Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure a war crime: UN
UN commission notes Russian weaponisation of cold in nearly five years of attacks on heating plants and power lines.
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UN commission notes Russian weaponisation of cold in nearly five years of attacks on heating plants and power lines.
President Volodymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi met with Prime Minister of Moldova Vasily Tofan on Monday, Oct. 26, aimed at broadening cooperation and deepening bilateral ties. During the same meeting, a new military cooperation agreement was signed between the two countries, while their European Union accession bids, security challenges, and infrastructure projects were also on the agenda.
The sides agreed to hold the first prime ministers’ meeting of the Odesa Triangle format with Romania.
Aleksandr Kondratov, a 52-year-old production designer charged with treason in Russia, has died in a Moscow hospital after being transferred from pretrial detention, a rights group said. Rights group First Department counted his death as at least the 11th this year among individuals prosecuted in politically motivated cases.
The cause of his death has not been disclosed.
Key developments on Oct. 26:Ukrainian forces carry out 2 aerial evacuations of wounded soldiers, video showsDeath toll from Russian attack on park in Kharkiv Oblast on Oct. 19 rises to 6 after child dies in hospitalUkraine strikes Russian plant producing missile, bomb batteries in Yelets, General Staff
When Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Iryna Simakina was in Enerhodar, a city in southern Ukraine, home to Europe's largest nuclear power plant.As Russian forces advanced on the city, staying became increasingly dangerous. Simakina, who uses a wheelchair because of a disability, eventually left
As it turns out, dictation exercises are not just for schoolchildren. On Oct. 27, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians — from diaspora communities abroad to service members on the front lines — will take part in an annual tradition: listening, writing, and testing their mastery of the Ukrainian language.Organized
Ukraine’s F-16s face thousands of Russian targets a month, many of them worn jets bought secondhand.
The party itself plan to end the trade that brought Ukraine €800 million in ammunition.
Welcome to The Ukraine Compass, a weekly digest of Ukrainian commentary and analysis from across the political spectrum only for War on the Rocks members. Each week, we bring you a curated selection of articles from Ukrainian media offering insight into how Ukrainians themselves debate the issues shaping their country.Western coverage often narrows the view to the battlefield — these pieces widen it, revealing the texture of daily life, politics, and public argument in a nation at war.
The perspectives gathered here are varied, candid, and often surprising, together forming a more complete picture of Ukraine as it really is.Frontline The post Are Critiques of Zelensky a Side Effect of Societal Exhaustion? appeared first on War on the Rocks.
Two North Korean oil tankers sanctioned by the United Nations Security Council have been repeatedly spotted off China’s coast, according to the public record by vessel-tracking Marine Traffic website, raising concerns that they may be circumventing sanctions while continuing to operate at sea.
Zelenskyy says peace talks with Russia, US to restart
Twelve-year-old Artem Koval died in a Kyiv hospital on Monday, Oct. 26, after a week of fighting for his life following a Russian drone attack on a crowded park in Nova Vodolaha, Kharkiv region. The strike killed his 8-year-old sister Arina and five other civilians, including an infant, who was just over a year old when she was killed sitting in her stroller.
"Russia is building the military-industrial capacity to continue waging wars even after the war in Ukraine ends. These are not the actions of a country preparing for lasting peace," Oleksandr Danylyuk, chairman of the Center for Defense Reforms and former chief adviser to Ukraine’s defense minister, told the Kyiv Independent.
In the midst of Donald Trump's attempt to turn Russian diesel into a political asset to help him avoid disaster in November's midterm elections, the internet went out on the front lines.Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Ukrainian forces have relied on Starlink to
Ukraine could have sustained its Patriot air defense systems for several more years with the missiles expended in the Middle East, Air Force official Ihnat said. He attributed Ukraine’s more efficient use of interceptors to combat experience and flexible tactics.
Serbia’s Student List historically won an absolute majority in the Sunday, Oct. 25 parliamentary election, ending more than a decade of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić’s Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). Though the Student’s win could be seen as a step toward the EU, the list clearly said it will not sanction Russia – Serbia’s key energy supplier.
Russia says upcoming US-brokered peace talks will not slow its war against Ukraine but signals openness to local humanitarian truces. The Kremlin’s stance comes as a ceasefire is planned for Russian-occupied Oleshky to allow aid deliveries and civilian evacuations.
Ukraine’s military intelligence also listed Russian jets destroyed or critically damaged in 2026, including two Tu-95MS bombers hit at Engels.
The Kremlin urged Serbia’s incoming leaders to maintain ties with Russia after a student-backed opposition movement defeated longtime Moscow-friendly leader Aleksandar Vucic in parliamentary elections. Vucic predicted the new authorities would impose sanctions on Moscow, but the winners had pledged to oppose them.
Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi wants a new mobilization arrangement agreed to with businesses by Dec. 1, aiming to replace street conscription with more predictable enlistment. The proposed model would link full workforce deferments to voluntary military service by some employees and help make troop rotations possible.
Detailed terms, including service duration and employer obligations, remain under development.
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In May 2026, Ukraine’s 3rd Army Corps launched a secret counteroffensive now known as Operation Vivaldi, aiming to strengthen Ukraine’s defensive positions in the Lyman and Sviatohirsk sectors and disrupt Russia’s plans to encircle Ukraine’s key strongholds – the cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.
President Volodymyr Zelensky's planned Oct. 26 trip to Brussels descended into a diplomatic guessing game, with conflicting signals from his own team leaving EU and NATO officials scrambling to establish whether he was coming — and who was supposed to meet him.At the center of the confusion
On Monday, Zelensky said Ukraine would again raise delayed US deliveries of Patriot and NASAMS missiles, awaiting Hegseth’s signature for nearly a month. Kyiv is also seeking interceptors from European partners, replenishing energy equipment reserves, and pushing to accelerate November’s Ramstein commitments.
The order came after a meeting with Ukraine’s defense minister, foreign minister, and army chief on supplies of air defense interceptors.
It was the second night running that Russia sent at least 140 drones, and strikes hit 15 locations both times.
Russia may use renewed peace talks on Ukraine to press for concessions on NATO’s expansion and military presence in Europe, The Telegraph reported on Sunday, citing diplomatic sources. The Kremlin could seek a return to NATO’s 1997 configuration, which would potentially require the withdrawal of allied forces from Poland, the Baltic states, and Finland.
No such demand has been publicly confirmed as part of the talks’ agenda.
Serbia’s former president Aleksandar Vucic conceded his coalition’s defeat in Sunday’s parliamentary election and predicted that the next government would impose sanctions on Russia by March or April. The student-backed opposition was projected to secure a majority in the 250-seat assembly. Its pre-election platform, however, pledged to maintain Serbia’s opposition to sanctions against Moscow.
Ukraine and the United States are trying to bring planned talks with Russia forward by at least a week, Ukrainska Pravda reported. Kyiv also wants European representatives involved, potentially through briefings alongside the negotiations. Moscow had not confirmed an earlier date as of the evening of Oct.
25, and Ukrainian officials expect several rounds before concrete agreements emerge.
In a state TV interview, the Kremlin’s leader claimed Russia’s friends in Europe nearly cried when European companies had to leave, while his own decrees handed the Russian businesses of firms that stayed to Kremlin-picked managers.
New revelations show more than 50 surface-to-air missile positions around the Valdai bunker home Russia's 74-year-old dictator shares with lover Alina Kabaeva, 43, and their two young sons.
Taking notes during interviews breaks eye contact. explicare transcribes automatically and GDPR-compliantly – so you can focus on the candidate.
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explicare.deA senior Ukrainian official previously told the Kyiv Independent that the batch awaiting U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's approval was "significant."
Dmitry Medvedev posted a call to US President Donald Trump to use the CIA and the military to “get rid of” Volodymyr Zelensky on MaxMessenger on Sunday. His post justified his demands with a mix of unjustified grievances and accusations against Ukraine’s president.
Bulgaria’s pro-Russia President Iliana Iotova narrowly led the first round of elections but fell short of expectations, setting up a Nov. 1 runoff against pro-Western challenger Andrey Gyurov amid tensions over suspected drone attacks in the Black Sea.
Kyrgyzstan says some of its migrants are forced into contracts, and Russia told Kenya that unit commanders rule on requests to quit, case by case.
Zelenskyy also ruled out neutrality and limits on Ukraine’s army as the Kremlin says Putin is ready in principle for new three-way talks in mid-November.
Zelensky said Ukraine wants to maintain an 800,000-strong army unless NATO membership changes its security needs, and ruled out neutrality or restrictions on its forces. He also outlined possible steps toward peace, including an energy truce, prisoner exchange and humanitarian mission in Oleshky.
Hopes raised for a reset in relations with EU and other partners following the defeat of authoritarian presidentSerbian leader ousted by student movement in seismic electionWe are also getting the first reaction to last night’s vote from Moscow.The Kremlin said “it hopes Serbia’s new rulers understand that cooperation with Moscow is in their own country’s interests,” and that it would want to “continue to develop ties with Serbia, but it takes two to tango,” Reuters reported.
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Whether it is called peace, a ceasefire, or simply an end to the killing, Ukraine’s overriding concern after more than four years of full-scale war is security. Everything else matters only insofar as it strengthens or undermines the country’s ability to defend itself.
The aircraft plant belongs to Russia's state aviation holding, and the rubber plant to the petrochemical giant Sibur.
A Ukrainian observer says the larger part of the division ended up defending near Velyka Novosilka rather than attacking toward the Donbas fortress cities.