Weekend Briefing

Here's what you need to know to start your week

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Morning Headlines

Reuters: Trump said on Sunday he may offer long-range Tomahawk missiles that could be used by Kyiv if Putin does not end the war in Ukraine.

ISW: Russia’s effort to generate increased military recruitment through high financial incentives is reportedly losing momentum, indicating that Russia’s main method for recruiting volunteers for its war may be hitting diminishing returns.

Reuters: North Korea has likely received technical help from Russia for its submarine development, South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back told parliament on Monday.

12.10.2025

Reuters: President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday that a Ukrainian counteroffensive had made gains in southern Zaporizhzhia region as well as in Donetsk region, which is the focal point of the conflict and where Kyiv has been reporting successes.

The Kyiv Independent: Russian forces have carried out nearly 300 attacks on Ukrainian Railways (Ukrzaliznytsia) infrastructure since the beginning of August, Deputy Prime Minister for Reconstruction Oleksii Kuleba said on Oct. 12.

The Kyiv Independent: In an unprecedented move, Russia deliberately broke the connection between the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and the Ukrainian power grid to test its integration into the Russian network, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Oct. 12.

Reuters: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he has spoken with Trump for the second time in two days, discussing strengthening of Kyiv's air defence, resilience and long-range capabilities, Zelenskiy said on Sunday.

Reuters: The Kremlin said on Sunday Russia was deeply concerned about the possibility of the U.S. supplying Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, warning that the war had reached a dramatic moment with escalation from all sides.

The Kyiv Independent: The Netherlands has recently transferred an Alkmaar-class minehunter ship to Ukraine, Navy Commander Oleksii Neizhpapa announced on Oct. 12.

The Kyiv Independent: Ukrainian troops have liberated the village of Mali Shcherbaky in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Ukraine's 24th Separate Assault Battalion "Aidar" announced on Oct. 12.

Reuters: The U.S. has been helping Ukraine mount long-range strikes on Russian energy facilities for months in a joint effort to weaken the economy and force Putin to the negotiating table, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.

ISW: Russia may be able to pose a significant threat to NATO on a timeline much sooner than 2036 and without necessarily reconstituting its tank fleet.

11.10.2025

Reuters: Cuba's Foreign Ministry on Saturday said U.S. claims that its troops were fighting in Ukraine were unfounded, and released for the first time information on legal proceedings against Cubans for mercenary activity in the war in Eastern Europe.

Frontelligence Insight: Russia’s T-90 tank production in 2024 reached around 240 units, including both new and modernized tanks. But internal planning papers analyzed by Frontelligence Insight show Moscow’s plan to lift output by 80% and launch production of a new T90 variant.

Axios: President Trump spoke Saturday with Ukrainian President Zelensky and they discussed the possibility of Ukraine obtaining Tomahawk long-range missiles.

The Kyiv Independent: Security Service of Ukraine drones struck a Russian oil refinery in the Bashkortostan Republic on the morning of Oct. 11, resulting in explosions and a fire.

Reuters: Emergency crews restored power to many parts of Ukraine after an overnight Russian drone and missile attack on Friday struck energy facilities, plunging large districts of Kyiv and other areas into darkness and cutting water supplies.

The Kyiv Independent: Ukraine's air defense systems are currently about 74% effective but still require improvement to better protect critical infrastructure, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Oct. 11.

ISW: The Kremlin continues parallel efforts to curry favor with the United States while deflecting blame onto Ukraine and Europe for stalling negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine.

The Kyiv Independent: Estonia has temporarily closed the Saatse border crossing due to heightened Russian military activity in the area, the Estonian public broadcaster ERR reported on Oct. 10.

10.10.2025

Bloomberg: The Netherlands has allocated €200 million to strengthen Ukraine’s anti-drone capabilities, according to Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans (archive).

Reuters: Russian tank and railcar maker Uralvagonzavod will move part of its civilian-sector staff to a four-day working week amid weakening demand, the company's press service told Russian media on Friday.

Reuters: Poland's critical infrastructure has been subject to a growing number of cyberattacks by Russia, whose military intelligence, has trebled its resources for such action against Poland this year, the country's digital affairs minister said.

Reuters: Generators, extra electricity supplies and an LNG terminal are at Ukraine's disposal, Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on Friday, as Russia continues to attack Kyiv's energy infrastructure.

BBC: The UK is "ready to progress" to using the full value of frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine's war effort, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said. In a statement, the leaders of the UK, France and Germany said the joint action would "increase pressure" on Putin and "bring Russia to the negotiation table". It added the move would be taken "in close cooperation" with the US.

The Insider: The Polish Prosecutor’s Office has filed an indictment with the Warsaw District Court against Tomasz L., a former employee of the Warsaw Civil Registry Office, accusing him of espionage carried out on behalf of Russian intelligence.

Politico: Latvia has ordered 841 Russian citizens to leave the country by Oct. 13 after they failed to prove their Latvian language proficiency and to undergo mandatory security checks.

Bloomberg: There simply weren’t enough Arab leaders saying ‘yes’ to warrant holding a summit. That’s what forced Putin into a last-minute delay of an event he’d hoped would boost his standing in the region (archive).

The Kyiv Independent: Ukraine and the U.K. are negotiating a joint project to produce interceptor drones, which could yield around 2,000 units per month in the coming months, Bloomberg reported on Oct. 10.

United24 Media: Germany’s Rheinmetall stated that Ukraine will receive Skyranger 35 short-range air-defense systems mounted on Leopard 1 chassis, with the purchase to be financed by an EU member state using frozen Russian assets, the company announced on October 10.

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