, a Chinese fabric-maker accused of aiding Russia, according to the South China Morning Post. The group was blacklisted by the European Union in February 2025, three years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin said on Thursday, October 22, that Russia is ready to resume three-way talks with Ukraine and the United States, but on the security parameters of a final peace deal, rather than a “short” ceasefire. Putin said the goal of the discussions is to address security for both Ukraine and Russia within the framework of a final agreement, rather than after a short pause in fighting.

Leading Democratic lawmakers on the US Congress intelligence committees said on Wednesday (21) they had received information that Russia is running a disinformation campaign against Democratic candidates, according to G1. According to the lawmakers, the Russian campaign follows the same pattern of online disinformation operations identified by the US intelligence community in the 2016, 2020 and 2024 elections.

Russia said on Thursday its air defences intercepted 808 drones fired by Ukraine at Moscow and other cities, as it bombarded Kyiv with ballistic missiles in an hourslong nighttime barrage, according to The Hindu. The attacks hit 12 regions of Ukraine overnight, killing at least two people and wounding 34 others, including five children, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media.

Russian troops took the community of Mirovka in the Zaporozhye region over the past day, the Russian top brass said, according to TASS.

Germany's federal prosecutors confirmed on Thursday the arrest of a Ukrainian man identified as Vadym Y. in the state of Brandenburg, 85 km west of Berlin, on suspicion of spying for Russia. According to DW World, the suspect allegedly used his connections to European defense firms to gather information, which he passed on to a Russian intelligence agency.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday (10/22) that trilateral talks between Russia, the United States and Ukraine could take place in Abu Dhabi, according to Opera Mundi. Peskov told reporters that Abu Dhabi is now being considered as the venue for the talks, according to TASS.

Three ballistic missiles with cluster warheads were fired at Kyiv on the night of October 21-22, and one of them struck the historic centre of the capital, according to Ukrainska Pravda. One of the missiles struck Pechersk, the area between the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and the Holy Presentation Monastery, and damaged monastery buildings, residential buildings, shops, cafés and other civilian infrastructure. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also said Russia had kept targeting the country’s energy infrastructure, with more than 170 strikes on critical facilities since October 11, according to Reuters, in a text republished by the Jerusalem Post.

Russia handed over the bodies of 252 Ukrainian servicemen to Ukraine, and the Ukrainian side transferred 25 bodies to Russia, according to Anadolu, which cited a statement. The exchange took place at the Novaya Huta checkpoint on the Belarusian border, the agency reported.

Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov said in Minsk on Thursday that NATO’s military buildup will require a timely response from the armies of Russia and Belarus, according to TASS. He spoke at a joint meeting of the boards of the two countries’ defense ministries.

Russia agreed on Wednesday to resume three-way negotiations next month with Washington and Kyiv, aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, according to a Kremlin official cited by The Associated Press (AP). It could be the first such talks since February. The same day, US envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg to discuss the conflict in Ukraine, as US President Donald Trump pushes Kyiv and Moscow to reach a deal that stops the fighting.

US President Donald Trump said Washington is holding back new sanctions and other escalatory steps against Russia while delicate negotiations over Ukraine continue, as the sides may be closer to a deal, according to Sputnik. He also said he resisted calls for tougher measures so as not to disrupt the process or jeopardize the release of American citizen Stephen Hubbard.

Moscow’s mayor said that 630 drones flew toward the Russian capital between 8:30 p.m. on October 21 and 4:00 a.m. on Thursday, according to TASS. Russia and Ukraine traded major attacks overnight, shortly after a US envoy held talks with the Russian president in St. Petersburg, according to the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

Missiles struck Kyiv in the early hours of Thursday, after an evening attack that injured six people and damaged homes, a petrol station and transport equipment, according to Reuters in a text republished by France 24. US envoy Steve Witkoff held talks this week with Zelensky and Putin to mediate an end to the war, also according to Reuters in a text republished by France 24. The Kremlin said new peace proposals lack substance after the Witkoff-Putin meeting in Russia, according to The Guardian.

The top Democratic lawmakers on the congressional intelligence committees said on Wednesday they had received an intelligence briefing that Russia has been waging a misinformation campaign against Democrats running in next month’s midterm elections, according to the Jerusalem Post. According to the newspaper, one of them cited news reports that Democrat James Talarico, who is running for the US Senate in Texas, and Senator Jon Ossoff, who is seeking re-election in Georgia, “in particular are being dinged” by fake advertisements created with artificial intelligence.

Russia has released retired American teacher Stephen Hubbard, who had been imprisoned on charges of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine, US envoy Steve Witkoff said on Wednesday. Putin told Witkoff that Hubbard was at St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo airport after the release, AP reported. The Guardian reported the release order on the same day Putin met Trump’s envoy for talks on Ukraine.

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that Moscow is ready to resume trilateral talks between the United States, Ukraine and Russia next month, after President Vladimir Putin met US envoy Steve Witkoff, according to France 24.

The Russian-Slovak inter-governmental commission for economic, science and technical cooperation will hold a session in Moscow on October 26, the Slovak Foreign Ministry said late on Tuesday, according to Reuters. The restart of consultations follows repeated trips to Moscow by Prime Minister Robert Fico, including in May this year.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff that Moscow is willing to help resolve the conflict between Iran and the United States, according to Mehr News, an Iranian state outlet. Putin pointed to Russia’s special, trust-based relationship with Iran and said Moscow would be pleased to take any steps to help resolve the crisis. Mehr describes the moment as the escalation in West Asia after the “war of aggression” by the United States and Israel on Iran.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Wednesday for freezing the front line in the war against Russia as a first step toward ceasefire talks, according to France 24. “Right now we have to freeze, and I think this is the real way to end this war,” he said. Zelensky said any peace talks must include Ukraine. “I always said that we are open to negotiate in any format, any topics. But don’t speak about us without us, please.”

A new round of trilateral talks on Ukraine may take place in Abu Dhabi around mid-November, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov told Russian media, according to Sputnik. “We’re aiming for Abu Dhabi… It was agreed that this would happen somewhere around the middle of November, in the first ten days or so of the month,” he said. According to Ushakov, Vladimir Putin will decide who will be part of Russia’s delegation to the talks.

Putin agreed in principle to resume trilateral talks with Washington and Kyiv after November 10, Kremlin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters after the meeting with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff. According to Ushakov, cited by PBS News, the Russian president agreed to resume the negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine. Sputnik, for its part, attributed to Putin himself the readiness to resume the talks in November, also based on Ushakov’s account.

Russia will respond firmly to a Japanese company's supply of combat drones to Ukraine, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a news briefing, according to the TASS agency. The agency did not name the company or specify which response is under consideration.

The European Union (EU) called on SpaceX to urgently restore Kyiv's full access to Starlink, Le Monde reported. Ukraine said SpaceX imposed speed limits of 100mph (160km/h) on Tuesday night, and any weapons travelling faster than that lost connectivity, according to the BBC. US senators called for an investigation into restrictions that reportedly degraded Ukraine's ability to conduct defensive operations against Russian drone and missile attacks on civilian infrastructure.

Steve Witkoff, the US envoy, met with President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on Wednesday to discuss Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and thanked Putin for lifting Russia's ban on diesel exports, AP News reported in a text republished by France24. According to the agency, Witkoff said the move would help lower prices for US farmers and truckers and that he hoped to discuss the resumption of trilateral talks involving the US, Russia and Ukraine.

President Vladimir Putin announced the release of US national Stephen Hubbard during talks with US special envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, DW reported. Hubbard, originally from Michigan, was 72 when he was sentenced to almost seven years in a penal colony in 2024, the BBC reported. The US State Department had classified him as “wrongfully detained”, and on Tuesday President Donald Trump said he had raised the case with Putin.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia’s position on a possible “energy ceasefire” with Ukraine remains unchanged, with Moscow seeking peace rather than a truce, and that a full settlement is impossible without Kiev’s participation, according to TASS. Aide Yury Ushakov said that US envoy Jared Kushner will miss the meeting with President Vladimir Putin and Steve Witkoff due to illness, according to TASS. The meeting was agreed days ago, will include special envoy Kirill Dmitriev and has the Ukraine settlement on the agenda, according to Sputnik.

After talks in Oslo with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described as positive by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US special envoy Steve Witkoff will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saint Petersburg on Wednesday after the Oslo talks, according to France 24. Rubio said Witkoff will take the ideas gathered in Oslo to the Russian side, the outlet Axios, cited by France 24, reports that he will present Putin with an updated proposal to end the war, and Zelensky thanked Washington for the resumption of US intelligence on Russian strikes.

Elon Musk last week ordered the slowdown of a military-grade version of Starlink used by Ukraine, according to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), in an account published by the South China Morning Post (SCMP) citing US officials and people familiar with the matter. The restriction hampered Ukrainian attack and air-defence drone missions against Russia, according to the account. Musk and US President Donald Trump discussed the decision in a call soon after the slowdown became public, while the president was campaigning last week.

NATO will send maritime patrol aircraft, radar systems and drones to the Black Sea, after a series of deadly drone attacks on shipping in the region apparently linked to Russia's war in Ukraine, according to Reuters, in a text republished by US News. A US P-8 Poseidon has begun patrolling the Black Sea to conduct reconnaissance missions and detect any activity that could pose a risk, Radev said, according to Arab News. Last week, seven sailors were reported missing after drones struck two chemical tankers near Romania's Black Sea coast, setting them ablaze.

Kaja Kallas accused US negotiators of trying for about a year and a half to push Ukraine into surrender on Putin's terms. “American negotiators have been trying to push Ukraine into surrender for already almost two years, one and a half years now,” she told the European Parliament on Tuesday, according to Euronews. Kallas said Ukraine has not surrendered on Putin's terms because Europe has kept supporting the country. She called for Europe's involvement in peace talks, tougher pressure on Moscow and a just, lasting settlement, according to the Kyiv Post.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Russia on Wednesday after meeting in Oslo with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the leaders of Norway and Finland, Reuters reported in a text republished by Investing.com. According to the agency, Witkoff will fly to Saint Petersburg, where he will meet with the Russian leadership and exchange ideas from that meeting and from proposals worked on by European and American colleagues. In the same report, US President Donald Trump called on Ukraine to make a deal to settle the war with Russia and said Moscow wanted to get it done. “Ukraine has to want to settle this war,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

Russia and 17 other countries called on UN Secretary-General António Guterres to review the rules of the mechanism for investigating possible uses of chemical and biological weapons, according to a joint statement published on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website on Tuesday and reported by Sputnik. The text calls on Guterres to organize a review of the mechanism’s existing rules and procedures, set out in UN General Assembly document A/44/561 of Oct. 4, 1989.

US intelligence sharing for early warnings of Russian attacks is working again, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday in Oslo. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said US envoy Steve Witkoff is due to travel to St. Petersburg to present Russia’s leadership with proposals drawn up during the Oslo talks. The Kremlin said it hopes Witkoff will brief President Vladimir Putin on those talks in the coming days.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed on Tuesday that there are “serious tensions” in relations with Ukraine, at a press conference during his visit to India and after a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. According to him, President Donald Trump is “angry and frustrated” with the lack of progress in peace negotiations, as well as with accusations that Washington refuses to provide intelligence to Kyiv.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will send additional assets to the Black Sea, including support for surveillance, reconnaissance and forensics, according to The Guardian. According to TRT World, the deployment includes more maritime patrol aircraft, radar systems and drones, following a series of deadly attacks on shipping. Russia's military said it struck three cargo vessels at Ukraine's port of Reni and two others en route to Odesa on Tuesday.

Russia launched another missile and drone blitz of civilian areas in Ukraine, killing at least seven people, officials said Tuesday, as President Volodymyr Zelensky scrambled to ensure more American and European help during his visit to Norway. In the Kyiv region, four people were killed and 27 others wounded, including children, in Russian missile and drone attacks over the past day, regional police said. In Oslo, US envoy Steve Witkoff, who along with Jared Kushner has tried without success to steer Russia and Ukraine toward a settlement, was also in the city, and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb were also due to meet with Zelensky.

Ukraine did not receive a warning from the US about an impending Russian missile attack on Sunday evening, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, reviving concerns that Washington is withholding intelligence to bully Kyiv into capitulating to Moscow, The Guardian reported. Yuri Ihnat, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian air force, said on television that Ukraine had not received a warning before a Russian missile barrage hit power plants in Kyiv. Speaking in the early hours of Monday on a trip to Samarkand, Uzbekistan, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said: “If it happened last night, I don't know exactly. I know a few nights ago there was a software problem involving their early warning system.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday that Russia and Iran have “never” worked so closely, as Moscow seeks to play a mediating role in the Middle East war, The Times of Israel reported. Araghchi hosted his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in Iran on Monday, in his first visit to the country since the outbreak of the conflict.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky will fly to Oslo on Tuesday to meet US special envoy Steve Witkoff, trying to repair ties with Washington that have deteriorated sharply over the past two weeks, Reuters reported in a text republished by The Straits Times. On Monday, US President Donald Trump said “Russia, frankly, has been fine on Ukraine” and “Zelensky is not helping matters much”, and called on Kyiv to find “somebody else to negotiate”.

Russian air defenses downed 136 Ukrainian drones overnight, according to the Russian military command, via TASS.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held talks in Tehran with President Masoud Pezeshkian, focusing on bilateral cooperation and regional developments — with Pezeshkian urging faster energy, transport and trade deals — and also with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei, according to TRT World.

China's imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) rose 44.3% year over year in January-September, reaching 7.19 million metric tons, according to TASS, citing data from China's General Administration of Customs. In September, China doubled its LNG imports from Russia compared with August to 1.85 million metric tons, and the value rose 2.2-fold to $1.18 billion.

Iran's ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, said consultations between President Masoud Pezeshkian and President Vladimir Putin will continue at the Gas Exporting Countries Forum summit in Moscow, according to Mehr News.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in an interview with The Times that the EU intends to counter Russia and China in the Arctic and seek unrestricted access to the Northern Sea Route, according to TASS. Kallas also confirmed that the European Commission will present its new Arctic strategy on Tuesday; the strategy was last updated in 2021.

A Russian drone strike on a park in Ukraine’s north-eastern Kharkiv region killed six people, including three children, according to Al Jazeera.

US President Donald Trump said on Monday he was open to a three-way meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit to China next month, with nuclear weapons on the agenda. “We would have it to talk about nuclear weapons and denuclearisation,” he told reporters outside the White House. “If President Xi wants to have it, I’d have it.”

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that someone other than Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky should negotiate on Kyiv’s behalf as it seeks to end the war with Russia. Trump also told reporters that Russia has been “fine” with regards to Ukraine. “They haven’t been doing much,” he said.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian asked Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Tehran to speed up the implementation of agreements between the two countries, citing energy, transport, trade and power generation as priority areas, according to the Tehran Times. Lavrov reaffirmed Moscow’s intention to expand cooperation in oil and gas, energy, transport, communications, media, culture, science and higher education. According to Brasil de Fato, the Russian minister discussed the crisis in Ukraine in Tehran and reinforced the partnership with Iran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi blamed the United States and Israel for insecurity in the Strait of Hormuz, saying that “the war imposed by the United States and the Zionist regime (Israel), combined with the economic blockade, constitutes the principal source of insecurity in our region”, at a press conference in Tehran on Monday alongside Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. According to TRT World, Lavrov is on his first visit to Iran since the outbreak of the Middle East war, and Moscow is seeking to play a mediating role.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Tehran on 19 October to discuss de-escalation steps in the Persian Gulf region with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, according to Russian outlet TASS, in a report by The Cradle. The visit coincides with mounting US threats against Iran and a vow by the Islamic Republic to retaliate much more forcefully to any new attack, according to the same publication.

US President Donald Trump defended his decision to waive sweeping sanctions planned against Russia as an effort to keep Moscow at the negotiating table, OilPrice reported. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that easing sanctions would embolden Moscow as Russian attacks on Ukraine continued.

Ukrainian air defences did not intercept a single Russian ballistic missile overnight, according to data published by the Ukrainian Air Force on its Telegram channel, cited by TASS. Russia’s Defense Ministry said the strikes hit military-industrial facilities, storage sites for cruise missiles and drones, and a data center in Kyiv and the Kyiv region.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed accusations of Russian involvement in unrest in Europe, calling them “absurd” and saying that nobody takes such accusations seriously anymore, “not even in Europe itself,” in remarks to Zvezda News on Monday, TRT World reported.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that the possibility of a meeting between President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Vietnam is being discussed and that Trump has made it clear he wants to end the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, according to TASS.

Türkiye closely coordinates with Russia on security of navigation in the Black Sea amid threats to civil sea traffic and regional trade, at a time of more frequent Ukrainian attacks on civilian facilities and vessels in recent weeks, a Turkish government source told Sputnik.

Brent crude was trading at $107.84 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) at $100.29, up from $105.61 and $93.37 the previous Monday, according to OilPrice. The modest dip followed US President Donald Trump signing on Friday an executive order lifting sanctions on Russian energy, according to the outlet.

A Russian air strike killed a woman in Kiev overnight and hit a subway station on the left bank of the capital, besides damaging a 25-storey residential building, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, in a Telegram message on Monday.

Malian forces and the Russian Africa Corps carried out 47 drone strikes that killed 94 civilians between April and August, compared with 22 strikes and 44 deaths in the same period a year earlier, in attacks described as apparently indiscriminate, including the August 19 attack on a cattle market in Bandiagara that killed six men, according to data from the ACLED monitor cited in a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report, in a Times of India report.

Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed a summit next month with US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping to negotiate an end to the four-year-old war in Ukraine on terms favorable to Moscow, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the discussions. The Kremlin suggested holding the trilateral dialogue on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, set for November 18 and 19 in Shenzhen, Reuters reported, in text republished by WHBL. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed to the Journal that there were discussions about a possible meeting, but said there is still no clear understanding about the meeting itself or its agenda. A senior US official said Trump had not agreed to such a summit.

The Ukrainian army carried out eight attacks on residential areas in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) over the past day, according to TASS, citing the regional government department that documents Ukrainian war crimes.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will present to Iran the steps Moscow says it is taking to reduce regional tensions created by the United States and Israel and brief Tehran on the outcome of his meetings with officials from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states in Manama, according to TASS. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will receive the Russian diplomat during the working visit to Iran.

US President Donald Trump defended his decision to waive some sanctions on Russia and once again accused Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky of not wanting to end the war, according to France 24. The outlet reported that Trump has also temporarily waived sanctions on Russian diesel, allowing large quantities to flow into global markets to try lowering fuel prices ahead of US elections early next month. TASS, citing Trump, said Zelensky does not want to end the conflict with Russia and probably never did.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that he spoke with the American president’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, and said the war with Russia must be brought to an end and that his country is preparing for the “next steps” of diplomacy to end the conflict. Amid his spat with President Donald Trump, Zelensky said in a conversation with the envoys that “a lot depends on America”, according to the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said President Donald Trump wants to take a 60-day period to analyze what imposing sanctions on Russia and tariffs on other countries would mean for the global economy and for his country. The law that sanctions Russia and Iran is known as the Graham Act, according to The Hindu.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will pay a working visit to Tehran on October 19, where he will be received by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and hold talks with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

The situation in the Middle East is on the brink of a large-scale war, although the Islamabad memorandum between the United States and Iran has everything to bring the situation in the Strait of Hormuz back to the diplomatic track, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, according to TASS.

A suspected drone exploded over Lithuania on Sunday morning after triggering an alert that forced residents in northern and central areas to seek shelter for an hour, the president and other defense officials said, according to the South China Morning Post. Lithuania is treating an attempted arson attack at a SpaceX Starlink base station on Sunday as a Russia-linked act of sabotage aimed at undermining Ukraine’s military capacity, according to the Straits Times.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, expressed concern over tensions in the southern Arabian Peninsula and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait during talks in Bahrain, according to the Anadolu Agency. The two stressed the importance of maritime safety and the unimpeded passage of vessels through international waterways, according to a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry. Both sides also highlighted the importance of continued cooperation within the OPEC+ framework.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a ministerial meeting that Russia supports the peace efforts of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), aimed at preventing a full-scale war in the Middle East, according to TASS.

At least one person has been killed and at least five have been injured in an overnight attack on St Petersburg that targeted two of the city’s oil facilities, according to the BBC. The region’s governor, Alexander Beglov, said fires were being extinguished at the St Petersburg Oil Terminal and the Ruchyi oil depot, and that 12 apartment buildings and two homes were damaged, with Pulkovo Airport temporarily closed. A logistics center belonging to Ozon and a data center belonging to VKontakte were also hit. Ukraine has not yet commented on the strikes, and Russia’s defense ministry said it had shot down more than 1,000 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory overnight, according to the BBC.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a post on X on Sunday that Russia had attacked Ukraine’s energy, oil and gas sectors 76 times in the week since Donald Trump’s announcement of an energy ceasefire, according to the Associated Press (AP), in a text republished by WTOP. Trump announced on Oct. 11 that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to an “energy ceasefire” in the 4 1/2-year-old war, but offered no details and Kyiv reported attacks by Moscow on energy sites after his statement.

Ukrainian attacks set an oil export terminal ablaze in St. Petersburg on Sunday and left one person dead and five wounded, according to local Governor Alexander Beglov, in an Associated Press (AP) text republished by WTOP. The fires hit the Petersburg Oil Terminal and the Ruchi depot, and Russia’s Defense Ministry said it destroyed 1,015 Ukrainian drones over 15 Russian regions, the annexed Crimea and the Black Sea, part of more than 1,000 drones Kyiv launched in one of the largest aerial bombardments Ukraine has carried out in the war.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said Europe will not be able to cover its gas deficit without Russian supplies, according to TASS. He attributed the deficit to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the shutdown of the plant in Qatar as a result of attacks in March.

Six ships were attacked in 10 days in the Black Sea by drones suspected of being Russian (among them the Able and Chelsea-3), an escalation in a maritime conflict that is pressing on the borders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), according to The Guardian. By Thursday, the attacks had encroached on Romania’s airspace and territorial waters; the Turkish-owned Alfa Watan, bound for the Romanian port of Sulina, had been struck by suspected Russian air and naval drones. Two chemical tankers, Wine Trader and Yara J, were attacked and left burning, and seven more sailors were missing.

A Russian military satellite, Cosmos-2612, changed its orbit repeatedly to approach ICEYE-X36, a commercial radar-imaging satellite registered in the US and whose operator currently supplies radar data to Ukraine, according to The Hindu. Astronomer Marco Langbroek, a lecturer at Delft University of Technology, estimated that the two were only 1-2 km apart — considered a very small distance in earth orbit. There is no indication that ICEYE-X36’s operators invited the approach.

Ukrainian forces launched a massive drone attack on St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region, and Russian air defense forces downed 126 of them over the region, Governor Alexander Drozdenko said. Pulkovo Airport suspended all arrivals and departures, according to the Russian agency Rosaviatsia, and drones hit the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal and civilian infrastructure in four city districts, causing no casualties, Governor Alexander Beglov said. VK confirmed a drone attack on its data center in the Leningrad Region and said its services remain available to users as usual.

The situation at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant and in the city of Energodar remains tense, with Ukrainian drone activity despite the local ceasefire around the Zaporozhye thermal power plant, according to TASS. The local ceasefire, mediated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), was announced on October 15 by Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev.

Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, called the United States-Russia diesel supply deal a “very risky choice” that runs counter to efforts to force Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table with Ukraine, according to The Hindu. The two countries agreed last week that Moscow would initially supply more than 300,000 metric tonnes of diesel to U.S. and global markets.

Ukraine hit a refinery in the Ryazan region, about 300 kilometers (180 miles) southeast of Moscow, with a drone and started a fire, according to Russia’s Defense Ministry and Governor Pavel Malkov, as reported by The Hindu. Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the Financial Times his patience had run out and that Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries would resume, and told Piers Morgan he felt betrayed by Trump’s deal with Putin, the energy ceasefire announcement and the Starlink limits that restricted Ukrainian drone use. Ukraine has run out of missiles for the US-made Patriot air defense system, according to a source cited by CNN in a report by the Jerusalem Post.

Members of Congress criticized Donald Trump’s decision to waive sanctions on Russia days before they were to take effect, with Republican Senator Thom Tillis calling it beyond irresponsible on social media and asking what the president and his advisers do not understand about enforcing a law passed 86-11 by the Senate, according to the Associated Press (AP). Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump will take 60 days to assess the impact of potential sanctions against Russia, according to TASS.

The director of the Department for Non-Proliferation and Arms Control of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Oleg Postnikov, said ideas of a shortcut to “nuclear zero” are counterproductive, as they imply an immediate abandonment of nuclear weapons and declaring them illegal, according to TASS. According to the diplomat, real progress may be achieved only through carefully balanced, step-by-step measures that do not jeopardize anyone’s security and help reinforce global stability.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday criticized Donald Trump’s decision to pull back on sanctions against Russia, saying that a sanctions blackout, easing pressure on the aggressor and financial rewards for Putin all only encourage him to keep attacking. On Friday, Trump signed the executive order suspending the sanctions under the so-called “Lindsey Graham Act”, a law passed in September to target Russia’s energy and defense sectors, including its tanker network used to circumvent US restrictions. Washington is also weighing lifting sanctions on the “shadow fleet” of Russian and Iranian tankers to help bring down diesel prices before the midterm elections, according to The Cradle.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that Donald Trump’s decision to roll back sanctions on Russia will intensify the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine, according to the Guardian. “Unfortunately, the lifting of sanctions will continue, and I believe that the ‘diesel deal’ is the first step,” he said on Saturday. According to Opera Mundi, Zelenskyy also wrote that easing US sanctions reduces the pressure on the aggressor and that financial rewards for Putin only encourage him to keep attacking.

United States President Donald Trump signed an executive order waiving newly passed Russia sanctions, claiming the move is in the US’s “national interest”, according to Al Jazeera. The blocked measures would have included up to 100 percent tariffs on all goods brought into the US from the five top importers of Russian crude oil or gas, including China and India. Earlier this month, Trump announced a deal to bring stocks of Russian diesel into global markets, and the US Treasury waived sanctions on Russian diesel sales until April 2027.

The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces had taken control of eight more Ukrainian settlements, including the town of Dobropillia in the eastern Donetsk region, according to the Interfax news agency. Ukraine’s General Staff said Ukrainian forces remained in control of Dobropillia and described Russia’s claim to have captured it as untrue. Ukraine also rejected Russia’s claim that its forces had captured more than 1,800 square km (695 square miles) and 92 settlements since September 1.

Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched 332 drones and missiles overnight, of which 293 were intercepted or neutralized. At least eight people were killed and nearly 60 injured in the latest wave of Russian strikes across Ukraine, according to Al Jazeera. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia attacked more than 15 Ukrainian energy facilities in western and central regions overnight.

Russian forces said they had taken Palamarevka and Kovalevka, in the Kharkov region, and Malokaterinovka, in Zaporozhye, according to the Russian agency Sputnik.

US President Donald Trump blocked, in an executive order signed on Friday night, sanctions on Russia approved by Congress to punish the country for its war in Ukraine, according to the BBC. In the order, Trump said it is in the US “national interests” to withhold some of those sanctions. Kirill Dmitriev, envoy for Russian President Vladimir Putin, called the suspension of the Graham Act “an important and truly historic moment”, according to The Hindu.

Many delegations, including members of the European Union (EU), walked out when Russia’s finance minister, Anton Siluanov, started to speak at the steering committee meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), according to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), which heard two sources in the room. A second official present said nearly a dozen delegates left, among them those from Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said air defense forces repelled an attack by 75 Ukrainian drones heading for the capital, according to the Russian agency TASS. There were no preliminary reports of casualties or damage, and the drone raids disrupted air traffic at airports across western Russia, including Moscow’s Domodedovo and Zhukovsky.

Russian attacks in Ukraine killed at least eight people and injured 60 on Friday, struck nine regions and two shopping centers and cut power to more than a million people, Ukrainian officials said. In Kharkiv, a 71-year-old woman and a 58-year-old man died and 12 were wounded in strikes on three districts, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said, in a Reuters text republished by Internazionale. The Hindu reported three people killed in strikes across several regions, and Al Jazeera said about 370,000 households lost power in Volyn.

The tanker Unity, arrested by India in May with Russian sailors on board, is to be sold, according to a relative of one of the crew members heard by TASS. The sailors cannot leave the ship until they are replaced by another crew, the relative said. India arrested the Unity on May 11 as part of financial claims against the shipowner, and the vessel, flying a Cameroon flag, is anchored near the port of Paradip, with the case being heard in the High Court in the state of Odisha.

President Donald Trump waived the application of sanctions, restrictions and duties provided for in the Graham Act, in an executive order issued on the evening of Friday, October 16, 2026. The law he waived, whose main backer in Congress was the late Senator Lindsey Graham, would have imposed tariffs of up to 100% within 30 days on all goods brought into the US from the five largest importers of Russian crude oil or gas, according to Reuters. Trump justified the move as being in the “national interest” of the United States, according to the Hindustan Times, which notes the law was signed last month.

Italy's defence minister said it is “a complete mistake, a major mistake” for the US to limit Ukraine's access to satellite systems and intelligence used to defend itself against Russian attacks, according to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The relationship between US President Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky is close to breaking down, according to TASS, which cites The New York Times.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the country is establishing a security zone inside Ukraine along their border, which will be non-negotiable in any future talks with Kyiv, according to Reuters. According to TASS, Putin said only 10% of the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic and around 16.5% of the Zaporozhye Region remain under Kyiv’s control and stressed the importance of better protecting civilians and military facilities.

Pope Leo XIV called Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday to discuss the war in Ukraine, the Vatican said. According to the Vatican, the pontiff asked Putin to pause attacks to allow food and supplies to enter and residents to leave voluntarily from areas under crossfire, and expressed grave concern about the humanitarian situation in Oleshky, a Russian-occupied city in southern Ukraine.

According to Ukrainian commanders, robots and drones led the offensive in eastern Ukraine and 250 Russians surrendered in a year-long campaign that has freed 16 settlements from Russian occupation. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Starlink access for Ukraine's military has still not been fully restored.

Ukrainian forces struck an oil refinery in Russia’s Ryazan region, Russian officials said, hours after Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine would resume attacks on Russian energy facilities, according to OilPrice. Ryazan Governor Pavel Malkov said in a post on Telegram that “our region came under a massive drone attack” and that “a fire broke out at the oil refinery.” In Brussels, reacting to criticism from Donald Trump, Zelensky said he is “just defending Ukraine’s interests”, according to Opera Mundi.

Iran plans to invite Gazprom to develop gas fields in the country, Deputy Oil Minister Saeed Tavakoli said at Russian Energy Week, according to TASS. Tavakoli said Tehran and Moscow have no specific program for joint gas production and that Iran will use Gazprom’s potential under contracts currently under discussion.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said its Citadel anti-aircraft artillery system uses minimal shells to take out drones, uncrewed boats and lightly armored vehicles, according to TASS. The Citadel’s 30-mm automatic cannon uses shrapnel shells with programmable detonation timing to destroy enemy drones.

The United States is in talks with Russia and China on a path to denuclearisation, President Donald Trump said. Trump said the US and Russia each have more than 4,000 warheads and that China, with about 620, could catch up within five years.

European leaders expressed support for Volodymyr Zelensky in Brussels on Friday, at a moment of great tension between Kyiv and US President Donald Trump, according to G1. European Council President António Costa said it was not the time to withdraw support for Ukraine or to ease sanctions on Russia. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said “Starlink is really needed for Ukraine” and admitted Europe cannot replace the system in the short term.

US President Donald Trump called Ukraine’s fresh wave of strikes on Russian oil refineries a “disgrace” and said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is “more difficult to deal with than [Vladimir] Putin”, in an interview with Newsmax on Thursday, according to the BBC. Zelensky had paused the attacks for three days at Trump’s request for a ceasefire on energy targets, and said on Thursday the strikes would resume because Moscow had never stopped. The criticism follows the US announcement of a deal to import 300,000 tonnes of Russian diesel to bring fuel prices down, which Zelensky called a gift to Putin.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in Brussels that the EU will not lift any sanctions unless Russia stops the war and backed more sanctions, after saying Moscow did not respect the energy ceasefire “for a single minute”, according to the BBC. EU leaders discussed Ukraine at the Brussels summit, according to The Guardian.

According to Sputnik, the EU increased imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) by 60% in September from August, citing a report by the Finland-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) obtained by the outlet, worth €615 million. Almost three-quarters of the physical volume, or 72%, went to French ports; the remaining shipments went to the Netherlands and Portugal.

Finance ministers and central bank chiefs from the Group of 20 (G20) major economies met in Bangkok on Thursday to discuss rising inflation, according to Jiji Press. The meeting ended without a joint statement and with the absence of United States (US) Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who prioritized domestic economic issues, while Russian minister Anton Siluanov was listed among those attending, according to CNBC.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country would resume hitting Russian oil refineries. Ukraine struck a Russian oil refinery after he declared that Kyiv was abandoning a ceasefire covering energy sites that Trump had announced, and US President Donald Trump told Newsmax that the resumption of strikes on Russian refineries is a “disgrace” that keeps global energy prices elevated.

US President Donald Trump said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is not a good guy for the US to deal with, according to TASS. Trump also confirmed he had asked Zelensky to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries, according to the Russian agency.

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Washington is holding talks with Moscow and Beijing aimed at denuclearizing the countries with the biggest stockpiles of nuclear weapons, according to Reuters, in a text republished by The Jerusalem Post. In an interview with Newsmax, Trump said he expects China to catch up with the US within the next five years.

Five House Republicans signed on Thursday a letter urging US President Donald Trump to cancel the Russian diesel deal he announced last week, according to The Hill, in a text republished by the Brutalist Report. Trump said Russia agreed to “immediately” supply 300,000 tons of diesel to the global marketplace, with another 500,000 tons on the way in November. The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued a waiver authorizing Russian producers to import diesel fuel into the US, effective through April 6, 2027.

Ukrainian drones struck the Ryazan refinery on Thursday, ending Kyiv’s brief pause in attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, according to OilPrice. Ryazan Governor Pavel Malkov confirmed a fire at the facility following what he described as a major Ukrainian drone attack. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the Financial Times on Thursday that the restriction on refinery attacks was finished.

Drones struck two tankers near Romania’s Black Sea coast, setting them ablaze, leaving seven sailors missing, according to The Guardian. The missing crew were from the Wine Trader, a San Marino-flagged tanker travelling from Tunisia to Romania. The Wine Trader reported explosions and a fire about 13 nautical miles (24km) east of the mouth of the River Danube at Sulina on Thursday morning, according to the BBC. A NATO military source told Reuters the drones that hit the Wine Trader and the Yara J came from Russia, according to The Guardian. Romania’s president, Nicușor Dan, described the situation in the Black Sea as serious: “Commercial ships are being attacked and sunk,” he wrote on X.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he feels betrayed by Donald Trump over a throttling of Starlink access and accused the US president of picking the other side, risking a breakdown in US-Ukraine relations. Ukraine’s military reported that the system, produced by Elon Musk’s SpaceX but managed by the US government, was no longer working on terminals moving at speeds greater than 100 mph, which crippled most Ukrainian strike drones behind the lines and affected the defense against Russian drones over Kyiv, according to The Guardian. Zelensky also told the BBC that Ukraine will resume attacks on Russian refineries and that the pause came from political will and not from a technical problem.

Russia is in discussions with Bangladesh to build a new phase of high-capacity units at the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, Rosatom CEO Aleksey Likhachev said, according to RT. Its first unit is on track to be connected to the national power grid by the end of November. The plant comprises two Russian-designed reactors with a combined capacity of 2,400 megawatts, and Moscow is financing $11.9 billion in state loans for the project.

Ukraine resumed attacks on Russian refineries after Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the withdrawal of US intelligence, according to The Jerusalem Post, citing Reuters. Since US President Donald Trump’s surprise announcement on Sunday of an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, Kyiv had refrained from attacking Russian refineries.

The nuclear-powered submarine Novosibirsk, of the Pacific Fleet, fired Oniks and Kalibr cruise missiles at maritime and coastal targets off Kamchatka, according to Russia’s Defense Ministry. The missiles struck a target 1,200km away, according to Moscow.

Crude oil prices retreated on the news that President Donald Trump is considering lifting sanctions on shadow-fleet tankers used to carry oil from Venezuela, Russia and Iran, with Brent trading at US$ 104.39 per barrel and WTI at US$ 94.02, after Brent topped US$ 106 earlier in the week, according to OilPrice.

A commercial ship anchored in Romanian territorial waters caught fire late on Wednesday, October 14 and had its crew evacuated, according to Romanian authorities cited by The Hindu; the authorities confirmed the fire and the evacuation, according to Al Jazeera.

A Russian overnight attack damaged 26 facilities of Ukraine’s power system and four in the oil and gas sector and left at least 600,000 people without power in the Kyiv and Kharkiv regions, according to Volodymyr Zelensky. The New York Times reports that Kyiv has found itself increasingly vulnerable, with a Pentagon-funded satellite program apparently curbed without warning.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he feels personally betrayed by Donald Trump after it emerged that Ukraine’s military had its access to Starlink restricted. Overnight, Ukraine’s military reported that the Starlink satellite communications system, produced by Elon Musk’s SpaceX but managed by the US government, was no longer working at speeds greater than 100 Mbps, without explanation. The restriction comes as no surprise, according to an analyst quoted by France24: the service had been throttled after the SpaceX boss called the targeting of data services in Russia by Ukrainian drones “a step too far”.

Russia said Kiev attacked ships in the Azov-Black Sea region 214 times in 2026, out of 228 since the start of what Moscow calls a special military operation, according to TASS. The same agency reported that Yulia Zhdanova advocated collective international pressure on Kiev as the best way to ensure the safety of commercial shipping in the Black Sea.

Ukraine accused Elon Musk's SpaceX of limiting Starlink services and crippling its drones, as Russian missiles knocked out power stations in attacks President Volodymyr Zelensky called “ostentatious disrespect” to Donald Trump. Zelensky's external adviser and expert in communications and unmanned systems, Serhiy Beskrestnov, said SpaceX limited the speed of Starlink satellite internet terminals used by the Ukrainian army overnight. In an interview with NPR, Zelensky said the US warned Ukraine that it could suspend intelligence sharing and that his generals reported being notified of that possibility at the military level.

Russia's special presidential envoy for economic cooperation with foreign countries and head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Kirill Dmitriev, said he expects the first diesel contracts with the US to be signed in the coming days, according to Sputnik. The deal between the two countries, announced after a phone call between the two presidents on October 9, suspends US sanctions on Russian diesel until April 2027.

Countries of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies (OPEC+) taking part in the oil production restraint agreement increased output by 2.31 million barrels per day in September 2026 but still fell 5.42 million barrels short of their targets, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), cited by TASS. In the month, also according to the IEA, Saudi Arabia raised output by 2.33 million barrels per day, Kuwait cut 550,000, Iraq increased 520,000, Oman added 20,000 and Russia, 70,000.

The United States and Russia agreed last week that Moscow would initially supply more than 300,000 metric tonnes of diesel to US and global markets, according to Reuters, in a text published by The Hindu. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the deal a “very risky choice” that, according to Reuters, runs counter to efforts to force Vladimir Putin to sit at a negotiating table with Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticised the accord, calling it “an investment in a war that must be ended.” Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev said the deal benefits both countries and helps the global market, according to Sputnik Globe. The International Energy Agency (IEA) warned that the gasoil market balance will remain tight well into 2027 and is dependent on a recovery of product supply from the Middle East, according to Türkiye Today, based on the Oil Market Report.

At least 600,000 people were left without power in the Kyiv and Kharkiv regions after overnight Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Zelensky said there was significant damage to 26 facilities of the power system and four in the oil and gas sector, and highlighted a targeted ballistic missile strike against infrastructure that he said should have been covered by the energy ceasefire announced on Sunday by US President Donald Trump.

Between 8:30 p.m. on October 13 and 7 a.m. on October 14, 493 drones flew toward the Moscow region, most of them neutralized at long-range approaches, according to RBC-Ukraine. Moscow’s Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo and Zhukovsky airports suspended operations, with Vnukovo closed for more than eight hours, the outlet said. TASS assessed the attack as one of the largest against Moscow and the region in two years.

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) detained a Hokkaido Shimbun reporter in Sakhalin on suspicion of espionage, according to Jiji Press, in text republished by Nippon.com. The detained man is a Japanese national, a correspondent in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, the capital of the Sakhalin region, and was reported to have been transferred to Moscow. Russia's Foreign Ministry said it regretted that Tokyo was using correspondents to carry out spying, according to Reuters, in text republished by The Japan Times.

The Russian agency TASS, citing German investigative journalist Oliver Schrom, said the United States (US) Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was aware of the plan to sabotage the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines and had nothing against it at the operational level, and that the organizers turned to their American contacts when they decided to blow up the pipelines, according to TASS.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet British Prime Minister Andy Burnham in London on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, as Britain looks to reaffirm its support for Ukraine, including with the promise of a new package of surface-to-air missiles, according to Reuters, in a text published by The Hindu. The announced package is £45 million (US$59.60 million) of surface-to-air missiles used to target jet-powered Russian drones, with £10 million of that package fast-tracked to meet an urgent need in Ukraine. Britain has said it does not support the US-Russia diesel deal and called on allies to keep up the economic pressure on Moscow.

US President Donald Trump said on Monday he does not believe China and Russia are helping Iran at all, contradicting US intelligence reports from recent months. According to two people briefed on the matter, US intelligence assessments show that Russia and China provide military support to Tehran in the form of satellite imagery for targeting purposes and components for weapons.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the Kiev regime, under the formal pretext of concern for global food security, wants a protected maritime channel to send weapons to Ukraine’s armed forces and to create yet another mechanism of political and economic pressure on Russia, according to TASS. Zakharova also said the Black Sea artery supplying Volodymyr Zelensky’s government is “very important for its sponsors”.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that the country received no early warning from its partners about the Russian strike with five ballistic missiles that hit civilian infrastructure in Kyiv. He also said Ukrainian forces did not strike Russian oil refineries or energy facilities in the two days following Donald Trump’s announcement on Sunday, according to The Guardian.

US President Donald Trump denied having suspended intelligence sharing with Ukraine and said the Russian diesel deal is destined for the global market, not for the United States, according to the Jerusalem Post. Asked directly whether the United States had suspended intelligence sharing, he replied: “No, we haven’t. We help them, but we’re really helping them get to a final answer.” On diesel, he said: “That’s a diesel deal, not for us. That’s being released into the world. That’s not being released to us.”

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said a correspondent for the Japanese newspaper Hokkaido Shimbun in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, in the Russian Far East, was detained on suspicion of espionage, transported to Moscow and placed in custody, according to TASS. Moscow's Lefortovsky District Court placed the journalist under arrest under Article 276 of the Criminal Code, which covers espionage.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Moscow launched a targeted strike on a power plant in Kharkiv, causing further damage to the country's energy system, and that Russia violated the “energy ceasefire” announced by US President Donald Trump, according to the Jerusalem Post, citing CNN. In a post on X, Zelensky said Ukraine has not carried out strikes on Russian oil refineries or the energy sector in general in the two days since the announcement.

The head of Britain's domestic intelligence agency MI5, Ken McCallum, confirmed that Russia did try to interfere in the Brexit referendum, through social media and television reports, but said that did not mean the Kremlin had any impact on the result. In an annual threat update, McCallum said RT and Sputnik, Russian-owned English-language broadcasters, came in strongly around the time of the referendum with biased anti-migration and anti-EU reports, and cited trolls with fake accounts. Downing Street said it had been confirmed that Russia interfered in the 2019 general election and that it was “inconceivable that they didn't in 2016”.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev summoned the Russian ambassador after two merchant ships were struck by drones off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast and one of them sank, according to the BBC. Eleven sailors from the sunken ship were missing at sea on Tuesday, according to Reuters. The other ship, the Ukrainian-owned Chelsea 3, sailing under the Maltese flag, was hit 18 nautical miles from the town of Byala, and all 15 crew were rescued, according to the BBC.

The French navy boarded the oil tanker DF Peak, suspected of helping Russia evade Western sanctions, south of the French Indian Ocean territory of Réunion, according to RFI. French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed the boarding took place on October 12, more than 450 nautical miles south of Réunion. The DF Peak, previously named Kaliningrad, sailed under the flag of Benin and is sanctioned by the United States (US), the European Union (EU), Switzerland, Canada and Japan, according to the Kyiv Independent.

The head of Britain’s domestic intelligence service MI5, Ken McCallum, said Russia remained “aggressor number one” and that the agency’s terrorism and state-threats operational missions are now of pretty much equal scale, according to BBC News. He said MI5 had made over 50 arrests in the last year over Iran-linked activities. McCallum also said Iran is trying to hit military sites in the UK and that the suspected plot to attack a US-run military air base in September is “not unique”, according to ABC News, in a story distributed by The Associated Press (AP).

For the first time since US President Donald Trump’s weekend announcement of an “energy ceasefire”, Russia hit no Ukrainian energy targets on Tuesday and pounded cities’ transport and logistics overnight, according to France 24. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine had not hit Russian refineries for two days, since Trump’s announcement, but that Russia kept up attacks on energy and critical infrastructure during that period. Four people were killed in Russian strikes in Kharkiv and at least a dozen were injured across the country, according to Ukrainian officials.

US President Donald Trump defended allowing Russian diesel exports and insisted an energy ceasefire between Kyiv and Moscow is in place despite a lack of confirmation from either side, according to OilPrice. The deal lifted US sanctions on Russian diesel exports to allow Russia to supply almost 2 million metric tons of the fuel, a bid to lower US fuel prices, according to France 24. According to France 24, which cites Reuters and other outlets, US officials have reportedly threatened to cut off intelligence sharing and weapons sales to Ukraine unless it halts its strikes on Russian oil refineries.

The Kremlin said it has seen only in the press The Washington Post’s report about the United States and Europe moving toward a joint peace proposal on Ukraine and said it has received no information about it, according to TASS. The Kremlin said there is no connection between the diesel agreement with the United States and Russia’s position on Ukraine, and described it as a mutually beneficial example of Russian-US cooperation. It also said European Union sanctions and other unilateral actions could hamper the implementation of the fuel deal between Russia and the United States.

The United States and Europe are working on a four-point proposal to settle the Ukraine conflict, Washington Post columnist David Ignatius wrote, citing sources, according to TASS. Ukraine's reconstruction would be the first pillar, and negotiators asked Kiev for detailed cost estimates. A third pillar would be economic integration of Russia, Ukraine and Europe through an energy deal that could include a pipeline carrying Russian oil and gas to Europe, with Ukraine and Russia splitting the profits.

Ukraine halted strikes on Russian oil refineries and on its other energy infrastructure for two days, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday (13). The pause followed US President Donald Trump's announcement of an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, according to Reuters, in a text published by Al Arabiya. Zelensky said that during this time Russia attacked both Ukraine's energy facilities and its critical infrastructure, sending absolutely clear signals that it has no intention of refraining from strikes on Ukraine.

The Ukrainian-owned ship “Chelsea 3,” sailing under the Maltese flag, was hit by three drones and sank about 18 nautical miles off the Bulgarian coast around 1:30 a.m., with its crew of seven Ukrainians and eight Azerbaijanis rescued, in the second such incident in a week, according to The Hindu, citing Reuters; five crew members received medical care, with no one seriously injured, and Prime Minister Rumen Radev said he will speak with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary-General Mark Rutte.

Republican Representative Michael McCaul said he fears that lifting sanctions on Russian oil will only fund the Kremlin's war machine, amid the deal announced by Trump on October 10 for Russia to immediately supply more than 300,000 tonnes of diesel to the US and the global market, according to The Hindu; Trump also announced an “energy ceasefire” between Russia and Ukraine, with implications for India, which faces 50% US tariffs over its Russian oil imports.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that China stands ready to work with Russia to align maritime strategies and protect each other's legitimate maritime interests, according to the South China Morning Post, in a pledge to deepen maritime and Arctic logistics cooperation.

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said it had thwarted an attempt by Ukraine's security service to attack the Baltimor military airfield in Voronezh with drones, involving nine drones to be controlled via the internet from Ukraine in the final phase, according to Sputnik.

Ukraine's Air Force said that radars detected ballistic targets only during the attack on Kyiv, with no timely launch data, while Ukraine's counter-disinformation center assesses that intelligence sharing may have been halted, according to TASS, citing the Air Force's Telegram channel and the center.

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he does not believe China and Russia are helping Iran “at all” and that Moscow and Beijing have “too much to lose,” according to Reuters, in a text republished by The Jerusalem Post.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the diesel deal struck by Trump with Putin a “weak decision” and “a gift to Putin” and approved further drone strikes on Russian refineries, according to Politico Europe; according to TASS, citing Politico Europe, Trump could cut Kyiv's access to US intelligence or press Elon Musk to disable Starlink, on which Ukraine's military relies.

Russia will immediately supply over 300,000 tons of diesel fuel to the American and global marketplace, another 500,000 tons in November and 1,000,000 tons immediately thereafter, according to The Hindu. A bipartisan group of six senators urged Trump to reverse course, saying the United States “should not provide Putin with a financial lifeline”, according to The Hindu, which cites the Associated Press (AP), while Representative Lloyd Doggett, the bill's chief sponsor, said Trump is directly violating the law.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn will discuss energy and food security, prospects for strategic partnership and efforts to address emerging challenges in the Asia-Pacific region at talks in Moscow, according to TASS. Kao Kim Hourn is visiting Russia from October 12 to 15 and will meet with senior officials from Russian ministries, including the Ministry of Energy.

Russia said it had sold more than $320 billion worth of hydrocarbons to European countries since 2022, despite sanctions imposed over the war in Ukraine, according to France24. Russian Deputy Prime Minister in charge of energy Alexander Novak put the volume of energy resource deliveries to European Union (EU) countries from 2022 to today at $320.7 billion. According to Novak, European countries bought $21.3 billion worth of Russian hydrocarbons in the first nine months of 2026 alone.

Air defenses intercepted 13 drones heading toward Moscow, Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said, according to TASS, which reports 23 drones destroyed since the start of the day.

Oil prices edged lower on Tuesday after climbing by nearly $2 a barrel in the previous session, with Brent at $106.04 and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) at $93.27, according to Reuters, which also cites US President Donald Trump saying Russia had agreed to supply diesel and his administration had temporarily lifted US sanctions on Russian fuel. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned that the global economy could soon test the limits of resilience, with emergency oil stocks running low and government budgets overstretched, according to the Guardian, which adds that rerouting oil supplies away from the Strait of Hormuz and releasing strategic stocks helped contain the impact of the US-Iran war on prices.

Envoys of US President Donald Trump told Ukrainian officials on Friday that a deal to allow Russian diesel exports is part of a bid to draw Russia back to negotiations after the failure of previous efforts to launch sustained talks to end the war, three people familiar with the meeting told Reuters. The warring sides have not confirmed the energy ceasefire Trump announced on Sunday, and Russia struck energy targets inside Ukraine on Monday. Under the deal, Russia will supply more than 2.25 million barrels of diesel to US and global markets, and Trump defended it on Monday as “the right choice for the American people.” The Jerusalem Post reported that Trump said on Monday that Putin wants a deal more than Zelensky and insisted that the ceasefire was agreed because he said so: “They agreed because I said they agreed.”

The French Navy boarded the tanker DF Peak south of Réunion on Monday, on suspicion of sailing under a false flag and involvement in fuel transport trafficking, Emmanuel Macron announced. According to Le Monde, the DF Peak, sailing under the Beninese flag, is on the EU sanctions list and has been suspected of belonging to the Russian shadow fleet since June 25, 2024, when it was called Kaliningrad. The interception took place on the morning of October 12, more than 450 nautical miles south of Réunion, and the vessel is under sanctions from the United States, Canada, the EU, Ukraine, Switzerland, Japan and the United Kingdom, according to United24 Media.

Poland says two Turkish citizens were arrested in Germany on suspicion of setting fire to a Starlink station in Poland. According to DW, the two Turks were detained by German police at the request of Polish services, and Prime Minister Donald Tusk called the fire an act of “hybrid warfare.” Special Services Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said Poland had “absolutely no doubt” that Russian services were behind the fire last month at the station in Wola Krobowska, and the pair await transfer to Poland under a European Arrest Warrant.

A Russian drone attack on a residential building in Kyiv killed two people on Monday evening, according to the Ukrainian capital’s prosecutor’s office: a 59-year-old woman and a person who was in a car near the building. According to Reuters, the strike on a high-rise residential building in a Kyiv suburb killed two people and injured at least nine, while attacks in other Ukrainian regions killed at least six, Ukrainian officials said.

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said on Monday that the country faces a “shadow war” more far-reaching than the Cold War, according to Reuters, in a text republished by The Straits Times. The shadow war’s objective extends far beyond anything seen during the Cold War, he said. The president of Germany’s domestic intelligence agency (BfV), Sinan Selen, said Russia employs virtually every tool in its hybrid operations, from disinformation campaigns and information manipulation to sabotage and assassination plots prepared in Germany.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said Russia could reach 3.5 million tonnes per month of diesel to global markets by the end of the year, just as was the case before the crisis, and that additional Russian deliveries have already pushed global diesel prices down by about 5-6%, according to TASS.

Residents of the city of Izyum were hit by blackouts after a Russian strike destroyed power grids, according to Ukrinform, cited by the BBC. Energy and railway infrastructure in the region of Zhytomyr, in western Ukraine, were also targeted overnight, according to the head of the region’s military administration, Vitaliy Bunechko. The state-owned grid operator Ukrenergo reported new power cuts in Kharkiv, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia due to damage to energy equipment. President Volodymyr Zelensky said there were glide bomb strikes and strikes on energy infrastructure, and that a power plant in Kharkiv was attacked.

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Russia did interfere with the Brexit referendum and warned that similar activities were taking place in France and Germany. Burnham said he had received the clear answer that there was. He did not provide further details about the type or extent of Moscow’s activity during the referendum. It is the first time a UK prime minister has said Russia sought to sway the 2016 Brexit poll.

The administration of US President Donald Trump warned Ukraine and allies in Europe that the United States could suspend intelligence sharing and European purchases of US weapons for Kyiv if Ukraine does not halt its deep strikes on Russian energy facilities, according to CNN. Reuters, citing the Financial Times, reports the same threat to stop the procurement mechanism that supplies weapons to Ukraine, as a way to press Kyiv to halt strikes on Russian energy infrastructure.

Insurance costs for ships carrying oil across the Black Sea rose from about $200,000 to $2.5 million per vessel in recent months, according to OilPrice. According to the publication, the increase reflects mounting risks to commercial shipping after repeated attacks on vessels and port infrastructure. On October 6, drones struck two commercial vessels, sinking the Togo-flagged Alfa Watan and damaging the Palau-flagged Able; all 18 crew members aboard the Able were rescued.

Russian presidential aide Nikolay Patrushev said in Beijing that expanding natural resource extraction requires Russia and China to jointly safeguard maritime shipping, according to TASS. Patrushev said the two countries can reshape the global geo-economic map and better protect maritime trade against external risks, including military escalation, piracy and sanctions. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday that strategic mutual trust between the two countries has become even stronger, cooperation in all areas is more stable and multilateral cooperation is closer.

US President Donald Trump defended on Monday the diesel deal with Russia as lawmakers from both parties complained the agreement appears to violate US law barring imports of Russian energy until Moscow ends its aggression against Ukraine. On Sunday (11), a group of Republican and Democratic senators called on Trump to “reverse course” on the deal, saying it may violate a 2022 law designed to support Ukraine in its bid to repel Russian invaders. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Fox News on Monday that diesel prices depend on the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, not on Ukrainian attacks on diesel targets in Russia.

Russia hit at least six energy targets during a night and morning of deadly airstrikes across Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday, according to Reuters, adding this showed Moscow had no interest in an energy ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump. Trump declared over the weekend, blindsiding Kyiv and its European allies, that Ukraine and Russia had agreed not to hit each other’s energy systems. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said talks were ongoing about a possible energy ceasefire and that further information would be revealed in due course, but he rejected Zelenskyy’s proposal for a full 60-day truce.

Republican Representative Brian Fitzpatrick plans to force a House vote on legislation blocking Russian oil purchases, challenging President Donald Trump’s decision to ease restrictions on Russian diesel exports, according to RFE/RL. Fitzpatrick said the bill will be forced to the Floor via discharge and will pass overwhelmingly. Citing administration figures, Senator Angus King said the deal covered 300,000 tons of diesel for October and 500,000 tons for November, roughly equivalent to a day’s diesel consumption in the United States.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said that relations between Russia and Iran are based on mutual trust, including on the Iranian nuclear program, according to TASS. According to the agency, Russian President Vladimir Putin told US President Donald Trump that the proposal to transfer enriched Iranian uranium to Russian territory remained on the table.

The EU approved the 22nd package of anti-Russian sanctions and blacklisted about 1,600 companies and individuals linked to the defense sector, according to the bloc’s diplomacy chief, Kaja Kallas, in a post on X. The designations list expanded from 3,100 to 4,700 entries, with sanctions on 826 companies and 743 individuals, according to the Council resolution published in the Official Journal of the EU. EU foreign ministers formally adopted the bloc’s largest-ever expansion of its Russia sanctions blacklist, targeting nearly 1,600 people and companies linked to the country’s military-industrial complex, according to The Moscow Times.

US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday an “energy ceasefire” between Ukraine and Russia; Kyiv expressed astonishment and Moscow went silent, according to France24. According to Bloomberg, in a text republished by TASS, Zelensky is reportedly “on a collision course” with Trump for continuing to ignore Washington’s calls to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a drone hit a power plant in Kyiv on Sunday, leading to power outages in the capital, and then reported a strike on a power plant in Kharkiv, saying Ukrainian skies had been infested with Russian “shaheds” all day, according to The Guardian in its Europe live. The account came after United States (US) President Donald Trump’s Sunday morning announcement of an “ENERGY CEASEFIRE” between Russia and Ukraine, effective immediately, according to the same live. European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc would welcome a truce “when it holds” and that it had not yet seen Russia stick to it, according to the same live.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen promised that the European Union (EU) will provide additional funding this week for Ukraine to purchase drones and missiles, following a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to The New Voice of Ukraine, which reports that Ukraine received an additional €1.24 billion on October 7 under the Ukraine Support Loan program, dedicated to Ukrainian-made drones and missiles. Von der Leyen said that Ukraine will be front and center at this week’s European Council, with discussion of next year’s funding needs, according to TASS.

The Sunday announcement by US President Donald Trump of an “energy ceasefire” between Russia and Ukraine referred to a potential deal in which each side stops attacks on oil refineries — and he expects Volodymyr Zelensky to abide by it, a White House official said, according to Axios. Trump said he asked Zelensky to stop attacking Russian oil refineries and claimed Zelensky’s actions harmed American farmers; Zelensky said the announced ceasefire “was news for me.”

Both main crude contracts fell more than 1% after US President Donald Trump announced an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, according to AFP. Trump wrote on Truth Social that there is an energy ceasefire “effective immediately” and that “both parties have agreed. Do not break it!”. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky appeared to express surprise, said he was seeking further details and added that “Ukraine supports the ceasefire, and it is important that Russia support it as well”. AFP also reported that Kyiv said Moscow had struck multiple power plants in the country.

Russian Emergencies Minister Alexander Kurenkov has arrived in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to discuss cooperation in disaster prevention and management, according to TASS. A delegation from Russia's emergency ministry visited Pyongyang to discuss ways to expand cooperation in disaster management, North Korea's state media reported on Monday. The two ministries plan to sign a joint action plan for 2027-2029, according to TASS.

The Supreme Allied Commander Europe, US General Alexus Grynkewich, will elaborate his theory of victory over any potential attack at a security conference in Warsaw, according to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) officials, cited by AFP, in a text republished by France24. The intervention is intended to send a signal to Moscow and reassure members, without divulging many new details on the allianceʼs strategy.

Witkoff and Kushner put their planned trip to Moscow on hold until there is clarity on whether Ukraine and the Europeans are ready to agree to a new unified proposal, according to Axios, cited by TASS. The US, Ukraine, the E3 (United Kingdom, France and Germany), the European Commission and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) held talks in Miami on October 9, according to the same report.

The energy-ceasefire proposal only covers attacks on oil refineries, a White House official told Axios, with no official confirmation from Moscow as of yet. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the announcement was news to him, but that Ukraine will endorse it if the Russians accept, while awaiting details from the American side, according to Opera Mundi.

Two German opposition parties, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the BSW (Bündnis Soziale Gerechtigkeit und Wirtschaftliche Vernunft), called for restoring economic ties with Russia, following the example of US President Donald Trump’s diesel deal with Moscow, challenging Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s sanctions policy, according to RT. The joint resolution is scheduled for a vote in the Saxony-Anhalt parliament in Magdeburg on October 14. The AfD and the BSW hold a combined majority following September’s regional elections, although the state legislature has no authority to lift federal or EU sanctions against Russia.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday, the same day US President Donald Trump suggested the Ukrainian leader should be replaced for refusing to reach a settlement with Moscow, according to RT. Earlier on Saturday, Trump accused Zelenskyy of seeking to “make problems for the world” through continued attacks on the Russian energy infrastructure, including refineries. “I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal,” he said.

One civilian died and three people were wounded, including two teenagers, in Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia’s Belgorod region, according to the regional emergency response center. A man died after a drone hit his car on the Posokhovo-Kazinka road, and a 15-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl were hurt in the village of Novostroyevka-Pervaya.

The director of Russia’s state nuclear company Rosatom, Alexey Likhachev, said on Sunday that the number of its employees at Iran’s Bushehr plant had reached 135. According to him, nine employees arrived the day before for scheduled maintenance at Unit 1, which is currently operational.

Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksandr Merezhko called the U.S. diesel deal with Russia a betrayal, in an interview with NPR on Sunday.

Republican senator Thom Tillis said the sanctions relief on Russian diesel could violate congressional law, in a Sunday interview on NBC News’s Meet the Press, according to Al Jazeera. “I do believe there’s a legitimate case for saying the president’s not following the law,” Tillis said. A bipartisan group of senators called for an immediate reversal of the relief, saying the United States should not provide Vladimir Putin with a financial lifeline while Russia continues to kill Ukrainian civilians.

The US administration threatened to block the weapons procurement program for Ukraine and intelligence sharing over Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, according to the Financial Times, cited by TASS. US officials made a series of phone calls to European capitals and Kyiv on October 10 and 11 threatening to cut off intelligence sharing and the PURL program.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said it is clear that Russia interfered in the Brexit referendum. According to him, when he arrived at 10 Downing Street, he asked whether Moscow interfered in the 2016 vote on leaving the European Union (EU) and was given the clear answer that yes, there was.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the CHPP-5 plant in Kharkiv was struck shortly after the announcement of an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine by US President Donald Trump. According to Ukraine’s Presidential Office, the attack occurred after Trump announced the ceasefire in a Truth Social post, in which he wrote that the energy ceasefire was effective “immediately”. Zelenskyy said the strike happened “just now”.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on ABC's This Week that he would organize elections if Putin agreed to 60 days of a total ceasefire, according to Reuters, in a text republished by the Jerusalem Post. The statement answered Saturday's demand by US President Donald Trump that Zelenskyy stop attacking Russian refineries and that Ukrainians replace him in new elections.

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that Ukraine and Russia had agreed to what he described as an energy ceasefire, effective immediately. In an interview with Axios, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Trump's post was the first he had heard of the deal, but a senior Ukrainian official told Reuters that Ukraine was ready to accept the ceasefire if Russia was. Earlier on Sunday, Zelenskyy had repeated Ukraine's long-standing position that it was willing to halt attacks on Russian refineries, but only if Moscow ceased its own strikes on Ukrainian power infrastructure.

Russia's Defense Ministry said its Center battlegroup liberated Novotroitskoye and Petrovskoye in the Donetsk People's Republic over the past 24 hours, according to TASS. The ministry said troops continued to mop up the western neighborhoods of Dobropolye and the Donbropolskaya mine area.

Check Point research describes hundreds of hacking attempts that targeted consumer security cameras around the Middle East, according to Wired. Russia and Ukraine have ramped up camera-hacking in their war, aiming to spy on each other, find new targets and assess damage from their attacks, according to The Wall Street Journal, in a text republished by LiveMint. The Jerusalem Post reported that hackers use security cameras to track troops and military targets in Israel and Ukraine.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Sunday its troops had captured the villages of Kupyne and Riznykove in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, as well as Novotroitske and Davydovske in the Donetsk region, according to Asharq Al-Awsat, citing Interfax.

US President Donald Trump called on Saturday for Ukraine to replace President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, after the Ukrainian criticized Washington’s easing of Russian diesel, according to France24. Trump also railed against Ukraine’s attacks on Russian oil infrastructure, according to Reuters.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on October 11 that Ukraine is ready to halt its attacks on Russian oil refineries if Russia ceases strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, and conditioned any de-escalation on reciprocity and real guarantees. A US official told Axios that President Trump decided to make a diesel deal with Russia after Zelenskyy ignored half a dozen US requests to stop attacking Russian refineries.

Russia's Ministry of Defense said it struck data centers, Ukrainian port infrastructure and vessels serving the Ukrainian military overnight, including the TeNet data center in Odessa, used to process, transmit and store information, according to the ministry, cited by Sputnik.

Power supply in Vladimir, locally disrupted by a drone attack, was restored to 80%, with heat and water fully restored, according to regional governor Alexander Avdeyev. Yandex said the attack damaged its facilities and caused the complete shutdown of its data center in the Vladimir region — the third major company data center to go offline in recent days.

Bryansk regional governor Yegor Kovalchuk said a man was killed and two women were injured in Ukrainian strikes on the region. According to him, a kamikaze drone struck the village of Sluchok and seriously injured a resident, who died in the hospital.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday (October 10, 2026) that Russian President Vladimir Putin would like to reach a deal on the war in Ukraine, accusing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of resisting a compromise, according to AFP, in a text republished by The Hindu. Trump said Putin told him he wanted a settlement, “strongly,” in their phone call on Friday (October 9, 2026). In another statement, Trump said Zelenskyy, for various reasons, does not want to pursue a peaceful settlement, according to Mehr News.

Drone debris fell on the grounds of Sochi airport, in residential areas and hotels, in Russia's Krasnodar region, according to the regional emergencies headquarters, TASS reported. The debris hit an administrative building at the airport, where the fire was quickly extinguished, and damaged the roof of a house, starting another fire. No one was injured.

Three Indian nationals rescued from the merchant vessel MV Royad Mammadov, attacked in the Black Sea on Monday, have left Romania for India, according to the Embassy of India in Bucharest, in information published by The Tribune with data from the ANI news agency. Two foreign seafarers were killed in the attack and the three Indians were injured and rescued by Romanian authorities, according to the same account.

The infrastructure of Yandex's data center in Vladimir was damaged in a drone attack, and the center's operation was completely suspended, according to TASS. There were no casualties, the agency said.

Under the diesel deal between the United States and Russia, Russia would release an initial 300,000 tonnes of diesel to the American and global marketplace, followed by an additional 500,000 tonnes in November, according to the BBC, citing President Donald Trump. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said suspending sanctions provides Moscow with more revenue to wage war and that Europe will not ease pressure.

At least 15 people, including three children, were killed in Zaporizhzhia after Russia hit the city with five glide bombs. At least 16 others were injured and people are missing under the rubble, according to the BBC. Russian forces struck a five-story residential building in the city with guided aerial bombs early on October 10, according to the Kyiv Independent, which reported four dead and four injured in that strike. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attributed the attack to Russia expressing “its thanks” for a deal announced by US President Donald Trump easing sanctions on Moscow to import Russian diesel, according to the BBC.

The Russian government has partially lifted its ban on diesel exports to implement the agreements reached by Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, the cabinet said. The measure takes effect on October 10, allowing 500,000 metric tons of diesel to the global market at this stage, according to the statement.

US President Donald Trump said it is time for Ukraine to get a new president, responding to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s criticism of the US diesel deal with Russia, according to the BBC. Trump told reporters on Saturday that he suggests they get a new leader who can make a deal, and that it is time for Ukraine to get a new president, according to Axios. Zelensky called the diesel deal not fair and not honest, a sign of weakness by Trump and a birthday gift to Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Axios.

US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner may visit Moscow within the next two weeks, a source told TASS. The presidents of Russia and the United States held a phone call on October 9 discussing Russian diesel supplies, according to TASS.

The Kremlin announced on Saturday that Russian President Vladimir Putin conveyed to US President Donald Trump, in a phone call on Friday, Iran's stance on a potential agreement to end the war, according to Mehr News. According to spokesman Dmitry Peskov, cited by RIA Novosti, Putin conveyed to Trump the Iranian side's views on a possible settlement of the conflict, in coordination with the Iranian president. This week, Putin met with Iran's president on the sidelines of a regional summit in Turkmenistan, where he offered to mediate an agreement to end the war.

A day after US President Donald Trump announced a deal to buy Russian diesel, Russian strikes killed at least 11 people in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region on Saturday, October 10, according to officials cited by The Hindu. Three children were among the dead and at least 16 people were wounded when Russian aerial bombs hit residential buildings, said Mykhailo Semikin, head of the regional military administration. Ukraine's national police said Russia targeted residential neighborhoods with five guided aerial bombs early Saturday, according to Asharq Al-Awsat. Trump wrote that Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tonnes of diesel, followed by an additional 500,000 tonnes in November 2026 and 1 million tonnes immediately thereafter, with 3 million more within a short period of time. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the deal “a weak decision, unfortunately, a weak decision by strong partners”.

Russia has still not publicly identified the pathogen that killed a researcher, according to the New York Times. The World Health Organization (WHO) is still trying to understand the causative agent, the newspaper said.

The death toll from the Russian bombardment in Zaporizhzhia rose to 12, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The bombardment took place on Saturday and Zelensky said five glide bombs hit residential buildings in the city.

Vladimir Putin conveyed to Donald Trump, in coordination with the Iranian president, Iran’s vision on a possible conflict resolution, according to Sputnik, citing the Kremlin.

US, Ukrainian and European officials met in Miami on Friday in a renewed diplomatic push to end Russia's war in Ukraine, as Washington seeks a way out of the dangerous stalemate. US envoy Steve Witkoff said the talks tackled potential avenues to de-escalate and conclude the war before winter, toward a durable peace; according to him, the meeting included the E3, the European Commission, Ukraine and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and covered energy resilience, grain, security guarantees and reconstruction. The meeting follows the announcement that Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel, with another 500,000 tons in November, and that the US Treasury would issue a temporary license to allow Russian diesel to flow to global markets.

A Russian attack on the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia killed seven people and wounded ten others on the morning of October 10, regional governor Mykhailo Semikin said, as rescuers searched for more people under the rubble. The attack hit several locations at once in the early hours of that day, according to Reuters, in a text republished by The Hindu.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump held a phone call lasting an hour and a half, described as substantive and friendly, according to Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov. In the same call, Putin told Trump that Russia’s position on the goals and objectives of its special military operation remains unchanged, according to the aide.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told US President Donald Trump that Moscow’s proposal to transfer Iran’s highly enriched uranium to Russia remains in force as a possible way out of the impasse, according to TASS. Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said Trump welcomed Moscow’s involvement in resolving the situation surrounding Tehran, according to TASS.

President Donald Trump announced that Russia will supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel immediately, an additional 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons shortly after, according to DW. The US Treasury Department issued a temporary license allowing Russian diesel to reach global markets through April 2027, DW reported. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said gifts to Russian President Vladimir Putin will not bring peace or any benefit to the civilized world and that Russia will “repay” the diesel with further terror and perfidy, according to DW. Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said that by launching a massive drone attack on Moscow, other cities and polling stations on the main voting day, Kyiv disrupted the possibility of an immediate resumption of the negotiation process, according to Reuters, in a text republished by SRN News.

Vladimir Putin’s envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, said energy and economic cooperation between Russia and the United States (US) will continue and benefit global markets, in a post on X on Friday, according to TASS. The remark responds to Donald Trump’s announcement that he coordinated with Putin, in a phone call he called “highly successful”, the supply of up to 4.8 million tonnes of Russian diesel to the world market, including the US.

United States (US) President Donald Trump announced in a Truth Social post that Russia will immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel to the US and other global markets, with 500,000 tons in November and 1 million shortly after. The average diesel price in the US is $6.28 a gallon, down from the record $6.53 at the end of September, and the US Treasury formally issued a temporary license allowing Russian diesel into the market shortly after the announcement, according to the BBC. Putin’s envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, wrote on X that Russia-US cooperation on diesel and energy will benefit the world. Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov announced that Putin and Trump spoke by phone, amid renewed diplomatic efforts by Washington.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said a dry cargo ship carrying military cargo to the port of Odesa was struck at sea, according to Sputnik.

Montenegro detained and ordered the expulsion of five Russian citizens, including Rybar network founder Mikhail Zvinchuk, citing threats to national and internal security, according to OCCRP. The Associated Press reported that Zvinchuk worked in the Russian Defence Ministry’s press office and founded Rybar, a Telegram channel with more than 1.5 million followers. The United States has offered up to $10 million for information on him and other Rybar figures over attempts to interfere in the 2024 elections.

The government of Nikol Pashinyan suspended a nuclear cooperation deal with the US and committed to having Rosatom build Armenia’s next-generation reactor, according to Eurasianet, in a text published by OilPrice. According to Eurasianet, a Rosatom contract would complicate TRIPP, the US-backed transit route at the center of Armenia’s peace process with Azerbaijan, which both Russia and Iran oppose.

The Aframax Rio tanker was towed to a safe location after an attack by unmanned surface vessels, and specialists from the Marine Rescue Service are assessing its technical condition, according to TASS. The Liberian-flagged vessel was set alight after coming under fire from unmanned boats on Tuesday evening off the coast of Sochi, and its crew of 23 people, all Indian citizens, was rescued, with preliminary information indicating no casualties, according to ABC News.

Rubio said in Lisbon that the war in Ukraine has hit a stalemate that usually ends in negotiation or escalation, and he called escalation “very dangerous”, including possible Russian sabotage or strikes in neighboring NATO countries that could rapidly widen the conflict, according to OilPrice.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that trade between Russia and the member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) exceeded 110 billion dollars in 2025 and grew 19% in the first half, according to Sputnik. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met his Russian and Azerbaijani counterparts in Turkmenistan on the sidelines of a CIS meeting, according to Mehr News.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Vladimir Putin that Tehran will not walk away from the negotiating table despite US attacks, in a meeting on the sidelines of the Commonwealth of Independent States summit and the Caspian environmental summit in Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan, according to Mehr News. Putin arrived at the convention center in the Awaza national tourist zone, where the summits are taking place, according to TASS.

OpenAI said it shut down two influence operations from Russia and Iran that used ChatGPT to create fake journalist personas, according to France 24. The Iranian operation used seven fake journalist profiles to plant articles in media outlets around the world. The Russian operation co-opted people in Latin America to run a fake think tank against Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian that Russia will do everything to help end the war on Iran, according to Al Jazeera. The two leaders met in Turkmenistan on Thursday, ahead of the summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Envoys of US President Donald Trump will meet Ukrainian negotiators and European officials in Miami on Friday to discuss new peace proposals, two US sources told AFP. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that the Ukrainian team is due to meet Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff in the US, in a two-day meeting, and is counting on European participation. The American negotiators also invited national security advisers from the United Kingdom, France and Germany, as well as officials from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union, to discuss security guarantees and a post-war prosperity plan.

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Zelensky’s confrontational statements demonstrate Ukraine’s unwillingness to pursue peace, according to TASS. Peskov said Zelensky’s earlier threats of a 40-day operation against Russia are now backfiring on Ukraine itself.

The Russian attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure on October 8 left most of Kyiv without power, with the metro shut down due to a lack of electricity and water scarce, according to the Kyiv Independent. Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal confirmed the attack on an energy facility important for Kyiv and said crews are trying to restore power. Drone strikes on October 8 killed four people and injured at least 19 in Kyiv, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko. According to Le Monde, 78 people were killed and 215 wounded on October 7 and 8 alone.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the war in Ukraine is at a dangerous stalemate, according to Reuters, in a text republished by Internazionale. Rubio warned the escalation could become a sabotage campaign in neighboring countries that are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). In an interview, he said he does not believe the war can be settled through negotiations at this time, according to The New Voice of Ukraine.

India's continued purchases of Russian oil could pose a fresh hurdle in talks for an interim trade deal with the US, according to Bloomberg, in a text published by Mint. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Thursday that a deal with India was not on the cards soon, citing Russian oil as a point of friction, according to CNBC. In September, India's imports of Russian crude declined to around 1.75 million barrels per day, the lowest level since April, according to PTI, in a text published by Mint.

The United Kingdom introduced anti-Russian sanctions against twenty-six individuals and companies, according to the updated black list on the Foreign Office website, cited by the TASS news agency. Restrictions applied to Zarubezhneft and INK-Capital, the Capital Credit bank, and businessmen and firms from Canada, China, Kyrgyzstan and the Netherlands. London also imposed sanctions on twelve merchant vessels.

A Russian attack on two passenger buses in Kramatorsk, near the frontline in eastern Ukraine, killed 30 people and wounded 18, according to local authorities. The Donetsk regional prosecutor’s office and the governor’s office gave the same toll of 30 dead and 18 wounded. Ukrainian authorities said 30 people were killed and at least 18 injured in Russian strikes in eastern Ukraine that included the attack on a public bus, The Associated Press reported.

Yandex suspended operations at one of its key data centers on Thursday after a drone strike, as Ukraine continues to target the country’s infrastructure, according to CNBC. The attack caused a fire at the company’s data center in Sasovo, in western Russia’s Ryazan region, and affected part of its infrastructure, Yandex told CNBC. Open-source intelligence (OSINT) groups Exilenova+ and ASTRA identified the site as Yandex DC Sasovo, which the company describes as its largest data center, according to the Kyiv Independent.

22 people were killed in Pryluky in a missile attack the previous day, including five children, and 54 others were injured, including seven children, according to Ukraine's Emergency Service, RBC-Ukraine reported.

A Guardian analysis found more than 176,000 tonnes of fuel, mostly diesel, loaded at South Korean ports onto seven tankers that made 14 voyages to Russia’s far east in July and August. South Korea said it would verify the reported shipments and act in accordance with the law if a violation of domestic rules is established.

Russian and US officials, including Kirill Dmitriev and Jared Kushner, held talks about bringing an American investor into the Nord Stream pipelines, according to Reuters, in a text republished by the Jerusalem Post. A White House official said Russia would have to negotiate any deals with the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and the Treasury — and that they must benefit American taxpayers and companies. Germany’s Economy and Energy Ministry said any reopening would require government approval — and that it is not desired.

The Kremlin said Moscow and Washington have not yet agreed on a phone call between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump and that it is unclear when it will take place. The day before, on Putin's birthday, Trump said his call with the Russian president had been arranged. Since the beginning of the year, the two presidents have held five phone calls, the most recent on September 8, according to TASS.

A Russian overnight missile and drone attack hit Ukrainian cities on October 7 and killed at least 26 people, according to the Kyiv Independent. In Pryluky, in the Chernihiv region, a Russian cruise missile hit a residential building, killing at least 20 people, including five children, and wounding at least 55, according to the Kyiv Independent. The Kyiv Post later reported a toll of 18 dead in Pryluky and 24 overall, citing updated figures from the Ukrainian emergency service, as rescue operations continued in the rubble of a five-story building.

Russia has begun sabotage operations against Danish companies supplying Ukraine after concluding that broader disruption efforts failed, according to Reuters, in a text republished by The Straits Times. Analyst Josefine Christensen of Denmark’s PET intelligence service said at a conference in Copenhagen that Russia is now trying to hit targets with a direct impact on the front line, namely weapons production, according to Reuters, in a text republished by SRN News.

The director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said on Wednesday that the agency does not yet have the full picture of this event and is not able to conduct a full risk assessment. The WHO asked for timely, complete and transparent information sharing from Russia to clarify conflicting reports. Darya Shipilova, 28, an employee at the anti-plague research institute in the eastern city of Irkutsk, died two days after falling ill with cold-like symptoms. The Russian authorities deny a connection with the institute and say she died from “pneumonia of an unknown aetiology”.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said it had carried out a massive strike with precision weapons and drones on military-industrial facilities in Ukraine, in Kyiv and other regions. The ministry confirmed the overnight strike and did not mention civilian casualties. In the Chernihiv region, a missile hit a five-storey residential building in Pryluky, killing nine people, including three children, and wounding 34, according to Ukraine’s Interior Minister, Ihor Vyhivskyi.

Lithuania’s Interior Ministry plans to deploy army units to reinforce security along the border with Russia’s Kaliningrad Region, according to Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas, in a Facebook post cited by TASS. Katelynas said he had asked Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas to deploy the armed forces to help border guards, and described the move as preventive, with the situation at the border calm. Lithuania’s public broadcaster LRT reports that the country will deploy troops to help guard the border with Kaliningrad.

Iran’s president told Vladimir Putin that a ceasefire with the United States is not out of reach, according to Opera Mundi.

Mali’s army, supported by Russian paramilitary forces, re-entered the northern town of Kidal, forcing Tuareg separatists to withdraw, according to Deutsche Welle. The Azawad Liberation Front said it decided to carry out a strategic and controlled withdrawal from Kidal, without direct fighting, citing disproportionate use of air power by Russian mercenaries of the Africa Corps. Mali’s transitional government said, in a statement read on state TV, that the retake was carried out by air and ground forces with the support of Russia’s Africa Corps, according to the Associated Press.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Washington understood and acknowledged Moscow’s position on a possible trilateral meeting on Ukraine, after Kiev’s attempts to disrupt the State Duma elections, according to TASS. On another front, European Union ambassadors agreed to resume the technical stage of EU accession talks for Ukraine and Moldova, stalled by Hungary since the summer, with the possible opening of two clusters, according to TASS, citing the Rapporteur report.

Donald Trump said that, for now, the parties are in very deep discussions, according to the BBC. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said no phone call had been scheduled and that Russia’s reporting of the death to the World Health Organization (WHO) was in line with standard practice. The WHO director-general said that timely, complete and transparent information sharing under the International Health Regulations is essential to clarify conflicting reports and enable an accurate assessment of potential public health risks.

Countries in Central Asia began buying oil from Iran as the Russian fuel supplies they long depended on ran dry amid Ukraine’s mounting attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, according to Al Jazeera. Tajikistan expects to receive 2.55 million tonnes of oil and petroleum products from Iran.

The United States formally asked Russia for more information after the death of a laboratory technician at an institute studying plague, according to Le Monde with the Agence France-Presse (AFP). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say they are closely monitoring the situation and that, at the moment, nothing indicates a broader threat to the United States; the World Health Organization (WHO) assessed the risk as low for Russia and very low for Europe. Russian authorities say plague was not detected among the worker’s close contacts, according to NBC News.

The toll from the Russian overnight attack from October 6 to 7 rose from 2 to at least 11 killed and more than 34 injured in Pryluky, Dnipro, Kremenchuk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kyiv, according to The Guardian. Ukraine’s Air Force says, according to Reuters, in a text republished by G1, that Russia launched 130 drones and 48 cruise and ballistic missiles and that 161 targets were shot down; Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed a “massive attack” on the military-industrial complex. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian ballistic missiles remain the greatest challenge and that air defense packages are a vital necessity.

The 23 crew members, all Indian citizens, were rescued from the Liberian-flagged tanker attacked by naval drones, while crude oil is burning openly in the Black Sea waters and firefighters could not tackle the blaze due to its intensity, according to The Hindu, citing Russia’s transport ministry for the attack and the burning oil.

Two people died in a fire in the Darnytskyi neighbourhood in Kyiv as a result of Wednesday’s attack, according to France24, with information from the Agence France-Presse (AFP). On the eve, Volodymyr Zelensky said there was updated intelligence indicating Russian preparation of a massive attack and that Ukraine’s position depended largely on what weaponry the allies could provide, according to Reuters, in a text republished by The Hindu.

Russian Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko said Brazil will not leave BRICS after the elections, because the association benefits all its members and its leadership should understand this, according to TASS.

Russian troops advancing near Golubkovo, a settlement Russia says it has liberated in the Zaporozhye region, approached Novoukrainka, military expert Andrey Marochko told TASS. After liberating Golubkovo on October 6, Russian servicemen were establishing a foothold for an offensive in two directions, north and northwest of the settlement, according to TASS.

A Liberian-flagged oil tanker caught fire off Russia's Black Sea coast, near Sochi, after being attacked by unmanned boats, according to Russia's Transport Ministry. All 23 crew members, Indian nationals, were rescued with no injuries, the ministry said. The ship was identified as the Aframax Rio and was hit by “naval drones” on Tuesday, in a Times of India report citing Reuters.

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he has a call scheduled with Putin to discuss a possible case of pneumonic plague in Russia. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said he would be talking with Putin about the case “very soon”, after the death of an employee at an anti-plague institute attributed to pneumonia with an unknown cause, which health authorities are investigating.

The United States State Department reiterated on Tuesday its Level 4 (Do Not Travel) advisory for US citizens travelling to Russia, amid fears of pneumonic plague, according to the Hindustan Times. The US embassy said it was aware of reports from the Irkutsk region of suspected pneumonic plague resulting in one death and of associated quarantine measures in, and closures of, hospitals in Irkutsk. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that the possible case of pneumonic plague in Russia presents very low risk outside Russia.

Two commercial vessels were struck by drones on Tuesday, October 6, in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea — the first attack on shipping in the exclusive economic zone of a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member, according to CBC News. The Togo-flagged Alfa Watan suffered critical structural damage and sank, and the crew’s fate remains unknown. The second ship, registered in Palau, caught fire and its Turkish and Indian crew members were rescued, according to RFI. Bulgaria’s prime minister said, according to CBC News, that the situation is seriously disrupting shipping in the Black Sea, driving up insurance costs even further and making shipping extremely difficult.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will make a working visit to Turkmenistan on October 8-9 for the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) summit, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said. On October 9, Putin holds a bilateral meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, RIA Novosti reported. The agenda includes bilateral cooperation and the crisis situation in the Middle East, Ushakov said. Lavrov arrived in Turkmenistan for the CIS Ministerial Council, according to TASS.

Russia said it intercepted nearly 900 Ukrainian drones overnight on Tuesday over multiple regions of the country, as well as the occupied Crimean peninsula and the Sea of Azov, according to the Defence Ministry in Moscow. Unconfirmed media reports said a major fuel depot in the Moscow region was on fire after the attack, which killed two people. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 650 drones flew towards the Moscow region between Monday evening and Tuesday morning.

About 200 people who came into contact with the dead researcher have been quarantined, and parts of the hospital in Shelekhov where she died have been cordoned off. Igor Kobzev, the governor of Irkutsk, said she died of “pneumonia of unknown aetiology” and that no new cases have been identified among institute staff. Russia's public health authority Rospotrebnadzor said two commissions investigating biosafety procedures at the institute found no evidence of an accident involving pathogenic microorganisms, according to DW, citing TASS.

Russian authorities imposed restrictions on hospital access and are keeping about 200 contacts under surveillance, according to El País. The public health agency Rospotrebnadzor attributes the case to a “pneumonia of unknown etiology” and says it has not found microorganisms linked to her professional activity.

Of the 521 locomotives hit in Ukraine since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, almost 60% have been this year, according to statistics released by the state-owned operator.

Russia said the overnight drone attack saw 868 vehicles intercepted over Russian regions and the Sea of Azov, according to TASS calculations based on Defense Ministry data, with drones shot down over 11 regions, Crimea and the Sea of Azov, including Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk and the Moscow region, according to TASS.

650 drones headed toward the Moscow Region between the night of October 5 and the early hours of October 6, most destroyed at long range and 105 intercepted on approach, according to the mayor of Moscow, TASS reported.

US President Donald Trump said the United States is ready to assist Moscow, if necessary, in a case of pneumonia of unknown etiology detected in Russia, according to TASS. Trump said he is looking at the case closely and that he has not spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin about it, according to Al Jazeera. The Russian health authority said laboratory tests confirmed two cases of Covid-19 and two of rhinovirus. The WHO said that, based on unofficial information, the public health risk to the general population appears low.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the country is closely monitoring the case of the technician who died at a plague research centre in Siberia, with a risk of pneumonic plague, but no cause for alarm, according to the BBC. Irkutsk’s governor announced the cause of death as “pneumonia of undetermined etiology” and said no microorganisms linked to her work had been found in her biological samples. Rospotrebnadzor inspected the Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia and the Far East and found no emergency situation there.

Russian bombs struck a residential area of Kharkiv, in northeastern Ukraine, killing at least five people and injuring more than 50, according to officials cited by Reuters, in a text republished by Yahoo. The toll later rose to six dead and 59 injured, according to Ukrainska Pravda. The attack used guided aerial bombs in the Slobidskyi district, with hits on civilian businesses and near a residential building.

Russia condemned the crime of the FlyDubai co-pilot, according to the Foreign Ministry, in a statement cited by TASS. Australian authorities launched a probe into the Omani co-pilot’s time in Australia after he was detained over an alleged attempt to seize an Israel-bound aircraft and crash it, according to AP, in a text republished by the San Bernardino Sun. The pilot is in custody in the United Arab Emirates after the alleged attempt to take control of the plane.

US President Donald Trump blamed Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries for high gasoline prices on Monday, according to G1. Trump said, in a post on the Truth Social network, that gasoline is being driven up by Russia's refineries hit by Ukraine, and no longer by the Strait of Hormuz, from which record numbers of barrels are coming out on an almost daily basis, according to Gulf News, in a text from the AFP. Prices have been high since the start of the year, when the United States launched its attack against the Iranian regime alongside Israel and Tehran closed the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation, according to G1.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Monday that Tokyo's “unfriendly attacks” will not remain without proportionate countermeasures and that Russia will respond to Japan's new anti-Russian steps, according to Sputnik. Last week, Japan imposed new restrictions against Russia, according to the outlet.

Eleven crew members, nationals of Azerbaijan and India, have been rescued after an attack on a vessel carrying corn in the Black Sea, according to the BBC. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the “horrific” Russian attack on the ship, also according to the BBC. Romania's interior ministry said the ship sank about 30 nautical miles south of its port of Sfantu Gheorghe.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said that at least one person was killed and another wounded in a Russian drone attack on a Turkish-owned civilian vessel in the Black Sea. According to him, Azerbaijani and Indian citizens were on board and the ship’s captain was killed, with eleven crew members rescued and one of them injured; the fate of one other person is still being established. Romanian authorities said, according to AFP, in a text republished by RFI, that two crew died and 11 were rescued after a fire caused the ship to sink.

Participants in the Moscow Format called on Kabul and Islamabad to refrain from military action, according to TASS, and said they were ready to help find political and diplomatic solutions. The October 5 meeting is expected to bring together Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and Pakistan's special representative for Afghanistan, with Russia ready to mediate, according to Ariana News.

Russia's state nuclear company (Rosatom) says two buildings at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant — the laboratory and the radioactive waste facility — were attacked overnight, with roof damage, according to TASS. Rosatom chief Alexey Likhachev said there is no threat to nuclear safety, according to TASS.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the country will stay the course of resolving the territorial issue and concluding a peace treaty with Russia despite the difficult state of bilateral relations, according to TASS.

Several hospitals in Irkutsk imposed three-week quarantines, according to the outlet People of Baikal, in a text cited by Meduza on October 4. The measure followed a case of “pneumonia of unknown cause” in an employee of the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute, according to Meduza. About 200 people at the hospital where the worker was taken were placed under observation, according to The Telegraph.

Russia says that a mercenaries unit from Ecuador arrived in Kharkov for counterattacks in the area of Kazachya Lopan and Goptovka, where about 16,500 mercenaries now serve in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, according to TASS citing Russian security agencies.

The eighth meeting of the Moscow format of consultations on Afghanistan takes place on Monday in the Russian capital, and attendees will discuss the situation in Afghanistan and around it, including the conflict between Kabul and Islamabad, according to TASS.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine is ready to hold trilateral talks with the United States and Russia this month, according to Al Jazeera. He confirmed that the United Arab Emirates, which has hosted previous talks, could again host the meeting.

Russian drones hit a warehouse storing medical supplies in Sumy, killing a 52-year-old employee and injuring three others, according to the Kyiv Independent, citing local authorities, in a text by the Hindustan Times. The Ukrainian embassy in Delhi said the warehouse belonged to Indian owners.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia has transferred jet-powered drone technology to North Korea as part of its intensifying defense partnership, according to the Kyiv Independent. Asked whether Moscow had shared the new jet drone technology with Pyongyang, Zelenskyy’s response was unequivocal: “Yes, of course.”

Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Iran is aware of Russia's proposal to transfer enriched uranium to Russia but will decide based on its national interests, according to TASS. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on October 1 that Moscow's proposal remained on the table.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to Turkmenistan next week for a summit of leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The meeting of the CIS Council of Heads of State will take place on October 9, with Turkmenistan holding the 2026 rotating presidency, according to Sputnik.

Russia's Defense Ministry said it will intensify strikes on military and defense industry facilities in Kyiv and other Ukrainian regions. The decision was presented as a response to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's statement that Ukraine will double down on attacks on Russian refineries, according to Reuters, in an article republished by the Hindustan Times.

Russia's Defense Ministry said Ukraine carried out a deliberate attack on residential areas of Belgorod, where, according to the ministry, there are no military facilities. The strike killed and wounded civilians and damaged apartment buildings, private homes and vehicles, the ministry said.

Russia again struck Kyiv with drones, hitting the North Bridge over the Dnieper during German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's surprise visit, according to the BBC. Merz arrived in Kyiv unannounced with the economy minister and defense and energy executives, pledging long-range weapons and 1,000 specialized interceptors, according to the Kyiv Post. He warned that Russia's war machine will turn against NATO if it is not stopped. The Ukrainian capital is under increasing missile and drone attacks on infrastructure, including the energy sector vital for electricity and heating before winter, according to France24.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said the country will double down on attacking Russian oil refineries in response to a new policy of airstrikes by Moscow, according to CNBC. Zelensky said intelligence documents show an order from Vladimir Putin to expand attacks on infrastructure, logistics, roads, schools and hospitals to pressure civilians into leaving cities, according to ABC News. According to him, Ukraine's response will target Russian energy, especially refineries, without indiscriminately attacking civilian objects, according to The Independent.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Kyiv on Sunday, October 4, for talks with Volodymyr Zelensky, according to the Kyiv Post. Merz said he traveled to Ukraine because the country needs support and that, if Russia is not stopped, its war machine will sooner or later turn against the West. He was joined by Economy Minister Katherina Reiche and executives from the defense and energy sectors, France 24 reported.

Russia's draft budget for 2027 proposes 17.1 trillion roubles (US$ 202.58 billion) for defence, about 27% higher than the 13.5 trillion originally allocated, according to Reuters, in a text republished by the Times of India. The document cuts social policy by 7%, education by 6%, healthcare by 6.8% and the national economy by 7.4%.

The governor of Russia's Belgorod region, Alexander Shuvayev, said 17 municipalities came under 141 Ukrainian attacks over the past day, with 182 drones downed or suppressed, according to TASS. One civilian was killed in Grayvoronsky district and two more died in hospitals after injuries in Belgorod and Krasnoyaruzhsky. Russia's Defense Ministry said Russian forces used Geran drones to strike a data center in Odessa and a Nova Poshta logistics center in Chernomorsk, as well as a ship carrying military supplies.

The A7 network, founded in Kyrgyzstan with Moscow's backing, operates through a constellation of shell companies in jurisdictions such as Hong Kong, Turkey and several African countries, according to El País. An investigation by the Financial Times found that more than $6.9 billion passed through international banks such as Standard Chartered, Citigroup and Deutsche Bank via the scheme.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte urged member states to blame Russia for any incident they consider suspicious, even without irrefutable evidence of involvement, according to RT. Rutte praised Estonia's recent accusation against Russia and called on other nations to follow suit.

A military expert cited by the Russian state news agency TASS, Andrey Marochko, said Ukraine has lost more than 80% of exports shipped through the port of Odessa after Russian strikes on the port of Izmail. According to him, container ships can no longer sail without fear of repercussions, making it impossible to deliver supplies on the scale previously provided by the West.

Aleksandar Vucic, who resigned as Serbia’s president on September 27, said at a pre-election rally that the country will continue to defend its national interests and will not relinquish its traditional friendly ties with Russia, according to TASS. Snap parliamentary elections will be held on October 25, and Vucic will lead the ruling Serbian Progressive Party’s list and become its candidate for prime minister.

Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said in an interview with Iranian broadcaster Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) that Ukraine will need to embrace a neutral, non-nuclear status, reject its nationalist policy course and recognize the four new Russian regions for a lasting political settlement, according to TASS. Medvedev said Russia and Iran are developing joint activities in defense and attach great importance to this, and that Iran plays a key role in ensuring security in the Strait of Hormuz in terms of geography and international law.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Vivaldi operation has de-occupied about 125 to 140 square kilometres so far and is not yet finished, in an interview with Reuters published by Ukrainska Pravda. He also said that Russian casualties rose to 42,000 a month in the recent period, up from 30,000 to 32,000 a month since the start of the year, according to Ukrainska Pravda, citing the Reuters interview.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Ukraine is ready to consider India’s proposal for a ceasefire in energy and the Black Sea, but only in that combination, and that it is the broadest of the four proposals received. The initiatives came from India, Turkiye, Egypt and the United States, Sybiha said. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Indian Prime Minister Modi has “very good ideas” aimed at finding mutually acceptable solutions.

Russia proposed that Moldova conduct a joint investigation into drone incidents, rather than levelling baseless accusations, according to TASS. Russia’s ambassador-designate to Chișinău, Oleg Ozerov, said Moldova blames Russia for all its troubles, following the European Union’s lead, without providing any evidence. Moldova handed a note of protest to Ozerov after three drones violated the country’s airspace on September 30, two of them exploding on Moldovan territory, according to Radio Moldova.

At least five people were killed in the long-range strikes exchanged by Kyiv and Moscow, Al Jazeera reported, and Russia again urged diplomats and foreigners to leave the Ukrainian capital. Russia said its drones had hit the two bridges used to transfer Ukrainian troops and military cargo, the BBC reported.

Talks between the United States and Russia to end the war in Ukraine have expanded to include a proposed multibillion-dollar deal for Lukoil’s international oil assets, according to the New York Times, in a text republished by the Times of India. Russian President Vladimir Putin raised the proposed transaction when he met Witkoff and Kushner at the Kremlin, on September 5, according to people familiar with the meeting. A group led by US investor Todd Boehly has emerged as the leading bidder, alongside Middle Eastern investors and the US government.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Moscow will continue large-scale retaliatory strikes against military targets in Ukraine, in response to what it calls Kiev’s terror against Russians, according to Sputnik. The ministry reiterated its warning to foreign nationals, including diplomatic mission staff, against staying in Ukraine or travelling to its territory.

Polls opened in Latvia for an election taking place against the backdrop of perceived security threats from Russia and a cost-of-living squeeze, according to Al Jazeera. About 1.5 million people are eligible to vote in the country’s 11th parliamentary election since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces took control of the settlement of Novaya Kazachya in northern Kharkov region, according to Sputnik. The village lies a few kilometers from Russia’s Belgorod region and close to Kazachya Lopan, a road and rail hub.

Russia’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mikhail Ulyanov, dismissed the US call for Iran to abandon its nuclear program, according to Mehr News Agency. Ulyanov said Iran is not obliged to abandon the program, which is the country’s inalienable right.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said it will take compensatory measures to strengthen its defense capability in response to what it calls Japan's remilitarization, according to Sputnik. Japan announced plans to use Type 25 missile systems, stationed in the country a few months ago, during the joint Japan-US Keen Sword 27 drills scheduled for October, Sputnik reported.

A strike on Saturday morning damaged the road surface and trolleybus overhead wires on the Northern Bridge in Kiev and blocked traffic, according to the BBC. It was the second major bridge hit in the city in days: the Southern Bridge was targeted several times by Russian drones on Thursday and Friday, the BBC also reported. Russia's Defense Ministry said that overnight drone strikes hit the Severny road bridge over the Dnieper, used to move troops and deliver military cargo, according to TASS.

Russia plans to spend 17.1 trillion roubles ($202.58 billion) on defence in 2027, about 27% more than the 13.5 trillion roubles originally budgeted, and to cut social policy funding by 7%, education by 6% and healthcare by 6.8%, according to Reuters, in text republished by Euronext Live.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday attended the active phase of the Center-2026 strategic exercise at the Chebarkul training ground in the Urals, held from September 28 to October 3, involving more than 47,000 military personnel and contingents from seven foreign states, according to the Kremlin. Troops from China are taking part in the drills, according to the Washington Post.

The secretary general of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Taalatbek Masadykov, said that the military-political situation in the organization’s area of responsibility is increasingly deteriorating and that conflict potential is rising in its border regions, according to TASS.

A live-fire exercise against a maritime target was conducted at the Caspian Flotilla during the Center-2026 drills, the Russian Defense Ministry said. According to the drills' scenario, a simulated enemy attempted to seize a section of the coastline and launch an offensive.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia is open to dialogue on ensuring security in the Black Sea for all countries, but that no specific negotiations on bilateral agreements are currently underway, according to Sputnik Globe.

After Russian drone strikes, the Southern Bridge over the Dnipro was completely closed to traffic in both directions, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko; the Paton Bridge was open one way only, and there were no reports that it had been hit. The drones struck the support structures of the Southern Bridge on Thursday, according to Reuters, in a text republished by AOL. A separate strike on a 25-storey residential building killed one person and wounded at least two.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has “very good ideas” for a settlement in Ukraine and raises the issue at “every meeting”, according to The Hindu, in remarks made on Thursday at the annual meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club, according to TASS cited by the paper.

The US Department of the Treasury sanctioned the A7 Network as a significant transnational criminal organization, described as a shadow banking network with ties to Russia used by the Iranian regime to evade sanctions, according to the Treasury. The Treasury Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) also proposed a rule to prohibit fund transfers involving the network sub-agents, according to the statement.

Russian drones hit a major bridge in Kyiv on Thursday for the first time since the start of the conflict with Ukraine, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP). The Southern Bridge in central Kyiv was again hit by a Russian drone on Oct. 1 and into the early hours of Oct. 2, with damage reported, according to the Kyiv Independent.

Russian President Vladimir Putin ruled out a ceasefire on long-range strikes with Ukraine, as Moscow steps up its campaign of aerial attacks on Kyiv, Al Jazeera reported. Putin said Ukraine had “partially achieved its objectives” with those strikes and that attacks on Russian oil refineries had cost the country 1 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP). He added that Russia would prefer to end the conflict through talks and wanted Ukraine to be a neutral country after the end of hostilities.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the offer to transfer part of Iran's enriched uranium to Russia remains on the table and that everyone had initially agreed, according to TASS. Putin also said he hopes the Strait of Hormuz will reopen and sanctions on Iran will be lifted, according to the agency.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow would consider using all weapons at the country's disposal in the event of a direct attack on Russia, including Kaliningrad, according to Bloomberg. The Hindustan Times also reported the warning about using all types of weapons if Kaliningrad is attacked.

Russia plans to spend 17.1 trillion roubles ($202.58 billion) on defence in 2027, around 27% more than the 13.5 trillion roubles originally budgeted and the highest figure since the start of the war in Ukraine, in 2022, according to Reuters. The government raised its estimate for its 2026 budget deficit to 3.2% of gross domestic product (GDP), from 1.6% previously, the agency reported. The explanatory note for the 2027–2029 budget draft projects the 2026 federal deficit at 3.2% of GDP, or 7.335 trillion roubles, according to TASS.

A Russian drone hit a school in Kyiv on Thursday while children and staff were hiding in shelters, and there were no immediate reports of casualties, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Two other Russian drones hit an important bridge connecting eastern and western Kyiv, forcing the suspension of metro services and ground public transport. Ukraine’s nuclear safety watchdog said a Russian drone hit the grounds of a nuclear research facility in Kyiv on Wednesday, causing a fire but leaving the facility’s test reactor undamaged. The United Kingdom announced a new package of 31 sanctions on Russia, aimed at stemming funding to the “Kremlin war chest, propagandists and torturers”.

Iran's ambassador to Moscow, Kazem Jalali, told TASS that Tehran is grateful to Moscow for the remarks made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the UN General Assembly. Jalali called Lavrov's speech excellent and cited Russia's firm stance on Iran.

Russia launched the heaviest combined attack on Ukraine's energy sites in months, hitting power facilities and infrastructure around Kyiv and other regions, according to France24. Seven people were killed in the strikes, according to Ukrainian officials. Ukraine's state power grid operator Ukrenergo said it had imposed emergency power cuts in Kyiv and three surrounding regions.

Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius said there is no real proof that Russia is preparing an attack on North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) territory, according to RT, following a meeting with the alliance’s chief, Mark Rutte, in Brussels — Sinkevicius said he asked Rutte whether there was any real proof from intelligence services and that the answer was that there is none, also according to RT.

Russian forces took more than 50 settlements in September, according to TASS calculations. In the breakdown by battlegroup published by the agency, Battlegroup North took 30 settlements, Center nine, South four, West one and East six.

Papal envoy Cardinal Matteo Zuppi discussed humanitarian issues in the Ukraine war in talks with Russian officials and visited Ukrainian prisoners of war, Russia's Foreign Ministry said, according to Reuters, in a text republished by KFGO. Zuppi met Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov and addressed prospects for a settlement, prisoner exchanges and displaced children. This was his third visit to Moscow since 2023, and he told TASS his primary mission is to help find solutions to humanitarian issues.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry summoned Danish Ambassador Rolf Holmboe and lodged a strong protest on September 30, according to TASS. Moscow accuses a Danish Air Force Fennec helicopter of “unprofessional and provocative actions” involving the Baltic Fleet corvette Soobrazitelny, which occurred on September 14 in international waters in the southwestern Baltic Sea, according to the same agency.

Russia views European factories producing arms for Kiev as military targets, according to a diplomat cited by the state-run TASS.

The Russian Embassy in Ireland said in a statement on Wednesday that Moscow would be ready to use its entire arsenal, including nuclear weapons, to defend Kaliningrad if the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) tries to isolate the territory, according to the Kyiv Independent. The embassy said NATO is preparing an air and naval blockade of the region, without providing evidence or identifying the source of the claim. A Russian document sent to the alliance and obtained by Reuters says Moscow would use “its entire arsenal” to defend Kaliningrad, according to G1. NATO confirmed it had received an “informal document” from the Russian Embassy in Belgium with the warning about Kaliningrad, according to RTE.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyi said Russia launched the largest attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure since the spring, primarily targeting Kyiv and the surrounding region, according to the BBC. At least six people were killed and 33 injured in the overnight attacks across the country, including a child in the Kyiv region, according to local authorities cited by the BBC. DTEK, a major private Ukrainian energy company, said crews had restored electricity to about 8,000 households after the attacks, according to Al Jazeera. Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces had struck power infrastructure in the Kyiv region, according to Al Jazeera.

Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Director Sergei Naryshkin on Wednesday described his contacts with the leadership of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as good, Sputnik reported. CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Moscow on August 25 and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the trip was related to contacts between the intelligence services. Since his appointment in January 2025, Ratcliffe has maintained regular contact with his Russian counterpart, SVR chief Sergei Naryshkin, The Moscow Times reported.

Russian airstrikes killed a child and injured five people in Kyiv and the surrounding region early on Wednesday, according to officials cited by Reuters. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said fires hit houses, a store and a warehouse in the capital, leaving two people injured. Ballistic missiles struck Kyiv overnight and disrupted electricity in parts of the city, according to the Kyiv Independent.

The Zaporizhstal steelworks, which employs 8,500 people, shut down indefinitely after four waves of Russian attacks — two in August and two in September, according to the BBC. Russia fired 17 missiles at the plant, said Oleksandr Myronenko, chief operating officer of Metinvest, the steelworks owner; eight workers were killed and 31 were wounded.

The Russian Embassy in Ireland said, according to the TASS news agency, that Russia is ready to use its entire arsenal, including nuclear weapons, to defend its territory if countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) try to isolate the Kaliningrad Region from the rest of the country. The diplomatic mission said there has been information that NATO is preparing an air and naval blockade of Kaliningrad and the Kaliningrad Region.

Russia’s Ministry of Defence said a dry cargo ship carrying military equipment for Ukraine’s armed forces was hit this afternoon by a drone strike in the northwestern part of the Black Sea, according to Sputnik Globe. The ministry added that it continues striking port infrastructure and vessels used to support Ukrainian troops.

The CEO of the Russian state corporation Rosatom, Alexey Likhachev, said Russia is discussing with Iran the construction of new small-capacity or high-capacity nuclear power plants, according to TASS.

Ukraine’s air force said Russia fired ballistic missiles and dozens of jet-powered drones at Kyiv on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, according to The Associated Press (AP), in a text republished by The Hindu. Ukrainian authorities said the barrage hit apartment buildings, houses and public transportation in Kyiv, wounding one person, according to AP, in a text published by U.S. News & World Report. Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces hit data processing centres in Kyiv that Moscow says are used by the Ukrainian military.

Peskov, a Kremlin spokesperson, said Estonia's accusations that Russia is allegedly behind the arson of a military plant in Tallinn are baseless, ill-considered and cannot be taken seriously, according to TASS. Peskov reiterated that Russia will continue its “special military operation” to fully ensure its national interests.

The Kremlin said it would not want Iran to leave the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and hopes the country remains an important and responsible party to the treaty, which it called the cornerstone of the non-proliferation regime, according to TASS. Ali Nikzad, vice speaker of Iran’s parliament, said Tehran is considering withdrawing from the NPT, the agency reported.

Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said an investigation by the Estonian Internal Security Service (KAPO) concluded that a fire at Estonian defense company Milrem Robotics was an arson attack commissioned by Russian security services, according to G1. The Kremlin denied involvement and called the Estonian accusation unfounded, the same outlet reported. According to ERR, Michal said he could state with full confidence that the attack on Milrem on the night of August 15 was an act of sabotage commissioned by Russian special services.

Russia hit port facilities in overnight strikes on the Odesa region, according to the Guardian. Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed it struck the Bimobail and Parkovy data processing centres in Kiev — which handled data for the Ukrainian army, according to Sputnik Globe. Moscow also listed two dry cargo vessels among the night’s targets — one in port, one at sea, according to the same source.

Pope Leo XIV urged Russia and Ukraine to sit at the negotiating table to resolve the conflict, according to TASS. According to the agency, the pope said the Church has a responsibility to continually invite leaders, such as those of Russia and Ukraine, to dialogue. Reuters reported that the appeal was made on Monday and that the pontiff urged the two countries to discuss how to end their four-year war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree setting the authorized strength of the Russian armed forces at more than 2.44 million people, including 1.55 million service members. The ceiling is 15,500 people above the previous decree. According to the Kyiv Post, the document, No. 700, was published on Russia’s official legal information portal and is the fourth such decree signed this year, according to Russian state-owned media TASS.

The Russian embassy in Belgium warned NATO that the alliance’s policy on Russia’s Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad heightens the risk of a direct military confrontation. The diplomats said Russia has the means to repel potential aggression and stands ready to deploy its entire available arsenal of weapons, according to TASS.

Waves of jet-powered Russian drones hit central Kyiv, striking the National Academy of Sciences and a large, state-of-the-art medical center, according to The Washington Post. The newspaper describes the attacks as part of a campaign that is turning the Ukrainian capital into a daytime war zone.

Russia’s uninterrupted bombardment killed at least seven people and wounded more than 80 in Ukraine on Monday, according to The Associated Press. On Sunday, September 27, Russia hit the headquarters of Kyivstar, the country’s largest mobile provider, causing no casualties, and Russia’s Defence Ministry said it struck a data center belonging to Vodafone Ukraine, the country’s second-largest cell network operator, according to Reuters. In Kyiv, the National Academy of Sciences building was hit in the Shevchenkivskyi district and a woman died, according to the city military administration.

The European Union (EU) imposed sanctions on 10 Russian judges, prosecutors and officials for preventing the Yabloko party from taking part in the State Duma elections, according to the Council of the EU, in a statement reported by TASS. The sanctions include a ban on entry into the EU. According to the Council, Yabloko was the only political party that openly opposed Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.

Russian strikes killed three people in Kyiv, including one in an attack on a building housing the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences. A jet-powered drone strike hit the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in the capital, killing one person and wounding four, according to local authorities. The State Language Protection Commissioner said two academicians were killed in the strike on the Academy building, with contact lost with others. President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine struck two defence plants in the Tula and Voronezh regions, as well as oil facilities in the Krasnodar region, in a post on X.

The Kremlin said on Monday that arms control negotiations between Russia and the US are far behind and that, once resumed, they will require lengthy and careful talks, according to Reuters, in a text republished by G1. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said such negotiations should have resumed “yesterday” and that China has repeatedly made clear that it would not take part in the trilateral arms control negotiations proposed by US President Donald Trump, a position that, as far as Moscow knows, has not changed.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said that Russia does not trust Japan’s promises to remove US missile systems after the joint military drills are over and warned that such actions will not go unanswered, according to TASS. In an interview with the Izvestia daily, Rudenko said the Japanese authorities promised that the missiles would supposedly be removed after the drills ended. According to earlier reports, US forces were set to deploy on Kyushu Typhon ground-based systems, designed to launch intermediate- and shorter-range missiles, along with HIMARS launchers, during drills held from June to September.

US President Donald Trump said Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Kyiv may ease strikes on Russian oil refineries, according to TASS. In an interview, Zelensky said he would only stop the strikes if a ceasefire were established with Moscow and declared that “our lives are more important than the price of energy” while defending his strikes against Russian oil refineries, according to Yahoo News.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the UN amid worsening ties and fresh security tensions, according to DW. Lavrov made clear that Russia will veto any attempt by Germany and Japan to obtain permanent seats on the Security Council, according to AP.

Russia’s ambassador to India, Denis Alipov, said Russia is ready to supply India with as much oil as the country needs, according to TASS. Alipov said the United States will seek to contain India as the country grows stronger and emerges as a global power. According to him, BRICS countries support the use of national currencies as an alternative to the US dollar, without opposing the American currency.

Russian strikes killed eight people across Ukraine on Sunday, according to France24, with AFP, a day after Moscow vowed to pursue the war. Three people, including a 16-year-old girl, were killed in a strike on a children’s centre in the northern city of Sumy, according to Interior Minister Ivan Vyhivskyi. France24 also reports that three people were killed in night-time strikes on the southern Zaporizhzhia region and a Russian drone strike killed one man in Kyiv, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky. Zelensky said Russia launched more than 2,200 attack drones, around 1,650 aerial bombs and 38 missiles over the past week.

Strikes exchanged between Russia and Ukraine overnight and on Sunday killed at least six people in Ukraine and one in Russia, according to officials. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia struck twice at a data centre in Kyiv on Sunday morning, wounding two children and an adult. On the sidelines of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov brushed off on Saturday what is believed to have been the first face-to-face meeting with his German counterpart since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Russia hit the headquarters of Kyivstar, Ukraine's largest mobile service provider, on Sunday; the company told Interfax Ukraine that its head office in Kyiv had been hit, but there were no casualties, according to Reuters. Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces continued strikes on communication and logistics centers, as well as maritime vessels used in support of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, according to Sputnik Globe. The ministry also said a logistics center of the Novaya Pochta company in Odessa, which was used to store military cargo, was struck.

According to the chief of the Joint Staff of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the relevance of the bloc’s joint exercises being held in Russia is due to the extremely complex military-political situation in the world, the Russian state news agency TASS reported. At the opening, the Interaction-2026 command-and-staff exercise, the Poisk-2026 special reconnaissance exercise and the Echelon-2026 logistics support exercise are taking place in Russia.

The Russian Ministry of Defence said the Armed Forces carried out overnight drone strikes against logistics centers, port and transport infrastructure, communications centers and vessels operating on behalf of the Ukrainian military, according to TASS. The ministry said it hit the Vodafone data center in Kiev, one of the largest providers of mobile communications and high-speed internet to the Ukrainian military, including the transmission of intelligence data, and that it hit in the port of Kiliya the headquarters of the Vostok naval base, a State Border Guard Service outpost, four warehouses with military equipment and port infrastructure facilities. According to Sputnik, the ministry also said a dry cargo vessel was hit while transiting at sea, having been delivering military equipment and dual-use cargo to the port of Odessa.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called at the UN General Assembly for broader representation for Asia, Africa and Latin America and backed the candidatures of Brazil and India for a permanent seat on the Security Council, according to The Hindu. Lavrov said Russia cannot envisage or allow any new “Western seats,” because the West is already overrepresented, and that the interests of the African continent must be satisfied, according to TASS. He spoke at the General Assembly session in New York on Saturday night, according to the Indian Express.

Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Pope Leo XIV’s special envoy for Ukraine and president of the Italian Episcopal Conference, told TASS he is travelling to Moscow on Sunday. According to him, the mission is to support the parties’ efforts on children evacuated from combat zones, prisoner exchanges and civilian problems arising from the conflict.

Russian attacks killed four people across Ukraine on Saturday, September 26, officials said, according to The Hindu (PTI). A Ukrainian drone attack on the Krasnodar region killed three people and wounded two, local officials said.

The meeting between the German and Russian foreign ministers on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly is believed to be the first of its kind since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, according to PBS. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul called on Russia to abandon its “dangerous path of escalation” with Germany, Europe and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in the talks with Sergei Lavrov. After the meeting, Lavrov said that “nothing new came from” the conversation.

The Donetsk regional government department for recording Ukraine’s war crimes said Ukrainian armed forces carried out 31 attacks on settlements in the Donetsk People’s Republic over the past 24 hours, wounding one civilian, according to TASS. Three residential buildings, passenger cars, specialised machinery and three civilian infrastructure facilities sustained damage, the statement said.

The ArcelorMittal Krivoy Rog, Ukraine’s largest steel producer, halted production after repeated Russian attacks, the company announced on Friday, according to RT. The mill was struck four times over five weeks, killing five workers, according to SBS, citing Reuters, and the company said safe and sustainable operations were no longer possible. With Zaporozhstal and Kamet Steel halted, the three plants that accounted for about 90% of Ukraine’s steel output are shut down, according to the Financial Times.

Vladimir Putin’s envoy Kirill Dmitriev said Russia and Germany could jointly restart the Nord Stream gas pipeline, sabotaged four years ago, according to TASS, citing his post on X. Dmitriev was commenting on a proposal by Tino Chrupalla, co-chairman of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), to conduct an international probe into the sabotage and insist that the two pipelines be repaired and reopened.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia may agree to a transfer of S-400 missile systems from Turkey to a third friendly country, but that no such requests have been made so far, according to the Russian state news agency TASS. He also said Moscow believes the Anchorage summit yielded an agreement and is still ready to go back to it.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused European countries of making every effort to hamper a peace settlement and disrupt the negotiations sought by Donald Trump’s administration, in a speech at the UN General Assembly. Russia, together with other responsible states, he said, stands ready to contribute to stabilizing Hormuz and the Gulf, which he called a strategically important region.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul met on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly, the first meeting between the two countries’ top diplomats since the start of the war in Ukraine, according to Anadolu Agency. The meeting took place at Germany’s request, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

Vladimir Putin and his Serbian counterpart, Aleksandar Vucic, have discussed the situation around the Ukrainian conflict and the situation in the Balkans in a telephone conversation, according to TASS. Serbia hopes to secure another extension of its gas deal with Russia, Vucic said Saturday after a call with Putin, according to Euractiv. The gas arrangement expires on September 30, and Vucic said he believes that, following today’s conversation, it will be extended and that Serbia will secure stable gas supplies.

The Russian Ministry of Defense said its troops had taken control of Marino, in Sumy province, and Petrovavlovka and Lozovaya in the Kharkiv region. The same ministry said the Ukrainian Army had suffered 245 casualties in the last 24 hours in the sector where the Northern group of Russian forces operates, according to Mehr News.

Vladimir Putin said Russia is not preparing for any kind of hostilities with Europe and that Moscow has no real motive to escalate tensions with European countries, according to the Hindustan Times. According to him, proposals to resume negotiations with Ukraine are on the table, but the steps to take in response to the Ukrainian attacks will be given careful thought.

Ukraine’s General Staff said units of the Defense Forces struck the Ilsky oil refinery, in the Ilsky district of Krasnodar Krai, in Russia, on the night of September 26, and that a fire broke out at the facility. Krasnodar Krai Governor Veniamin Kondratiev confirmed that drones attacked the Seversky district, where the refinery is located, and said there were fatalities and one person seriously injured. The General Staff described the refinery as a facility that fuels Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine.

Russian air defenses shot down nine drones flying toward Moscow, according to the city’s mayor, Sergey Sobyanin. The total number of drones downed approaching Moscow since the start of the day reached 20, according to TASS.

Russia's Defense Ministry said the country's air defenses intercepted and destroyed 645 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones overnight, over Russian regions and the waters of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces hit the Novaya Pochta logistics center in the Odessa Region, where military cargo for the Ukrainian army was stored, and the Cosmonova data center in Kiev, which provided mobile internet and supported the Starlink satellite communication system for the Ukrainian forces. Operator Cosmonova confirmed that the data center’s premises were damaged in the attack, with no employees injured and data preserved through geographic redundancy.

India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met in New York with his Russian and Iranian counterparts, Sergey Lavrov and Abbas Araghchi, on the margins of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. Jaishankar said he discussed bilateral issues and BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) cooperation with Lavrov. Russia’s Foreign Ministry said, according to TASS, that the two discussed the Ukraine crisis and the situation in the Middle East. With Araghchi, the Indian minister said he discussed the latest developments in the Gulf conflict.

Rodion Miroshnik, Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry, told TASS that Europe’s reaction to corruption scandals in Ukraine clearly shows that Europeans themselves are involved in them. According to him, even the heads of European states are involved in these corruption schemes. The accusation was not confirmed by another source.

Denis Pushilin, head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), said that the United States and Europe support terrorism at the highest level and that Kyiv’s militants can already assemble explosive-laden drones from parts sold in children’s toy stores, according to Russia’s state news agency TASS. The accusation comes from one of the parties to the conflict and has not been confirmed by an independent source.

The governor of the Russian region of Krasnodar, Veniamin Kondratyev, said the Seversky District was attacked by a drone, with fatalities and one seriously injured person hospitalized, according to the Russian state agency TASS. According to him, debris damaged a residential building and fires broke out on the premises of two enterprises.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein noted the importance of international efforts to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East, according to the Russian state news agency TASS. Lavrov concluded his series of meetings at the U.N. General Assembly with talks with the deputy chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council.

Russia is ready to assist developing countries in strengthening their national capacity and ensuring economic sovereignty, according to Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin. The statement was made at a high-level event at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York, dedicated to the fifth anniversary of China’s launch of the Global Development Initiative (GDI).

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita the further development of bilateral relations and the resolution of regional crises on the basis of the UN Charter, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry. The meeting took place in New York during the high-level week of the UN General Assembly. The two ministers reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining effective foreign policy coordination on pressing issues on the regional agenda, including with a view to resolving the issue of Western Sahara and other ongoing conflicts through political and diplomatic means.

Bloomberg reported, in a text republished by RT, that U.S. President Donald Trump suggested that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky travel to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). According to people familiar with the conversation cited by Bloomberg, Zelensky rejected the idea, which reportedly upset Trump. The Ukrainian Presidential Office told Ukrainska Pravda the report was “false information”.

India told Washington that the new sanctions law against Russia and Iran could affect bilateral ties and the international energy market, according to Shafaqna India, citing a statement from the Indian government. The bill authorises President Donald Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on countries that keep buying Russian oil and gas, with India among those exposed, as reported by Streamline Feed from Al Jazeera and The Times of India. New Delhi says its energy policy will keep being guided by energy security for its 1.4 billion people, with diversified sourcing, according to the Economic Times.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia has widened its attacks to target data centres and internet providers, according to BBC News. On Friday, September 25, 2026, a Russian drone hit a business centre in Kyiv, killing four people and damaging a data centre, the same report said. Russia’s defence ministry confirmed it had hit the Datagroup site, which it said was being used by Ukrainian military intelligence.

Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, tied a resumption of talks with Ukraine to Russia’s electoral calendar: he said negotiations would hardly be possible before the State Duma elections, but that after them Moscow would be ready to resume them, Ukrainska Pravda reported, citing a briefing carried by the Russian state news agency TASS. Putin also said that on the night of 19–20 September more than 1,600 drones entered the Moscow zone and that polling stations were hit — a claim coming from the Kremlin itself.

The Trump administration has made legally binding commitments to spend almost the entire $400 million package Congress approved for military aid to Ukraine, preventing the money from expiring on September 30, according to U.S. News. By early this week, $307 million of the $400 million under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) had been obligated, and the remaining $93 million is to be locked in before the end of the fiscal year.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday, 25 September 2026, that Ukraine so far has no “counter-action” or “antidote” against Russia’s Geran drones, in remarks carried by TASS. Putin also said provocations by Kyiv will not bring the result they seek and only worsen Ukraine’s position, according to TASS, and questioned the purpose of Ukrainian strikes on warehouses of marketplaces such as Wildberries and Ozon, which he described as civilian facilities.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday, September 25, 2026, that trade with China had reached $240 billion and keeps growing, TASS reported. Putin said he intends to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen, China, depending on the domestic situation, TASS reported, and that Russia welcomes any positive agreement between China and the United States, Sputnik reported.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the country has no aggressive intentions toward Europe and is ready to restore relations with European countries, according to the Anadolu Agency: “I want to state once again: Russia has no aggressive intentions toward Europe or European countries,” he said. “There are simply no grounds for this whatsoever.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Ukrainian attacks on Russian and foreign-flagged merchant vessels and tankers — including ships linked to the United States and Turkish merchant vessels hit by drones — prompted Russia’s retaliatory actions, according to the Russian state news agency TASS. Peskov also said Moscow is in no hurry to name new ambassadors to the United Kingdom and France, because normal bilateral relations with both countries are missing, according to TASS.

Swedish and Finnish fighter jets were scrambled to intercept and identify Russian military aircraft in international airspace over the Gulf of Finland on Thursday, September 24, 2026, according to the Finnish Air Force, cited by The Hindu. The Russian group included a transport plane and several fighter jets, according to the Finnish statement, cited by The Hindu.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said it struck the DataGroup data center in Kyiv on Friday, September 25, 2026, claiming the facility handled the processing and transmission of intelligence data for Ukraine’s armed forces, according to Sputnik Globe. Operator Datagroup confirmed that its data center in Kyiv was damaged in an attack on Friday afternoon, with no injuries and services running from backup sites, according to Interfax-Ukraine. The company said customer data was preserved and that all services continued to operate from redundancy sites, according to Interfax-Ukraine.

Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen, China, scheduled for November 18 and 19, should adopt a substantial package of documents setting the region’s future course, including a joint declaration by the bloc’s leaders, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry, cited by TASS. The package will also include statements on connectivity, the digital economy and artificial intelligence (AI), with intense negotiations under way, TASS reports.

Moldova’s former president Igor Dodon, leader of the largest opposition party, the Party of Socialists, said the country overpaid roughly US$ 330 million for gas over the past two and a half years after cutting ties with Gazprom and buying from the European Union (EU) at prices 40% higher, according to Dodon, cited by TASS. He says the formula agreed with Gazprom in 2021 would have delivered an average price 15% below the European average and roughly US$ 745 million in accumulated savings between 2022 and 2026, TASS reports.

Gazprom said gas supplies to China through the Power of Siberia pipeline in the first half of 2026 exceeded those of the same period in 2025, according to the Russian state company, cited by TASS. Gazprom says it became the largest gas exporter to China in 2025, with 38.8 billion cubic metres delivered via Power of Siberia, 800 million above its initial contractual obligation, TASS reports.

Ukrainian drones struck markets in the Nikitovsky and Tsentralno-Gorodskoy districts of Gorlovka, in eastern Ukraine, according to mayor Ivan Prikhodko, cited by TASS. Emergency services reported one civilian killed and another injured in the strike on the market in the Nikitovsky district, TASS reports.

Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said Moscow expects the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to approve Russia’s bid to chair the forum in 2035, and that China and Vietnam already back the request officially, according to the Russian state news agency TASS. Rudenko said similar assurances came in contacts between Russian officials and countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and that a number of other delegations had reacted positively.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said any solution for security in the Black Sea has to be comprehensive and requires “very complex negotiations”, and said Turkey has sent proposals on the matter to Moscow, among others, with no specific talks under way, according to the Russian state news agency TASS. Peskov also tied the return of Russian diesel exports to international markets to the safety of navigation and to the lifting of sanctions and restrictions against Russia, according to TASS.

European Union (EU) member states approved the terms to release €6.6 billion from the European Peace Facility, the fund the bloc uses to finance military aid to countries outside it, in support of Ukraine, according to Kaja Kallas, the bloc’s top diplomat, as cited by the Russian state news agency TASS. Of the total, €900 million go to the EU Military Assistance Mission for Ukraine, €1 billion finances new joint procurements and €4.7 billion are set aside to compensate participating countries, according to TASS. The money refunds governments for military aid already delivered, Reuters reports, in a text carried by Cyprus Mail.

Belarus’s Defense Ministry said Belarusian troops are heading to a training range in Russia, where the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) will hold drills with its Collective Rapid Reaction Forces, according to the Russian state news agency TASS. The exercises are Interaction 2026, a command and staff drill, Search 2026, for special reconnaissance forces and assets, and Echelon 2026, for logistics, the ministry’s statement said.

Russia’s Defense Ministry claims to have encircled Dobropolye, a Ukrainian defensive hub in the Donbas, with units of its Center group advancing toward Aleksandrovka, according to a report by Europe Sun. Moscow argues that holding the town allows it to cut the lateral supply route to Ukraine’s remaining strongholds in the region, in an analysis by Sputnik Globe.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi briefed his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on the state of Iran’s negotiations and agreements with Oman to ensure safe navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, according to TASS. According to Moscow, the two agreed that only a diplomatic settlement can end tension in the Middle East, The Jerusalem Post reports, citing Reuters.

Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev is expected to meet U.S. officials in New York to discuss Washington’s latest proposals for de-escalating the war against Ukraine, the Kyiv Post reports. In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the possibility of a trilateral meeting was discussed in a phone call between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, with no details settled, according to TASS.

A Russian drone struck a 16-storey residential building in Kyiv’s central Pechersk district, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring at least seven people, RTE reported. In the same assault, Russia launched nearly 300 drones on the night of September 25, many of them jet-powered; a 25-storey building in the capital was hit at the level of the fourth floor, and one person died in Odesa, according to RBC-Ukraine.

The Russian-installed governor of the Zaporozhie region, Yevgeny Balitsky, said three volunteers from the Omsk region were killed and two were wounded in an attack on a vehicle carrying humanitarian aid near the village of Novobogdanovka, in the Melitopol district, according to TASS, which described the episode as a “cynical terrorist act.” There is no independent confirmation of the attack.

Russia’s permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, called the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors’ resolution reporting Iran to the United Nations Security Council “disgraceful” and accused Western countries of “complete irresponsibility” within the body, at a news briefing on Thursday, September 24, 2026, according to TASS, cited by News-Pravda. The resolution, submitted by the United States, Britain, France and Germany, was adopted on September 9, 2026 by 23 votes in favor, three against and eight abstentions, with Russia, China and Niger opposed, and asks IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi to report Iran to the Security Council and the UN General Assembly, according to AFP, in a report published by the Khaleej Times. According to AFP, it is the first time in 20 years that Iran has been reported to the Security Council for failing to comply with its nuclear reporting obligations.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday, September 25, 2026, that there are no specific details yet regarding the organization of a trilateral meeting on Ukraine, Sputnik Globe reports. The United States has proposed technical-level trilateral talks between Ukraine, the United States and Russia, with the United Arab Emirates suggested as the venue, and Kyiv is waiting for Washington to set a date, according to the Kyiv Post.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Kirill Dmitriev, President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy, is continuing contacts with U.S. negotiators focused on potential economic cooperation, TASS reports. According to Peskov, such cooperation is “currently absent,” but there is an understanding it could be mutually beneficial and that discussions about the possibilities are under way, the agency reports.

The Novoshakhtinsk refinery in the Rostov region temporarily suspended operations after a drone attack, the Straits Times reports, citing governor Yuri Slyusar. Russian air defenses destroyed about 50 drones over the region overnight, and the export-oriented refinery — with annual capacity of 5 million metric tons — halted activity, according to the same Straits Times report.

Russia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) put turnout in the State Duma elections at 59.8%, with 67,448,094 ballots cast, TASS reports, citing commission chairwoman Ella Pamfilova. United Russia took 349 seats — 140 in the federal district and 209 in single-member constituencies — Sputnik Globe reports from the same count, below the earlier projection of around 355 seats noted by The Moscow Times.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly and backed a diplomatic way out of the Gulf crisis, Sputnik Globe reports, citing a Russian Foreign Ministry statement. The statement blames the United States and Israel for the crisis and says there is no alternative to a diplomatic settlement, as the Jerusalem Post notes on the meeting.

Russian President Vladimir Putin relieved Andrei Kelin of his post as ambassador to Britain, a position he had held since November 2019, in a decree published on Friday, September 25, 2026, according to TASS. The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed the end of Kelin's planned tenure and said Putin will name a replacement “in due course,” according to The Moscow Times.

Russia's Defense Ministry said it intercepted 592 Ukrainian drones between the evening of September 24 and the morning of September 25, Moscow time, told TASS. One man was killed by drone shrapnel in the Perm region and 8 people were wounded in Ulyanovsk, including teenagers aged 14 and 17, according to regional governors. Overnight, drones struck industrial sites in Rostov — including the Novoshakhtinsk refinery — Perm, Ulyanovsk and Voronezh, according to Ukrinform.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb appealed to American businessman Elon Musk to expand Starlink coverage and let Ukraine strike ballistic-missile launchers inside Russia, according to TASS. Musk said enabling that use requires a White House decision, and Trump gave no clear answer to Zelensky's requests, according to the Russian agency.

Providers in Kyiv reported damage to data centers in the Russian attack of September 23, leaving about 100,000 households with internet problems in the capital and surroundings, according to the Kyiv Independent. An expert heard by TASS said the strikes on data centers will “disrupt troop control” by Ukrainian forces, which relies on the internet, according to TASS.

Chinese journalist Li Xiang said the killing of women, children and civilians is a “red line” when commenting on the attack on the Starobelsk Pedagogical College, he told TASS. According to the Russian account — still without independent confirmation — Ukrainian drones struck the college’s academic building and dormitory on the night of May 22, 2026, killing 21 people, with 86 children present, according to TASS.

European Commissioner for Energy Dan Jorgensen told the Financial Times that the European Union could face its worst winter since 2022, with record energy prices and possible supply problems coming from the United States, according to TASS, which reproduces the interview. Diesel in Europe is near record highs and U.S. President Donald Trump said he intends to back a ban on the country’s diesel exports, also according to TASS. The diesel price hit an all-time high of €2.23 per liter, according to European Commission data cited by the AFP news agency, in the TASS reproduction.

Ukraine killed two people in overnight drone attacks on Russia and struck an oil refinery and a passenger train, Russian officials said, according to Devdiscourse. In the Perm region, home to a major refinery, Governor Dmitry Makhonin said one man died during a massive drone attack, according to Devdiscourse.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said it hit enterprises of the military-industrial complex, logistics centres and naval vessels linked to Ukrainian forces on the night of September 25, Izvestia reports, citing the ministry. The alleged targets include a drone assembly site in Borispol, logistics centres in Odessa and Nerubayskoye, and the port of Reni.

Swedish and Finnish fighter jets were scrambled on Thursday, September 24, to intercept and identify Russian military aircraft, CGTN reports, citing the Finnish Air Force. Reuters also recorded the interception of a Russian military aircraft by Swedish and Finnish jets.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov handed United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres a Russian report on the alleged falsification of the events in Bucha, on the sidelines of the General Assembly, and asked the UN Secretariat to examine the case in detail, according to the Russian state news agency TASS, which cited the Russian foreign ministry. According to TASS, the report attributes the episode to Ukraine and its North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) sponsors. The UN has not confirmed the handover of the document, and the accusation comes from the Russian side.

Russia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) meets on Friday, 25 September 2026, to establish the final results of the election to the ninth convocation of the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, according to the TASS news agency. Regional commissions were given until 25 September to review all complaints and appeals filed and complete the necessary inquiries before the official outcome is proclaimed, CEC chair Ella Pamfilova told the agency.

One man was killed and another wounded in Russia’s Belgorod Region, on the border with Ukraine, after a Ukrainian drone hit a truck, according to the regional crisis response centre cited by TASS. In the Volga region of Ulyanovsk, the agency reported a massive drone attack that wounded at least seven adults and one child. Both tolls come from Russian official sources and have no independent confirmation.

The European Union (EU) is weighing measures to curb the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competitions under their national flags, according to reporting by Euractiv. The options under discussion include targeted sanctions, visa restrictions and possible funding curbs; Russian state broadcaster RT reports that the proposals sit in a non-paper by the EU diplomatic service and the European Commission and that no formal proposal by the bloc exists yet.

Kirill Dmitriev, special envoy of the Russian president and chief executive of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), met in New York with US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and with Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, according to TASS, which attributed the report to CNN sources; the three discussed US-Russia cooperation and a peaceful resolution to the war in Ukraine, the Russian agency reports; TASS adds that Witkoff and Kushner visited Moscow on September 5, 2026, where President Vladimir Putin received them, and met Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, in Kyiv the following day.

A massive drone attack is under way in the Russian city of Ulyanovsk, in the Volga region, on Friday, September 25, 2026, with damage to industrial and civilian infrastructure and casualties, according to regional governor Alexey Russkikh, in a message on the Max messenger cited by TASS; “air defenses and our mobile fire groups continue to repel a massive drone attack on the city of Ulyanovsk,” the governor said, adding that the casualties are receiving medical assistance; according to monitoring channels cited by the Kyiv Independent, the Iskra plant, which makes components for communications and radio technology, was struck in the city.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said relations between Russia and Japan keep deteriorating severely, with contacts limited to isolated matters, and placed the initiative to normalize the situation with Tokyo, in an interview with TASS.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orban said she is ready to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to discuss bilateral relations, in remarks to the Index news portal during the high-level week of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), according to TASS; she said that although she has not yet spoken with Lavrov, diplomatic relations continue as normal.

Marine Le Pen said she does not want France to go to war with any nuclear power, recalling that Russia is a nuclear power, according to TASS; in an interview, she stated that under her presidency France would not contribute financial aid to Ukraine.

The second Global Digital Forum, set for October 8–10, 2026 in Moscow, has drawn applications from representatives of more than 100 countries, including dozens of high-level delegations, according to TASS; the event's official website confirms the dates and program.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow expects the national leaders of the Sahel to attend the Russia-Africa summit, scheduled for 28 and 29 October in Moscow, according to the state news agency TASS. Russia’s foreign ministry says the dialogue with the Confederation of Sahel States is moving fast and cites the consultations held on 8 July in Niamey.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday, September 24, 2026, on the sidelines of the High-Level Week of the 81st General Assembly, behind closed doors and without statements to the press, according to Russian state agency TASS. The meeting had been on the schedule since Monday, when UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said it was set for Thursday evening.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said he cannot entertain diplomatic relations with Israel while the rights of Syrians are usurped, citing as core concerns the territories Israel has occupied since December 2024 and the Golan Heights, speaking at a panel hosted by the Washington-based think tank Atlantic Council on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, according to Middle East Eye. He said talks with Israel reached ‘almost 90 per cent’ agreement before Israeli pullbacks and that Damascus regards the Golan as Syrian territory whose sovereignty is not open to negotiation, according to the Jerusalem Post. Al-Sharaa also said Russia kept 170 bases in Syria and now operates two, both for training Syrian forces, according to Middle East Eye.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov meet in New York on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, according to the State Department, cited by the Kyiv Independent and the Ukrainian news agency UNN. The meeting was scheduled for 9 a.m. (UTC-4) and comes a day after President Donald Trump’s talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who said he was ready for an energy ceasefire if Russia accepts the same terms. Lavrov addresses the Assembly on Saturday, September 26, and Russia’s Foreign Ministry said the agenda includes Moscow–Washington relations and cooperation between the two countries at the UN.

Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the choice of the next United Nations secretary-general cannot come down to “pure arithmetic” and that consultations among the five permanent members of the Security Council will be required, according to TASS. Kirill Logvinov, head of the international organisations department at the Russian ministry, told the agency that after the September 18, 2026 indicative vote, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett of Guyana, Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica and Olara Otunnu of Uganda were leading, but that each has between five and seven votes against, and that Moscow expects full-fledged consultations among the five to begin soon. According to [The Guardian]({GUARDA_ONU}), three rounds of secret balloting have not produced a clear frontrunner: the winner needs nine votes from the 15 council members and no veto from any permanent member, and António Guterres’s term ends on December 31, 2026.

The UN Human Rights Office documented 1,004 cases of sexual violence against civilians and prisoners of war in Ukraine between 24 February 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion, and the end of July 2026, according to the report the office published on 18 September 2026 and G1’s account. Of the total, 89 percent of the cases were attributed to Russian authorities, including members of the armed forces, the prison service and the national security service, and 11 percent to Ukrainian authorities. Most of the victims were men, particularly in places of detention, and the documented violations include gang rape, genital mutilation, electric shocks and beatings to the genitals and other degrading acts of a sexual nature. The youngest rape survivor was four years old and the oldest 82; both were perpetrated by Russian authorities. Many of the men reported electric shocks to the genitals with a Soviet-era military field telephone known as a “tapik”, a method used in 155 cases, or 27 percent of the total, against Ukrainian prisoners of war and retained medical personnel. Almost half of the violations attributed to Ukrainian authorities against Russian or third-country prisoners of war consisted of threats of sexual violence. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said Russia, “given the high prevalence of cases attributed to its forces”, must take concrete steps to protect civilians and prisoners of war from all forms of torture, and called on both countries to investigate all credible claims. Investigators interviewed about 10 percent of the prisoners released by both sides and never had access to Russian-controlled territory, Danielle Bell, head of the UN human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine, told G1.

Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said Spain intends to comply with the European Union’s ban on importing Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) from 1 January 2027 despite long-term contracts held by Spanish companies, according to TASS, the Russian state news agency, which carried his remarks at an Atlantic Council event in Washington. “LNG supply contracts are concluded years in advance. These are very long-term contracts. This is not something that can be decided at the last minute,” Albares said. He added that Spain has one of Europe’s largest LNG storage and processing capacities and that this “opens up opportunities for the rest of Europe,” which Madrid can supply with LNG from “reliable partners, such as the United States.” The European ban on Russian LNG imports takes effect on 1 January 2027 for long-term contracts, and the ban on pipeline gas on 30 September 2027; the European Union Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER), in a 2026 report, records that Russian LNG imports rose 17% year-on-year between 18 March and the end of May 2026, despite the ban on short-term contracts in force since 25 April.

French President Emmanuel Macron used his final address to the United Nations General Assembly as head of state to urge countries to recommit to international law and the UN system against what he called a resurgence of the “law of the jungle.” According to Agence France-Presse (AFP) and The Hindu, he called for a “double moratorium” halting strikes on civilian and energy targets in the war between Russia and Ukraine: “We must protect the civilian population, and this is why we’d like to express our support for a double moratorium, a moratorium on strikes on energy and civilian infrastructure.” On Gaza, he said that “some claim that peace has been achieved, but this has not opened up humanitarian deliveries” — “a spectacle that shames us all,” as he put it. Macron also proposed that countries pool investment capacity to build an open-source frontier artificial intelligence (AI) model: “I don’t want anyone to become the vassal of one of the great powers,” he said.

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, said on Tuesday, 22 September 2026, on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York that Ukraine is ready for “any kind of format” of energy ceasefire with Russia as long as Moscow stops attacking Ukraine’s energy system. He said he does not know Russia’s position and hoped “the American side will find a way” to bring Moscow to any kind of negotiations, according to France 24, which carried the remarks with Agence France-Presse (AFP). Zelensky spoke after a 40-minute meeting with US President Donald Trump, which he described as “positive and productive” and about which he wrote on X that “both the US and Ukraine want to see this senseless Russian war ended before winter”, according to Arab News. In his account to reporters, he said a unilateral halt to Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries was not discussed, and that he is willing to take part in a trilateral meeting with Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump had told reporters, before the meeting, that he and Zelensky would discuss Ukrainian attacks on refineries in Russia: “It is a serious hit on the Russians. It’s also a serious hit on the price of diesel,” he said, according to Reuters, in a dispatch carried by The Sacramento Bee. The previous week, the US president had said Russia and Ukraine had agreed not to strike each other’s energy infrastructure; no deal was confirmed and both sides kept up attacks in the following days, as reported by NBC News.

In his debut at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on Tuesday, 22 September 2026, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham accused Russia of an “industrial-scale assault” on the information environment and of trying to interfere in the United Kingdom’s 2019 general election: “Russian agencies have used every means at their disposal to spread lies and disinformation and prey on people’s fear. They’ve used bots and fake websites. Falsified newspaper articles. Forged the branding of 28 British organisations — including universities and the BBC,” he said, according to the Daily Express and Al Jazeera. Burnham said the Kremlin spends around £ 1.3 billion each year on manipulating information and announced a new National Centre for Information Defence to detect, attribute and disrupt hostile state information attacks and identify deepfakes damaging British interests, according to Reuters, in a report published by the Global Banking & Finance Review. The body starts out under the prime minister’s office and will work with intelligence agencies, government departments, the police and social media companies, according to the Daily Express. The prime minister said the United Kingdom has already supported Moldova in protecting its elections from Russian interference and that the country is ready to lead an international effort to set standards for artificial intelligence (AI).

US president Donald Trump said on Tuesday, 22 September 2026, that his administration is studying whether to apply the law expanding sanctions on Russia and Iran, which he signed on 18 September 2026 and which is known as the “hell sanctions” bill: “That’s something we’re certainly studying. It’s a very severe bill,” he told reporters before his meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, according to TASS. Asked whether he intended to raise secondary sanctions on Russia’s trading partners in his meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping, set for this week in Washington, Trump replied: “Probably.” The law, chiefly authored by senator Lindsey Graham, who died on 11 July 2026, provides for tariffs of up to 100% on the five largest buyers of Russian oil and gas and secondary sanctions on countries that help Moscow evade the measures, as well as restrictions on Russia’s political and military leadership, state banks and the “shadow fleet” of oil tankers.

The foreign ministries of Russia and Belarus said the two countries have called for 25 September 2026, on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, the ministerial meeting that launches negotiations on the Eurasian Charter of Diversity and Multipolarity in the 21st Century, according to Russia’s state agency TASS, citing the Russian ministry, and the Belarusian ministry’s press service as carried by Reform.news. The initiative is Belarusian, put forward in 2023, with Russia joining as co-author of the text. The two ministries held consultations in Minsk on 10 September 2026 to prepare the launch of the negotiations. Both governments present the document as a basis for relations among Eurasian states built on sovereignty, equality and the indivisibility of security.

Republican senator John Curtis of Utah called on Tuesday, 22 September 2026, for the US Senate Judiciary Committee to investigate the use of presidential family relationships for private financial benefit and to subpoena Donald Trump Jr. and Hunter Biden, according to the Associated Press and ABC News. In the letter sent to committee chairman Chuck Grassley and ranking Democrat Dick Durbin, Curtis cited Trump Jr.’s wedding after-party in the Bahamas in May 2026, partially paid for by Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev, head of the International Boxing Association (IBA) and close to Vladimir Putin. The case was revealed on 14 September 2026 by ProPublica, which reported that Kremlev covered hundreds of thousands of dollars, including the rental of a private island and a fireworks display, through an IBA-affiliated entity in Dubai. “The country should not have to accept one standard for the family of a Republican president and another for the family of a Democratic president,” Curtis wrote, also raising the family-backed crypto ventures, international real estate deals and investments in defense contractors. Durbin backed the request, saying that to ignore the matter “is to run the risk of being complicit in a cover-up”; the committee confirmed it had received the letter but said the Senate calendar makes a hearing difficult this year. Trump said last week that his son repaid Kremlev, offering no public evidence of the payment.

Donald Trump said on Tuesday, 22 September 2026, in his address to the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) that Washington is working “very closely” with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine and that a deal to end the war will come “more quickly than people understand”. The Kyiv Post reported that he said he would use, if necessary, the tariff powers granted by the law he signed the previous week — a measure that allows tariffs of up to 100% on buyers of Russian energy. Asked by reporters before the speech what message he had for Vladimir Putin, Trump said: “Settle the war.” CNBC reported that Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday, 21 September, that “a large number” of Russian diesel refineries had been “blown up”, that Russia has “lost control” of its diesel oil industry because of the war, and that the conflict must end, with “25,000 people, mostly soldiers, killed each month”. The average US retail price of a gallon of diesel rose above US$6.50 for the first time, according to AAA figures cited by CNBC, as Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries and the war with Iran squeeze global supplies. At the bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the Assembly, Trump said the two were discussing “figuring out a solution” and that “they’re going to reach a deal”, without saying what it would be; The Jerusalem Post, citing Reuters, reported that he said Putin is willing to meet to end the war, and that the two leaders are expected to discuss the deployment of Patriot missiles in Ukraine.

The executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), Fatih Birol, said on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, at an energy forum organised by Foreign Policy magazine that Europe faces a “very harsh winter”, possibly one of the hardest in recent years, with gas storage at historically low levels, according to the TASS news agency. Birol said European countries have decided to phase out Russian gas completely by 2027 and can no longer receive gas from the United Arab Emirates and Qatar because of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, pushing them to seek supply from the United States and Norway. European storage stood at 69% of capacity on September 17, 2026, below the 85% five-year average for the season, according to Reuters, which cites industry body Gas Infrastructure Europe.

Lithuanian president Gitanas Nausėda said on Tuesday, 22 September 2026, that a new rotation of US troops is “already on its way” to the country, resolving part of the uncertainty over the military presence in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ally bordering Russia, as reported by Reuters, Stars and Stripes and Mezha. Nausėda thanked Donald Trump and said the “US military presence in Lithuania is an indispensable part of our deterrence and collective defence”; Lithuanian foreign minister Kęstutis Budrys said “US boots on the ground are essential for deterrence, defence, and security on NATO’s eastern flank”. The United States has kept rotations in Lithuania since 2019, with battalions of about 1,000 troops. Stars and Stripes reported that the contingent is normally drawn from the Poland-based brigade, that the number and origin of the troops have not been disclosed and that the Pentagon had not publicly confirmed the deployment: in May 2026 defence secretary Pete Hegseth ordered a rebalancing of forces in Europe, withdrawing up to 5,000 troops from Germany and cancelling the move to Poland of the armoured brigade based at Fort Hood, Texas, which left the troops in Lithuania without a replacement.

German investigators found a suspicious substance that may be explosive a few metres from where parts of a drone were discovered near the Wunstorf military airfield in Lower Saxony, according to reporting by NDR, WDR and Süddeutsche Zeitung published by tagesschau on Tuesday, September 22, 2026. The drone, broken into several pieces, was found by a farmer about a week earlier roughly a kilometre from the base where Germany’s fleet of A400M transport aircraft is stationed, and at least one component was 3D-printed. Investigators are working on the assumption that the drone also carried explosives, but forensic analysis of the substance is not complete. The federal prosecutor’s office (Generalbundesanwalt) and the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) are examining whether there is a link to the foiled attack with explosive-laden drones at Leipzig/Halle airport in early August 2026, which the German government blames on Russia and Moscow denies. Investigators believe the drone may have been at the site for up to two years, and the case was discussed at the weekly intelligence meeting at the federal chancellery.

The European Union (EU) sealed on Tuesday, 22 September 2026, the deal renewing sanctions on nearly 3,000 people and companies accused of supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine for three years and removing billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the list, after Latvia relented and opted for a constructive abstention, according to Euronews and The Guardian. Ireland’s presidency of the Council of the EU confirmed the “difficult compromise” hours before the midnight deadline: the rollover moves from six months to 36 months, until 22 September 2029. According to diplomats cited by Euronews, France tied Usmanov’s delisting to the release of two French nationals held in Azerbaijan, and Slovakia vetoed keeping Fridman on the list; The Guardian reports that Luxembourg had asked for the same treatment for Fridman, who is seeking $16 billion from the grand duchy over the freezing of his assets. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the decision unacceptable and publicly thanked Latvia for its resistance.

Lithuania’s Parliament voted on Tuesday, 22 September 2026, to lift the ban on stationing nuclear weapons on the country’s territory, with 99 votes in favour, five abstentions and 13 against. The amendment to Article 137 of the Constitution still needs two votes three months apart, on 6 October and 12 January, each requiring at least 94 of the 141 lawmakers.

Interpol elected Brazilian Valdecy Urquiza as its secretary-general on Tuesday, 22 September 2026, with 118 votes, according to the Russian state agency TASS, which cited a briefing by Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev in Beijing. Urquiza had been the international cooperation director of Brazil’s Federal Police. Source: Interpol.

The Dnipro steelmaker Interpipe Steel halted production after an overnight Russian strike killed four of its employees, according to the Kyiv Independent and TASS. The Ukrainian company said production equipment and infrastructure were damaged and that it is assessing how long the shutdown will last. Russia's Defense Ministry said the same day it carried out a mass strike on metallurgical and chemical plants and on fuel and energy facilities, including the plant. Interpipe employs around 9,500 people and exports to more than 50 countries, and its products become fuselage, propulsion and wing components for long-range drones, according to TASS.

Russia raised frozen pollock fillet exports to the European Union (EU) by 16% in volume and 44% in value between January and July 2026, according to calculations by the analytical centre of the Russian Fish Union, published by TASS, which cites Eurostat data. Sales totaled 113,000 tonnes worth US$ 513 million in the period, and Russia's share of the European market for the product rose from 44% to 51% by weight, keeping the country as the largest supplier. Frozen cod exports stood at 6,300 tonnes (US$ 58 million) and frozen cod fillets at 6,400 tonnes (US$ 78 million). The figures come from the industry body itself, and the EU maintains bans on higher-value Russian fish products.

Latvia blocked the compromise that would have renewed European Union (EU) sanctions on almost 3,000 people and companies linked to Russia’s war in Ukraine, and ambassadors of the 27 will meet again on the morning of Tuesday, September 22, 2026, in a last attempt before the listings expire at midnight, according to Euractiv and The Guardian. The deadlock began with France’s demand to delist Russian-Uzbek businessman Alisher Usmanov, on grounds Paris describes as “national security” and which diplomats link to the release of two French nationals held in Azerbaijan; the removal of businessman Mikhail Fridman was then sought by Luxembourg, the target of a $16 billion arbitration he has filed, according to The Guardian, while Slovakia vetoed keeping him on the list. In exchange for the delistings, Paris and Bratislava accepted widening the renewal period from six months to three years, a concession that did not convince Riga. Without unanimity by midnight, some 3,000 asset freezes and travel bans lapse at once. The sectoral sanctions on the Russian economy, renewed for a year in June, are not affected by this standoff.

Latvia is the last-minute block on the package that would renew European Union (EU) sanctions on nearly 3,000 people and companies accused of sustaining Russia’s war in Ukraine, according to The Guardian. Latvian prime minister Andris Kulbergs wrote on Monday, 22 September 2026, that “extending sanctions for 36 months would be the right step”, but that he cannot accept the price being the removal of billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the list. Without a deal, the sanctions lapse at the end of this Tuesday, 22 September 2026; a short one-week extension, already used once, looks like the likely outcome. France and Slovakia are pushing the delistings, and Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, called the plan “unacceptable”. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said all western sanctions are illegal and should be revoked.

Lithuanian prime minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius told BBC Newsnight that the country has evacuation plans ready and that the population is affected by overnight drone alerts in Lithuanian airspace, according to The Guardian. Sinkevičius said the elderly and people with disabilities would be priority groups, and that the government is working on several scenarios. On the same day, the head of the Czech Republic’s security service, Michal Koudelka, told the newspaper that a limited Russian incursion into North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) territory is possible, along with false-flag provocations and a massive influence campaign, on a horizon of “months, not years”. Separately, Lithuanian president Gitanas Nausėda said a new rotation of United States troops is on its way to the country and will be no smaller than previous ones: up to 1,000 US troops have been stationed in Lithuania on rotation since 2019.

Ambassadors from the European Union’s 27 member states again failed to reach a deal on Tuesday, 22 September 2026, to renew sanctions on nearly 3,000 people and entities tied to Russia’s war in Ukraine, which are due to expire at midnight on Tuesday. Latvia rejected the compromise that would remove billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from the list in exchange for a 36-month renewal of the remaining listings, according to Reuters and The Guardian. France backs Usmanov’s removal, diplomats say, to unlock the release of French nationals held in Azerbaijan. Without unanimity by midnight, roughly 3,000 listings — asset freezes and travel bans — fall at once.

The number of people missing since the start of the conflict in Ukraine has reached 275,000, according to the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, in an interview with the Russian newspaper Vedomosti published on Tuesday, 22 September 2026 and cited by TASS. She said the ICRC records an average of 10,000 new search requests a month and has been increasing the number of answers given to families. The figure comes from the ICRC itself, the organisation that mediates cases between the parties, and is not a government estimate.

Lithuania’s prime minister, Mindaugas Sinkevičius, told BBC News that the country has evacuation plans in the face of Russian threats and that, if attacked, “we will fight back”. In an interview with the Newsnight programme, he said Lithuanians feel “constantly threatened”, partly because of drones entering the country’s airspace, and that the government is working on “a variety of scenarios”, not all of them discussed publicly, citing as an example moving elderly residents out of cities without traffic jams. Lithuania’s Interior Ministry approved a population evacuation plan on 14 July, and details released on 16 September set out three main routes out of the capital, one of them using Poland’s Podlaskie province as a transit corridor, according to Newsweek. The interview comes a week after North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) fighter jets shot down a drone that entered Lithuanian airspace from the direction of Belarus, according to BBC News. Lithuania shares a land border with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.

Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Alexander Alimov, was denied a visa to enter the United States and is not attending the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, calling it “another unfriendly act”, according to G1. Peskov said the refusal contradicts US obligations as the UN host country and that Moscow will raise the case with Washington. Iran reported a similar case: its diplomacy, cited by TASS, said the United States denied visas to journalists in President Masoud Pezeshkian’s press pool. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov travelled to New York and holds a bilateral meeting on Wednesday with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Lithuania’s prime minister, Mindaugas Sinkevičius, told BBC News his country has drawn up evacuation plans for “a variety of scenarios” in the face of the Russian threat, while saying Lithuanians “will not surrender” if attacked: “we will fight back, we will engage”. In an interview with the Newsnight programme, also BBC News, he said Lithuanians feel “constantly threatened” by Russia, in part because of the drones entering the country’s airspace, and gave the example of getting elderly citizens out of cities “smoothly”. Lithuania borders the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad and is a NATO member that shot down a drone entering its airspace a week ago; Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas told BBC News the aircraft came from the direction of Belarus, a Russian ally, which did not comment on the incident.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Tuesday, 22 September 2026, that units of its “Centre” group of forces completed the encirclement of Ukraine’s main defence centre in Dobropillya, in the Donbas, claiming that two Ukrainian National Guard brigades — the 4th and the 15th — and the 425th Assault Regiment “Skala” were surrounded, in the ministry’s daily briefing carried by Sputnik. Ukraine’s General Staff did not confirm the encirclement: in the update released on Tuesday covering 21 September it recorded 248 combat clashes along the front, the highest number in the Pokrovsk sector, and listed Russian assaults in the Dobropillya, Novyi Donbas, Myrne and Bilytske directions. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a US-based analysis centre, assessed on 21 September that Russia is maintaining the highest tempo of attacks on the front there, averaging 32 a day since 1 August, without establishing footholds.

The Kuibyshev refinery, one of the largest in Russia’s Samara region, was hit by drones overnight into Tuesday, 22 September 2026, and a major fire engulfed the plant, according to the Russian opposition outlet ASTRA, which geolocated footage filmed by residents, and the Kyiv Independent. Samara governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev said “dozens of drones” struck industrial enterprises and that homes and vehicles were damaged, without reporting casualties. The refinery sits 765 kilometres from the Ukrainian border and can process up to 10,000 metric tons of oil a day, according to Reuters, and was already forced to halt operations by a strike on 10 June 2026. Russia’s Defence Ministry said it intercepted 297 drones over 14 regions and occupied Crimea — a figure that has not been independently verified — and the federal air transport agency restricted flights in Samara and other cities in the region overnight.

United Russia, the party of President Vladimir Putin, won 355 of the 450 seats in the State Duma, Russia’s lower house of parliament, according to preliminary results with more than 95% of ballots counted, announced on Monday, September 21, by Central Election Commission (CEC) chair Ella Pamfilova. The tally includes single-mandate districts, exceeds the party’s previous record of 343 seats in 2016 and preserves its constitutional majority of 301 seats, enough to amend the constitution without support from other parties, according to Reuters. The Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF) came second with 40 seats, the ultranationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) took 25 and New People 20. Voting ran from September 18 to 20 and was the first Duma election since Russia launched its full-scale war against Ukraine; on the final day, Russia’s Defence Ministry said it downed 1,110 Ukrainian drones across 19 Russian regions and Crimea. The anti-war Yabloko party won no federal seats but cleared the 5% threshold in the Novgorod regional parliament, Reuters reported.

Russia’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment told the TASS news agency that projected output on the country’s continental shelf amounts to 23 million tonnes of oil and 53 billion cubic metres of gas in 2026, with 2027 forecast at the same level, in line with the technical design documentation for the fields. The figures are projected levels set in the fields’ technical documentation and do not correspond to volumes already extracted, according to the ministry. Russia has 75 oil and gas fields on the continental shelf, 20 of them already producing.

Operators of civilian nuclear plants in the United States bought 13 million separative work units (SWU) of enrichment services in 2025 at an average price of $108.70 per SWU; 77% came from foreign suppliers, and Russia accounted for 26% of that foreign-origin SWU — ahead of France (18%), the United Kingdom (14%) and the Netherlands (8%), according to the annual uranium marketing report of the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). The 2024 US law that bans imports of Russian uranium lets the Department of Energy grant waivers when alternative supply is unavailable, and that authority expires in January 2028; new enrichment projects in the United States and among allies are not expected to reach commercial scale before 2029, according to Bloomberg. Foreign Policy reported on Tuesday that Russia remains the largest supplier of enrichment services to US nuclear utilities.

India’s largest refiners have begun seeking alternative crude cargoes for November delivery and may cut purchases of Russian oil after the US sanctions law raised the threat of tariffs of up to 100% on goods from countries that buy Russian energy, Bloomberg reported, citing people involved in the discussions. Russian imports have already eased and are expected to average about 1.9 million barrels a day in September, more than 35% of the total and the lowest since April, according to Kpler. India is the world’s third-biggest crude buyer and had taken more than half of its imports from Russia in some recent months. Iraq has emerged as the main alternative: 535,000 barrels a day in the first half of September, against an August average of 163,000 barrels a day, also according to Kpler. Replacing the Russian volumes will be hard: Urals delivered to India cost about US$133 a barrel at the end of last week, according to Argus Media, and negotiations for November cargoes begin in the final week of this month.

United Russia elected 49 deputies who took part in the war against Ukraine, the party’s general secretary, Vladimir Yakushev, said on Monday. He first said 86 veterans of the “special military operation” would be elected and later revised the figure to 49. The former combatants will hold about 11% of the 450 seats in the Duma, the lower house of Russia’s parliament, where Vladimir Putin’s party won 355 seats, its highest tally ever and above its 2016 record of 343. The Communist Party took 40 seats, the ultranationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) 25, and New People 20 — all of them support the military campaign in Ukraine. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the figures point to “the highest level of consolidation” of Russian society around the head of state. Yabloko, the only registered party that opposed the war, was barred from the election by Russia’s Supreme Court, and the European Union called the vote a setback for democracy. The results come from a count with 95% of ballots processed, when United Russia had 57.83%, according to the election commission chief, Ella Pamfilova, up from 49.8% in 2021.

Moscow’s refinery, owned by Gazprom Neft, has halted crude oil processing after fires broke out at both of its primary crude distillation units following a Ukrainian drone attack on 20 September, according to three industry sources cited by Reuters. The sources said repairs and the restart of operations could take several weeks. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Sunday that an industrial facility on the refinery’s premises had been damaged in the attack. The AVT-6 unit has a capacity of 21,400 metric tons per day, 53% of the total, and EURO+, 18,800 tons per day, the remaining 47%. According to the sources, the refinery processed 11.6 million tons of crude in 2024, about 230,000 barrels per day, and produced 2.9 million tons of gasoline, 3.2 million tons of diesel and 1.3 million tons of bitumen. Gazprom Neft did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

Ukraine has 608 locomotives damaged since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022: 533 belonging to the state railway company Ukrzaliznytsia and 75 to private companies, according to the Minister for Reconstruction, Infrastructure and Transport, Mykola Kalashnyk. The country is negotiating a “railway coalition” agreed at the Carpathian Eight meeting in Bukovel, with Austria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Czechia, and has secured USD 100 million in grant funding under the RELINC project to buy used locomotives on international markets, plus EUR 130 million from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for energy resilience. Slovakia will transfer three electric locomotives.

Russia’s Central Election Commission said Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party won the State Duma election with 57.83% of the vote and 355 of the 450 seats, beating the party’s previous record of 343, according to Reuters and Agence France-Presse (AFP). Turnout was above 59%, and the Communist Party finished second with 40 seats, followed by the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) with 25 and New People with 20. The three-day vote was held without parties critical of the Kremlin or of the war in Ukraine — the only one calling for an end to the fighting was barred from the ballot. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the figures pointed to “the highest level of consolidation within Russian society around the head of state”, while European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas dismissed the “so-called” election and said “the veneer of democracy is all that remains in Russia”. It was the first parliamentary election since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in 2022.

Ukraine launched more than 1,600 drones at Russia in the early hours of Sunday, about 450 of them towards Moscow, on the last day of Russia’s parliamentary election, according to Russian officials in reports by Reuters and Times Now; Moscow’s mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, called it “the most massive” attack on the capital and said one of the drones shot down on approach hit the Kapotnya refinery, run by Gazprom Neft, as well as a residential building. Russia’s Defense Ministry says it downed 1,100 drones nationwide, including over Crimea and the Black Sea, and Moscow region governor Andrei Vorobyov said 249 were brought down over the region and that two people were killed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the operation hit an oil facility and a logistics site; Vnukovo airport suspended all operations and Sheremetyevo imposed “temporary restrictions”.

Russia’s Central Election Commission said that, with 95% of ballots counted, United Russia took 57.83% of the party-list vote and is set to win around 355 of the State Duma’s 450 seats, according to The Moscow Times and Meduza. Commission chief Ella Pamfilova said the result surpasses the party’s previous record of 343 seats in 2016 and preserves its constitutional supermajority, which requires 301. Turnout was close to 60%, the highest since 2003, according to Kommersant. The European Union dismissed the vote as “sham elections,” RFE/RL reports, and independent analysts described it as the least competitive in modern Russian history. The commission said final results will be released by Friday at the earliest.

European Union ambassadors failed to reach a deal on Monday to renew sanctions against Russia, which expire at midnight on Tuesday (22), according to AFP and Euractiv. France has joined Slovakia in demanding the removal of billionaire Alisher Usmanov from the list, citing “national security,” while Luxembourg makes the removal of Mikhail Fridman a condition; a diplomat told AFP that the compromise on the table removes both names and extends the rest for up to 36 months. Renewal requires unanimity among the 27, and on 14 September the bloc had already extended the listings by only seven days — a move EUobserver calls unprecedented since 2022. The list covers around 3,000 people and entities. The Financial Times reported that the French request is tied to a possible deal to release French nationals held in Azerbaijan; no government has confirmed the link.

Donald Trump signed on Friday the Russia sanctions law that requires the US president to impose, within 30 days, tariffs of up to 100 percent on goods from the five largest buyers of Russian oil and gas and duties of at least 500 percent on Russian goods, according to Reuters and Fortune. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Russia “does not threaten any state in Europe” and that the sanctions law does not help revive bilateral relations, according to Sputnik.