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Reuters: The U.S. ambassador to Ukraine said on Thursday that Ukrainian pilots were undergoing training in the United States on F-16 fighter aircraft, a key element on Kyiv's wish list to secure the weaponry it needs in its war against Russia.

Important Stories: One of deadliest Russian missiles, the Kalibr, contains foreign electronic components. And they continue to be supplied to Russia despite the sanctions. IStories uncovers the supplier of contraband microelectronics for these weapons.

POLITICO: As Hamas officials travel to Moscow, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has suggested that Russia is benefitting from war in the Middle East and may be engineering a second front.

Nikkei Asia: Since Hamas' Oct. 7 assault on Israel, groups of "hacktivists" have been launching cyberattacks against Israel. They include Russia-aligned groups Killnet and Anonymous Sudan, which had previously targeted Ukraine and nations supporting it.

The Hill: U.S. Lawmakers criticized the State Department for its lack of communication and urgency when dealing with political prisoners and hostages during a U.S. Helsinki Commission hearing Wednesday.

The U.S. Defense Department announced on Oct. 26 it would provide Ukraine with another military assistance package worth around $150 million. The aid package includes air defense capabilities, artillery shells, anti-tank weapons, and other equipment needed to repel Russian aggression.

The Kyiv Independent: Denmark has pledged a military aid package to Ukraine worth 3.7 billion Danish kroner ($520 million), including T-72EA tanks, BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles, artillery shells, drones, and small arms, the Danish Defense Ministry announced on Oct. 26. The tranche also includes engineering and recovery vehicles, which have been co-financed by Germany, the ministry said.

Defense News: Slovenian drone maker C-Astral recently provided reconnaissance systems to Ukrainian troops, the company told Defense News this week. Slovenia does not shy away from voicing its support for Ukraine. But when it comes to military aid, the country has generally decided to keep most details classified.

The Moscow Times: Russian lawmakers backed a record increase in military spending to fund Moscow's offensive on Ukraine, in a first reading of the bill Thursday. “Defense” spending will account for almost a third of all outlays in 2024 — up 68% to 10.8 trillion rubles ($115 billion).

The Insider: Russian Defense Ministry issues regulation on “cannon fodder” penal units allowing prisoners to be executed, IStories reports.

Meduza: Russian state-owned companies and government agencies have spent over a billion rubles (over $11 million) on defense against drone attacks this year, according to the investigative outlet Agentstvo. That’s more than six times what they spent on drone defenses in 2022.

AFP: Germany has arrested a businessman for allegedly selling components to Russia that are used in military gear, including drones currently deployed by Moscow's troops in Ukraine, prosecutors said Thursday.

BBC News: A court in Stockholm has acquitted a Russian-born Swedish man of gross unlawful intelligence activity against the US and Sweden.

The Kyiv Independent: Ukraine will soon step up its production of shells by involving private companies in the process, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksii Danilov said on Oct. 26.

Reuters: Ukraine's central bank cut its key interest rate to 16% from 20% on Thursday, its third consecutive easing this year as inflation continues to slow and the war-torn economy starts to recover.

AFP: Slovakia's new populist Prime Minister Robert Fico said Thursday that his government was stopping military aid to Ukraine.

Bloomberg: Sanctioned Russian assets frozen in Belgium have generated nearly €3 billion in profits as European Union states continue to haggle over what to do with the money.

Reuters: Until producers can get steel to markets via the Black Sea, where Russia continues to pose a threat to shipping, there is little prospect of recovery for a sector second only to agriculture in its importance to Ukraine's economy.

Clooney Foundation for Justice: Dossiers of evidence of Russian war crimes in Ukraine have been presented to German federal prosecutors at the start of a campaign to use the principle of universal jurisdiction to bring war criminals to justice.

The Kyiv Independent: The European Union is falling short of its target of providing Ukraine with one million rounds of artillery shells by March, unnamed sources told Bloomberg.

worth mentioning

Russian aluminium giant Rusal pivots towards China

Yegor's High Price for Protesting the War

Russian billionaire Fridman loses challenge over mansion upkeep

Detained Ukraine tycoon Kolomoisky gives up control of 1+1 Media for five years

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