Vladimir Putin has announced a successful test of a Poseidon nuclear-powered submarine torpedo which experts have warned is capable of causing a “radioactive tsunami”.
The Russian president said the test of the weapon had been a “great success”, in a move that came days after Donald Trump described Moscow’s test of a nuclear missile as a mistake.
There are few confirmed details about the Poseidon in the public domain but experts say it is capable of triggering radioactive ocean swells to render coastal cities uninhabitable, according to the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.
"For the first time, we managed not only to launch it with a launch engine from a carrier submarine, but also to launch the nuclear power unit on which this device passed a certain amount of time," Putin said. "There is nothing like this."
Putin last week held a nuclear launch drill and on Sunday announced that
Russia has successfully tested its nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile, a nuclear-capable weapon Moscow says can pierce any defence shield.
Key Points
- Kherson children's hospital hit by Russian strike, Zelensky says
- Russia continues to advance around Pokrovsk, analysts say
- Polish jets intercept Russian aircraft over Baltic Sea, army says
- US army says it will withdraw troops from Romania
- How Russia is risking nuclear catastrophe in Zaporizhzhia
Ukrainian military denies claims that Russian troops have encircled forces
22:00 , Harriette BoucherVladimir Putin suggested he was ready to open safe corridors for journalists after Ukraine vigorously denied claims he made earlier.
Ukraine’s military officials have disputed Putin’s claims that Russian troops have encircled Ukrainian forces in two key eastern cities of Ukraine and offered to negotiate a deal for their surrender.
Putin has suggested he is ready to open safe corridors for Ukrainian and Western journalists.
"Let them see with their own eyes what's going on".
He earlier alleged that Ukrainian troops were surrounded in Pokrovsk, a key Ukrainian stronghold, and in Kupiansk, an important rail junction.
Ukrainian armed forces said the claims of Kupiansk being surrounded were "fabrications and fantasies".
Pictured: Russia's Poseidon nuclear torpedo system
21:00 , Daniel KeaneRussia's Poseidon nuclear-capable system is seen in this still image taken from an animated video released in 2018 by the Russian Defence Ministry.
Vladimir Putin said a test of the weapon had been a “great success”, in a move that came days after Donald Trump described Moscow’s test of a nuclear missile as a mistake.
Russia’s population is shrinking rapidly. Putin is trying to put a stop to that
20:00 , Harriette BoucherFor a quarter of a century, Russian president Vladimir Putin has grappled with his country’s declining and ageing population. The demographic crisis pre-dates his ascent to power, with the nation recording its lowest birth rate in 1999, the year before he officially became president.
In 2005, Putin acknowledged the issue, stating that it was necessary to maintain “social and economic stability” in order to address the challenge of a falling population. He reiterated his concerns in 2019, admitting that Russia was still “haunted” by the problem.
Most recently, on Thursday (23 October), he addressed a demographic conference at the Kremlin, where he emphasised that increasing the birth rate was “crucial” for Russia’s future.
To combat this trend, Putin has introduced various initiatives, ranging from providing free school meals for large families to reinstating Soviet-era “hero mother” medals for women who bear 10 or more children.
Russia’s population is shrinking rapidly. Putin is trying to put a stop to that
Kherson children's hospital hit by Russian strike, Zelensky says
19:00 , Harriette BoucherVolodymyr Zelensky has condemned Russia for striking a children’s hospital in Southern Ukraine, which left children and staff injured.
Zelensky said: “They could not have been unaware of where they were striking.
“This was a deliberate Russian attack specifically against children, against medical personnel, against basic guarantees of life in the community.
Death toll doubles in explosion at Russian military plant
18:00 , Daniel KeaneThe death toll after an explosion last week at a military plant near the Russian Urals city of Chelyabinsk has nearly doubled to 23 people, local authorities said.
The explosion last Thursday at an industrial facility in the city of Kopeisk, just to the east of the regional capital Chelyabinsk, killed at least a dozen people and injured some two dozen more, regional governor, Aleksei Teksler said at the time.
All 23 victims were employees at the plant, Teksler said on Wednesday. He also said there was no indication the facility was attacked by drones.
Ukraine did not comment on the incident.
Zelensky invites Milei to Ukraine after election win
17:03 , James ReynoldsVolodymyr Zelensky invited Argentine president Javier Milei to Ukraine during a “cordial” call to congratulate him on his party’s success in the recent midterm elections.
“Argentina is doing a lot to achieve success and strengthen itself, and we sincerely wish it continues to advance in the implementation of all the necessary reforms,” he said.
“I invited the President to visit Ukraine to continue our dialogue and address the main prospects for the development of relations between our countries: we really have many projects that we can carry out together. Our teams will remain in contact. Thank you!”
Russia continues to advance around Pokrovsk, analysts say
16:02 , James ReynoldsUkrainian forces are struggling to fend off intensifying Russian advances around the eastern city of Pokrovsk, the military and open-source analysts said on Wednesday.
In a statement, Ukraine's 7th Corps said Russian forces had deployed some 11,000 troops in an attempt to encircle the greater Pokrovsk area.
Enemy groups that had already infiltrated the city were attempting to push further north and northwest, it said.
Ukrainian open-source group DeepState said Russia has been able to break a military logistics route to the neighbouring city of Myrnohrad through infantry ambushes and drone attacks.
"The situation in Pokrovsk is on the verge of critical and continues to deteriorate to the point that fixing everything may be too late," the group said.
Moscow's troops have in recent weeks closed in on the key logistics hub after more than a year of grinding advances, which Kyiv says have come at a staggering human cost to Russia.
Capturing Pokrovsk, as well as Kostiantynivka to its northeast, would give Moscow a platform to drive towards the two biggest remaining Ukrainian-controlled cities in Donetsk.
How Russia is risking nuclear catastrophe in Zaporizhzhia
15:00 , James ReynoldsThe Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which has six reactors, was captured by Russian troops early in the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It has remained a dangerous potential flashpoint for a nuclear disaster ever since.
Read world affairs editor Sam Kiley’s report:
How Russia risks nuclear catastrophe with attempts to syphon Zaporizhzhia power
Ukraine's military dismisses Putin's claim about encriclement of Kupiansk
14:25 , Daniel KeaneUkraine's military has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin's claims about the town of Kupiansk being surrounded by Russian troops were "fantasies".
Putin made the claim about the northeast Ukrainian town earlier in the day.
Ukraine's Joint Forces Task Force said Russian troops were in the northern part of the city but that claims about an encirclement were untrue.
DeepState, a Ukrainian open-source battlefield mapping project, did not appear to show an encirclement in Kupiansk.
Putin reveals new details about Burevestnik cruise missile
13:52 , Daniel KeaneVladimir Putin has revealed new details about the Burevestnik cruise missile, saying its nuclear reactor is "1,000 times smaller" than one on a submarine.
On Sunday, Russia's chief military officer, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, reported to Putin that an 21 October test of Burevestnik was a complete success.
The missile covered 14,000 kilometers (8,680 miles) during a 15-hour flight using nuclear fuel and conducted maneuvers "demonstrating its high capabilities in evading missile and air defense systems," Gerasimov said.
Sam Kiley: Why Russians are fighting against Russia
13:20 , Daniel KeaneUS army says Romania troop drawdown not a withdrawal from Europe
12:59 , Daniel KeaneThe US military has said that a decision not to replace departing American troops in Romania is not a US withdrawal from Europe.
The move comes amid growing concern of a broader American disengagement from European security, which has come under acute threat in recent years following the war in Ukraine.
"The 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division will re-deploy as scheduled to their Kentucky-based home unit without replacement," US Army Europe said in a statement.
"This is not an American withdrawal from Europe or a signal of lessened commitment to NATO and Article 5," it said, adding that "this force posture adjustment will not change the security environment in Europe".
Ukraine struggling to hold eastern city of Pokrovsk, military analysts say
12:42 , Daniel KeaneUkrainian forces are struggling to fend off intensifying Russian advances around the eastern city of Pokrovsk, the military has said.
Moscow's troops have in recent weeks closed in on the key logistics hub after more than a year of grinding advances.
Kyiv says these have come at a staggering human cost to Russia.
In a statement, Ukraine's 7th Corps said Russian forces had deployed some 11,000 troops in an attempt to encircle the greater Pokrovsk area.
Enemy groups that had already infiltrated the city were attempting to push further north and northwest, it said.
Putin says Poseidon submarine test was 'a huge success'
12:20 , Daniel KeaneWe have received more information from Vladimir Putin about Russia’s test of a Poseidon nuclear-capable super torpedo.
Officials say that the Poseidon is capable of triggering radioactive ocean swells to render coastal cities uninhabitable.
Putin told soldiers wounded in the Ukraine war that the test had taken place on Tuesday.
"For the first time, we managed not only to launch it with a launch engine from a carrier submarine, but also to launch the nuclear power unit on which this device passed a certain amount of time," Putin said.
"This is a huge success," Putin said, adding that the power of the Poseidon exceeded the Sarmat intercontinental missile.
Putin says Russia tested Poseidon nuclear-capable super torpedo
11:59 , Daniel KeaneRussian President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia had tested a Poseidon nuclear-capable super torpedo and that it had been a “great success”.
US and Russian officials have both described Poseidon as a new category of retaliatory weapon, capable of triggering radioactive ocean swells to render coastal cities uninhabitable.
Lithuania to keep Belarus border shut until November
11:40 , Daniel KeaneThe border crossings between Lithuania and Belarus will remain closed for most travellers until the end of November, the Baltic country's government has said.
It comes in response to recent airspace disruptions from smugglers' balloons containing cigarettes, sent into the Baltic country.
Nato countries have been on high alert in recent weeks after drone sightings and other air incursions, including at another Belgian military base , at airports in Copenhagen, Munich and in the Baltic region.
Sam Kiley: How Ukraine and Russia are playing out a deadly cat and mouse drone war
11:20 , Daniel KeaneOur world affairs editor joins the Ukrainian infantry near Zaporizhzhia, southern Ukraine, as they bed down in a mud dugout for a night of lethal drone attacks against their Russian enemy – just a few kilometres away.
How Ukraine and Russia are playing a deadly cat and mouse drone war from underground
Russia to extend compulsory military draft to a year-round process
11:00 , Daniel KeaneRussian lawmakers have endorsed a bill mandating year-round military conscription, rather than just in the spring and autumn.
It comes as authorities seek to fill the ranks as fighting in Ukraine grinds through a fourth year.
Once the bill is vetted by the upper house and signed into law by President Vladimir Putin, it would allow conscription offices to summon draftees for medical exams and other procedures at any time of the year.
Read our full story below.
Lawmakers move to extend Russia's compulsory military draft to a year-round process
Pictured: People lay flowers at a monument for the victims of political repression in Moscow
10:40 , Daniel Keane
Ukraine strikes two oil depots in Russian-occupied Crimea
10:20 , Daniel KeaneUkrainian drones struck two oil depots in Russian-occupied Crimea, an official from Kyiv's domestic security service said on Wednesday.
The attacks took place at a facility in the village of Hvardiyske and at the Komsomolska depot.
How Russia is risking nuclear catastrophe with attempts to syphon power from Ukraine’s biggest plant
10:00 , Sam KileyEurope’s biggest nuclear reactor has become a battlefield in Ukraine’s defence against Russian invaders as they risk a catastrophic meltdown in its efforts to connect it to Moscow’s national grid.
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant , which has six reactors, was captured by Russian troops early in the full scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It has remained a dangerous potential flashpoint for a nuclear disaster ever since.
Fighting and bombardments by both sides of the complex and the power station itself, which has been entirely occupied by Russian forces who base troops in its buildings, has forced the “cold shut down” of the reactors.
Read our full piece below.
How Russia risks nuclear catastrophe with attempts to syphon Zaporizhzhia power
Watch: Zelensky says Russia 'concentrated its largest assault forces' around city of Pokrovsk
09:30 , Arpan RaiWhy is capturing Pokrovsk crucial to Putin's forces?
09:15 , Arpan RaiUkraine is rushing to strengthen its positions in the strategic eastern transport hub of Pokrovsk as about 200 Russian troops have infiltrated the city in small groups, Kyiv's military said.
Last night, Volodymyr Zelensky said his troops have been outnumbered by Russian troops by eight to one in the region.
Russia has been aiming to occupy Pokrovsk, a key part of Kyiv's defensive lines, for months, seeing it as a crucial point for its push to fully capture the Donetsk region.
It has also been described as a “fortress belt” by the Institute for the Study of War, given that Donetsk forms the main fortified defensive line along the eastern region, halting Russia in their tracks.
“Ukraine is holding a key defensive line across Donetsk,” says Elina Beketova, a fellow at the Centre for European Policy Analysis, describing a “fortified zone buildup over years because the war began 11 years ago”.
“It’s not just trenches, it’s a deep, layered defence with bunkers, anti-tank ditches, minefields, and industrial areas built into the terrain. The area includes dominant heights, rivers, and urban zones that make it extremely hard to capture,” explains Beketova.
Relinquishing the territory would be “catastrophic” for Ukraine, especially if they are not given concrete security guarantees such as Article 5 protection from Nato.
Russia using drones with cameras to hunt civilians across Ukraine, inquiry warns
09:00 , Arpan RaiA United Nations inquiry has concluded that Russian forces are systematically using drones to pursue and displace civilians near the front lines in Ukraine, a campaign described as a crime against humanity.
The report detailed how individuals were hounded from their homes, chased across significant distances by camera-equipped drones, and subsequently targeted with incendiary devices or explosives while attempting to find shelter.
This tactic has compelled thousands to abandon entire regions.
"These attacks were committed as part of a coordinated policy to drive out civilians from those territories and amount to the crime against humanity of forcible transfer of population," said the 17-page report to be presented to the United Nations General Assembly this week.
Russia using drones with cameras to hunt civilians across Ukraine, inquiry warns
Ukraine's long-range strikes cut Russia's oil refining capacity by 20 per cent, says Zelensky
08:45 , Arpan RaiUkraine’s long-range strikes on refineries inside Russia have reduced Moscow’s oil refining capacity by 20 per cent, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said, citing intelligence from Western governments.
Over 90 per cent of those deep strikes on Russian soil were carried out by Ukrainian-made long-range weapons, according to Zelensky. He said Ukraine needs additional foreign financial help to produce more of them.
“We just need to work on this every day,” he said in comments to the media on Monday that were embargoed until Tuesday.
Ukraine's long-range strikes cut Russia's oil refining capacity by 20%, Zelenskyy says
Ukraine targets Moscow with drones for third night in a row
08:30 , Arpan RaiUkraine sent drones towards Moscow for the third consecutive night, disrupting air traffic around the Russian capital, Russian authorities said late last night.
The Russian defence ministry said in a statement that its air defence units destroyed 57 Ukrainian drones within three hours, starting at 1700 GMT yesterday, including four over the Moscow region and eight over neighbouring regions.
Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the emergency services had been sent to the site where a drone bound for Moscow came down.
Russian aviation watchdog Rosaviatsiya said two of Moscow's four airports, the Domodedovo airport and the smaller Zhukovsky airport, were briefly closed for safety reasons.
There were no immediate reports of damage. Russia typically gives limited details about the effects of Ukrainian strikes on its territory unless civilians or civilian infrastructure are hit.
Over the previous two nights, Russia's units destroyed 35 Ukrainian drones over the Moscow region, the Russian defence ministry said. There was no damage reported.
Kyiv has kept up long-range drone strikes on Moscow and other Russian regions in recent months, saying it seeks to hit military and industrial assets, sap Russia's war economy and show Russians the conflict is no longer distant.
Putin widens military conscription to all year
08:15 , Arpan RaiPermanent year-round military conscription is set to be introduced in Russia after politicians endorsed a bill mandating it as authorities seek to fill the ranks.
At the moment conscription is done in spring and autumn.
The bill will allow conscription offices to summon draftees for medical exams and other procedures at any time of the year but it still stipulates that conscripts will enter military service only during spring and summer months as before.
All Russian men aged 18-30 are obliged to serve in the military for one year, although many avoid the draft by using deferments granted to students, declaring chronic illnesses and other reasons.
Russian authorities say the military does not use draftees in Ukraine, relying on volunteers and reservists mobilised for action. But human-rights activists and media reports have said the military has encouraged or coerced many draftees into signing contracts as volunteers.
Last year, Putin ordered the number of active troops to be increased by 180,000, to 1.5 million. He said last month that over 700,000 troops were fighting in Ukraine.
Japan PM pushed back on US request to ban Russian energy imports, Nikkei reports
08:04 , Arpan RaiJapanese prime minister Sanae Takaichi told US president Donald Trump that banning Russian LNG imports would be difficult during their meeting in Tokyo, the Nikkei business daily reported today, citing Japanese government officials.
Russian LNG accounts for nearly 9 per cent of Japan's total LNG imports, with Japanese companies Mitsui and Mitsubishi having stakes in the Sakhalin-2 project.
Before Trump's Asia trip, the US urged buyers of Russian energy, including Japan, to cease imports, and put sanctions on Moscow's two biggest oil exporters, Rosneft and Lukoil, to push the Kremlin into talks to end the Ukraine war.
Polish jets intercept Russian aircraft over Baltic Sea, army says
07:20 , Arpan RaiPolish aircraft intercepted a Russian aircraft which was carrying out a reconnaissance mission in international airspace, without a filed flight plan and with its transponder turned off, the Polish Army said this morning.
"Polish fighters intercepted an Il-20 aircraft conducting a reconnaissance mission in international airspace, without a filed flight plan and with its transponder turned off. The aircraft did not violate Polish airspace," the army said in a post on X.
In photos: Ukrainian troops hold ground in Pokrovsk as fighting intensifies
06:56 , Arpan Rai
Russian forces gain foothold in strategic town of Pokrovsk
06:41 , Arpan RaiRussian soldiers have gained a foothold in the strategic eastern Ukrainian town of Pokrovsk, Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian president said Russia had devoted vast numbers of troops to capturing the town, which is a key part of Kyiv's defensive lines in Donetsk, but that it had so far failed to do so.
He said Vladimir Putin's forces outnumbered Ukrainians there by eight to one. “Imagine how many Russian forces are there. But at the same time, they have not achieved the planned result,” he said.
Russia controls about 75 per cent of the Donetsk region. About 6,600 sq km (2,548 square miles) is still under Ukraine's control.
The Ukrainian open-source mapping project Deep State in the past week has reduced the area to the southwest of Pokrovsk that it considers under Ukrainian control, increasing the area "requiring clarification" to around one-fifth of the city. The city was a key Ukrainian logistics hub before the war.
In the past one year, Russian forces have gradually advanced toward Pokrovsk after capturing the long-time Ukrainian stronghold of Avdiivka, which lies around 25 miles to the southeast.
Fuel storage tank in Crimea hit by Ukrainian drone
06:35 , Arpan RaiA storage container containing fuel and lubricants in the city of Simferopol in Russian-annexed Crimea was hit by a Ukrainian drone and caught fire, the Moscow-installed governor said this morning.
There were no casualties and emergency services were working at the scene, the governor Sergei Aksyonov wrote on his Telegram channel.
Zelensky to meet European leaders to discuss ceasefire plan details
06:05 , Arpan RaiUkrainian and European officials are set to meet at the end of the week to discuss the details of a ceasefire plan, Volodymyr Zelensky said.
"It is not a plan to end the war. First of all, a ceasefire is needed," Zelensky told media. "This is a plan to begin diplomacy... Our advisers will meet in the coming days, we agreed on Friday or Saturday. They will discuss the details of this plan."
Ukraine would need stable financing from its European allies for another two or three years, Zelensky said.
Zelensky also urged US lawmakers to pass tougher restrictions on Russia after Trump imposed sanctions on Moscow's two biggest oil companies.
Kyiv ready for peace talks but will not cede territory, says Zelensky
05:43 , Arpan RaiUkraine is ready for peace talks but will not withdraw its troops from additional territory first as Moscow has demanded, president Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Zelensky added that he was happy for talks to be held anywhere, except in Russia itself or on the territory of Moscow's close ally Belarus.
Zelensky said he was happy to attend peace talks even in Hungary, despite reservations about some of the positions of its prime minister Viktor Orban, who, he said, "blocks everything for Ukraine".
“If there will be results, then God bless – let the talks take place anywhere," he said. "It almost doesn't matter, just not in Russia, of course, and definitely not in Belarus."
Peace talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine were scheduled to be held in Budapest in a summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin but was put on hold after Moscow pushed its demands further, including asking Ukraine to cede more territory as a condition for a ceasefire.
Belarus to deploy Russia's Oreshnik missile system in December
05:01 , Arpan RaiBelarus will deploy Russia's new Oreshnik intermediate-range hypersonic missile system in December, said Natalya Eismont, spokesperson for president Alexander Lukashenko.
Preparations for the deployment of the missile, which Vladimir Putin says is impossible to intercept, were nearing completion, Eismont said.
Russia first used the Oreshnik – which means hazel tree in Russian – against Ukraine in November 2024, targeting a defence enterprise in Dnipro.
Putin said he had authorised that strike in retaliation for Ukraine's use of US and British long-range missiles on Russian territory. He later threatened further strikes, including on "decision-making centres" in Kyiv, if such attacks continued.
Putin has said the Oreshnik has destructive power comparable to a nuclear weapon, though Western experts have questioned these assertions.
Earlier, Lukashenko said the deployment was a response to what he called Western escalation. The Oreshnik missiles featured in joint Russian-Belarusian military exercises last month.
Watch: Zelensky says Russia 'concentrated its largest assault forces' around city of Pokrovsk
04:47 , Arpan RaiWhy is capturing Pokrovsk crucial to Putin's forces?
04:39 , Arpan RaiUkraine is rushing to strengthen its positions in the strategic eastern transport hub of Pokrovsk as about 200 Russian troops have infiltrated the city in small groups, Kyiv's military said.
Last night, Volodymyr Zelensky said his troops have been outnumbered by Russian troops by eight to one in the region.
Russia has been aiming to occupy Pokrovsk, a key part of Kyiv's defensive lines, for months, seeing it as a crucial point for its push to fully capture the Donetsk region.
It has also been described as a “fortress belt” by the Institute for the Study of War, given that Donetsk forms the main fortified defensive line along the eastern region, halting Russia in their tracks.
“Ukraine is holding a key defensive line across Donetsk,” says Elina Beketova, a fellow at the Centre for European Policy Analysis, describing a “fortified zone buildup over years because the war began 11 years ago”.
“It’s not just trenches, it’s a deep, layered defence with bunkers, anti-tank ditches, minefields, and industrial areas built into the terrain. The area includes dominant heights, rivers, and urban zones that make it extremely hard to capture,” explains Beketova.
Relinquishing the territory would be “catastrophic” for Ukraine, especially if they are not given concrete security guarantees such as Article 5 protection from Nato.
Mapped: The crucial Ukraine region Trump says should be ‘cut up’ between Zelensky and Putin
04:27 , Arpan RaiA critical region of Ukraine became the centre of a heated debate between Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump during their White House meeting.
Vladimir Putin has long demanded that Ukraine cede the Donbas to Moscow, a chunk of eastern Ukraine the majority of which has been occupied by Russian forces since its February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In recent months, Moscow has also reinforced its efforts to seize these remaining areas, pushing towards cities like Pokrovsk and intensifying drone and air strikes.
It is crucially important to Ukraine, given that the region holds one of the largest coal reserves and is viewed as an energy powerhouse by Kyiv.
Read more here:
Mapped: The crucial Ukraine region Trump says should be ‘cut up’ for Putin
Ukraine targets Moscow with drones for third night in a row
04:02 , Arpan RaiUkraine sent drones towards Moscow for the third consecutive night, disrupting air traffic around the Russian capital, Russian authorities said late last night.
The Russian defence ministry said in a statement that its air defence units destroyed 57 Ukrainian drones within three hours, starting at 1700 GMT yesterday, including four over the Moscow region and eight over neighbouring regions.
Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the emergency services had been sent to the site where a drone bound for Moscow came down.
Russian aviation watchdog Rosaviatsiya said two of Moscow's four airports, the Domodedovo airport and the smaller Zhukovsky airport, were briefly closed for safety reasons.
There were no immediate reports of damage. Russia typically gives limited details about the effects of Ukrainian strikes on its territory unless civilians or civilian infrastructure are hit.
Over the previous two nights, Russia's units destroyed 35 Ukrainian drones over the Moscow region, the Russian defence ministry said. There was no damage reported.
Kyiv has kept up long-range drone strikes on Moscow and other Russian regions in recent months, saying it seeks to hit military and industrial assets, sap Russia's war economy and show Russians the conflict is no longer distant.
Ukraine targets Russia's Budyonnovsk industrial complex with drones
03:53 , Arpan RaiUkraine launched several drones targeting the Budyonnovsk industrial zone in Russia's Stavropol region, the region's governor Vladimir Vladimirov said this morning.
The attack caused no significant damage, and there were no casualties, Vladimirov said on his Telegram channel.
This is the third night in a row Russia has been attacked by Ukrainian drones.
Russian forces gain foothold in strategic town of Pokrovsk
03:38 , Arpan RaiRussian soldiers have gained a foothold in the strategic eastern Ukrainian town of Pokrovsk, Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian president said Russia had devoted vast numbers of troops to capturing the town, which is a key part of Kyiv's defensive lines in Donetsk, but that it had so far failed to do so.
He said Vladimir Putin's forces outnumbered Ukrainians there by eight to one. “Imagine how many Russian forces are there. But at the same time, they have not achieved the planned result,” he said.
Russia controls about 75 per cent of the Donetsk region. About 6,600 sq km (2,548 square miles) is still under Ukraine's control.
The Ukrainian open-source mapping project Deep State in the past week has reduced the area to the southwest of Pokrovsk that it considers under Ukrainian control, increasing the area "requiring clarification" to around one-fifth of the city. The city was a key Ukrainian logistics hub before the war.
In the past one year, Russian forces have gradually advanced toward Pokrovsk after capturing the long-time Ukrainian stronghold of Avdiivka, which lies around 25 miles to the southeast.
In pictures: A day in Ukraine
03:00 , Jane Dalton
Teenager jailed for playing anti-Kremlin song in St Petersburg
02:00 , Jane Dalton
Teenager jailed for playing anti-Kremlin song on the streets of St Petersburg
Dispatch: How Ukraine and Russia are playing deadly drone war from bunkers
01:00 , Jane DaltonIn case you missed it:
How Ukraine and Russia are playing a deadly cat and mouse drone war from underground
Officials set to meet to discuss truce plan, Zelensky says
00:01 , Jane DaltonPresident Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukrainian and European officials will meet at the end of the week to discuss details of a ceasefire plan.
"It is not a plan to end the war. First of all, a ceasefire is needed," Mr Zelensky said.
"This is a plan to begin diplomacy... Our advisers will meet in the coming days, we agreed on Friday or Saturday. They will discuss the details of this plan."
On Tuesday, he spoke to the Finnish president, the Dutch foreign minister and the Lithuanian Speaker.
He said he would work on a plan for a ceasefire “in the coming 10 days”.
-is-launched-from-the-guided-missile-cruiser-USS-Cap.jpeg?trim=0,0,0,0&width=1200&height=800&crop=1200:800)
Zelensky says Ukraine will work on ceasefire plan ‘in next 10 days’
Belarus to deploy new Russian hypersonic missiles
Tuesday 28 October 2025 23:00 , Jane DaltonBelarus will deploy Russia's new Oreshnik intermediate-range hypersonic missile system in December, Russian state-run Tass news agency reports.
Natalya Eismont, spokesperson for Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, said preparations for the deployment were nearing completion.
Mr Lukashenko said the deployment was a response to what he called Western escalation.
The Oreshnik missiles featured in joint Russian-Belarusian military exercises last month.
