26.10.2025

RBC-Ukraine: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia has concentrated its main strike group against Pokrovsk, making the situation there difficult. Fierce fighting is ongoing on the approaches to the city, and Russian sabotage and reconnaissance groups are operating inside Pokrovsk.

The Kyiv Independent: Russia faces an increase in the arson and “spontaneous combustion” of electrical panels, railway relay cabinets, and other infrastructure helping Moscow wage its war against Ukraine over the past week, Ukraine’s military intelligence said on Oct. 26.

United24 Media: Ukraine’s Air Force confirmed that its air defense systems are capable of intercepting Russia’s new jet-powered guided bombs, known as reactive KABs, which have recently been used in limited strikes across Ukrainian regions.

Reuters: Slovakia will not take part in any European Union programme aimed at financing military help for Ukraine in its fight against Russia's invasion, PM Fico said on Sunday.

The Kyiv Independent: Ukrainian forces liberated two villages in eastern Donetsk Oblast about 30 kilometers (19 miles) north of embattled Pokrovsk, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said on Oct. 26.

AP News: Russia tested a new nuclear-capable and powered cruise missile fit to confound existing defenses, inching closer to deploying it to its military, Putin said in remarks released on Sunday.

ISW: Russian forces are making gains near Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad (directly east of Pokrovsk) that are significant but likely do not portend the imminent collapse of Ukrainian defenses in the area.

The Kyiv Independent: Russia launched a drone attack on Kyiv overnight Oct. 26, killing at least three people and injuring at least 32, including seven children, in strikes on residential buildings, local authorities said.

25.10.2025

Reuters: Trump said on Saturday he does not plan to meet with Putin until he thinks a deal is in place to secure peace between Russia and Ukraine.

BBC: Trump also said he would like China's help to deal with Russia as he seeks to bring an end to the war in Ukraine.

Reuters: Trump's admin has prepared additional sanctions it could use to target key areas of Russia's economy if Putin continues to delay ending Moscow's war in Ukraine. U.S. officials have also told European counterparts that they support the EU using frozen Russian assets to buy U.S. weapons for Kyiv, and Washington has held nascent internal conversations about leveraging Russian assets held in the U.S. to support Ukraine's war effort.

The Insider: In Russia’s Chelyabinsk Region, a series of court cases against a member of the local elite are following an increasingly familiar pattern: after years of seemingly willful neglect, authorities are filing corruption charges against wealthy individuals whose political ties once protected them from prosecution.

Reuters: The governor of Russia's Belgorod region said on Saturday that Ukraine had struck a dam on a local reservoir, causing damage.

The Moscow Times: Russian overnight drone and missile strikes killed four people and wounded some 20 others in Ukraine capital Kyiv and several other regions, authorities said Saturday.

ISW: The Kremlin continues to push the Russian Central Bank to pursue economic policies that will likely exacerbate Russia’s economic instability.

AP News: Since the 2015 peak, the number of births in Russia has fallen annually, and deaths are now outpacing births. There were only 1.22 million live births last year — marginally above the 1999 low. Demographer Alexei Raksha reported the number of babies born in Russia in February 2025 was the lowest monthly figure in over two centuries.

24.10.2025

Reuters: Ukraine's European allies said frozen Russian assets needed to be used quickly to fund support for Kyiv, one of several measures discussed in London talks on Friday to increase the pressure on Putin.

Ukrainska Pravda: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced that his country is accelerating a programme to produce over 5,000 missiles to strengthen Ukraine's air defence during the winter period.

Reuters: Russia's fourth-largest oil refinery, the Ryazan plant located south east of Moscow, halted a primary crude distillation unit on October 23 following a Ukrainian drone attack.

The Kyiv Independent: A Ukrainian woman who ran a Telegram called "Melitopol is Ukraine" in the Russian-occupied city has been sentenced to 14 years in jail, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don said on Oct. 23.

Politico: The EU is “not ready” to take the unprecedented step of raiding €140 billion of frozen Russian assets to send a massive loan to Ukraine, Belgium’s European commissioner said Friday.

Ukrainska Pravda: Italy is preparing its 12th military aid package for Ukraine, focusing on munitions and missiles for SAMP/T air defence systems.

The Kyiv Independent: Kherson on Oct. 24 came under intense Russian artillery bombardment, with what appeared to be the random targeting of residential areas killing at least two people. Videos posted to social media — some reportedly by Russian forces themselves — showed multiple explosions across a vast area of the city.

CNN: Russia’s top economic envoy has arrived in the United States for “official” talks just days after Trump announced new sanctions on Russia.

The Moscow Times: Lithuania summoned a Russian diplomat in protest over what it said was the entry of two Russian planes into its airspace Thursday, though Moscow denied the violation.

Reuters: Hungary is working on finding a way to circumvent U.S. sanctions on Russian oil companies, PM Orban said on Friday, without giving details but giving no indication that he planned to defy the restrictions.

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