Ukraine reports that a commando unit was dropped by helicopter into Pokrovsk. Russia announced that it had eliminated them all. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military claims to have shelled the Koltsevoy pipeline in the Moscow region. More in the live ticker.
Ahead of winter, Ukraine and Russia intensified their attacks on each other's energy infrastructure. Most recently, according to Russian authorities, a Ukrainian drone attack damaged the power plant in the city of Oryol.
All events surrounding the war in Ukraine and security policy in Europe in the live ticker:
7:47 PM – Ukraine: Number of Russian missile attacks in October at highest level since 2023
Russia fired more missiles at Ukraine in October than in any other month since early 2023, when it began its nightly attacks on the Ukrainian power grid. According to an analysis of Ukrainian Air Force data by the AFP news agency, Russia launched more than 270 missiles in October, 46 percent more than the previous month. This was the highest number for a single month since Kyiv began publishing daily attack figures in early 2023.
12:14 PM – Ukraine announces special forces operation near Pokrovsk – Russia reports thwarting
Ukraine is reportedly attempting to halt the fall of the besieged eastern city of Pokrovsk by deploying special forces behind Russian lines. A commando unit was dropped by helicopter to secure supply lines to Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad, Ukrainian media reported, citing sources in the military intelligence agency HUR. Intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov is himself at the front to command the operation, reported the radio station Suspilne.
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the attack but stated that the operation had been thwarted."All eleven people dropped from the helicopter were killed," Moscow said. Sources at the HUR in Kyiv contradicted this, insisting that the operation was continuing. Moscow also claimed that Pokrovsk was surrounded and that Ukrainian soldiers had begun to surrender—claims that cannot be independently verified. Observers believe it is possible that the Russian side is trying to weaken the morale of the defenders with reports of an alleged surrender.
According to the Ukrainian military, the situation remains"difficult and dynamic." They have deployed additional units to stabilize the front. Pokrovsk is part of a key Ukrainian defense line in the Donetsk region and has been heavily contested for months. President Zelenskyy stated that the Russian attackers now outnumber the defenders eight to one.
11:49 a.m. – Ukraine reports shelling of important pipeline in Russia
The Ukrainian military has claimed responsibility for shelling a key pipeline in the Moscow region. The Koltsevoy pipeline, which supplies the Russian military, was hit, according to a statement from the Ukrainian military intelligence service on Telegram. The attack, carried out on Friday evening, represents a"serious blow" to Russia's military logistics.
The pipeline had a capacity of up to three million tons of kerosene, 2.8 million tons of diesel, and 1.6 million tons of gasoline annually, the intelligence service explained."Our attacks have had a greater impact than sanctions," said intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov, referring to international sanctions against Russia for the war of aggression against Ukraine that began in 2022.
8:25 a.m. – Ukraine: Russian attack on gas plant in Poltava
Russia and Ukraine have once again targeted each other's energy infrastructure. A Russian attack triggered a fire at a gas facility in the central Ukrainian region of Poltava on Saturday night, according to rescue services. Russian troops have intensified their attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities in recent months. According to the state-owned energy company Naftogaz, gas infrastructure has been attacked at least eight times since October. The Ukrainian military intelligence service, for its part, reported that a Ukrainian attack on Friday caused explosions at a pipeline carrying petroleum products in the Moscow region, disrupting operations. Pipelines carrying gasoline, diesel, and kerosene for the Russian army were destroyed in the attack.
06:25 a.m. – Nearly 100 Ukrainian drones intercepted
Russia claims to have shot down 98 Ukrainian drones over its territory overnight into Saturday. The Russian Defense Ministry reports that eleven drones were destroyed over the Moscow region alone, six of which were headed toward the Russian capital. Ukraine has not yet issued a statement. Ukraine has intensified its drone attacks on targets in Russia in recent months.
1:20 a.m. – Ukraine accuses Russia of targeted attacks on nuclear power supply
Ukraine accused Russia on Friday of deliberately attacking substations crucial to its nuclear power plants. The Foreign Ministry in Kyiv said in a statement that this amounted to nuclear terrorism and constituted a serious violation of international humanitarian law.
The ministry referred to a statement issued by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Thursday. The IAEA reported military activity that had caused damage to substations crucial for nuclear safety. The agency cited incidents near the South Ukraine and Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plants. Furthermore, the Rivne nuclear power plant had to reduce the output of two of its four reactors.
00:21 – G7 energy ministers condemn Russian attacks on energy system
The energy ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) condemned the Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy system during their meeting in Toronto, Canada."The recent Russian attacks on Ukraine's natural gas infrastructure create risks for the population and human lives," they said in a joint statement. The G7 also pledged to support Ukraine in meeting its energy needs.
Friday, October 31:
9:56 PM – Five dead in mine explosion in Ukraine
At least five people were killed and two others injured in a mine explosion in a forest in the Zhytomyr region of northern Ukraine, west of Kyiv. A vehicle struck an explosive device in a mined area near the border, which then detonated, police reported on Facebook. Five men, aged between 19 and 65, were killed and two others were injured. Photos from investigators showed the wrecked vehicle in a wooded area and a warning sign about the danger of mines attached to a tree trunk.
According to police, the civilians were cutting down trees near the border with Belarus, the same border from which Russian troops launched their invasion of Ukraine at the start of the war in 2022. Belarus is firmly on Russia's side in the war against Ukraine. Because Ukraine fears further attacks from Belarus, mines have been laid in the border region. Police also reported a second incident, also in a forest, in which a man was injured and taken to the hospital.
5:23 p.m. – Zelenskyy: Russia to deploy 170,000 soldiers for attack on Pokrovsk
Russia has deployed around 170,000 soldiers to the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, according to Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The troops' objective is to capture the contested city of Pokrovsk, Zelenskyy said.
"The situation in Pokrovsk is difficult," the president said. He rejected Russian claims that the devastated city had been besieged after more than a year of heavy fighting. Zelenskyy acknowledged that some Russian units had entered the city, but emphasized that Ukrainian defenders were pushing them back."There are Russians in Pokrovsk," Zelenskyy said at a press conference in Kyiv."They are being driven back gradually."
5:09 PM – Third incident: Russian reconnaissance aircraft intercepted over the Baltic Sea
For the third time this week, Polish Air Force fighter jets intercepted a Russian reconnaissance aircraft over the Baltic Sea. The Ilyushin Il-20 was escorted by two Polish MiG-29 fighter jets on Friday morning, the Polish Armed Forces Command announced on its X platform, posting a photo of the aircraft over the sea.
4:30 p.m. – Ukraine claims to have destroyed an Oreshnik missile on Russian soil
Ukraine claims to have destroyed a Russian Oreshnik medium-range missile on Russian soil during a special operation in the summer of 2023. This was announced by the head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), Vasyl Maliuk, at a press conference. Maliuk stated that the operation was a joint effort by the SBU, the military intelligence service GUR, and the foreign intelligence service, and was"100 percent successful": "We can say briefly and concisely that one of the three Oreshnik missiles on our territory in Kapustin Yar was successfully destroyed." Maliuk did not provide any details about how the operation was carried out.
Russia first used the Oreshnik (Russian for"hazel bush") against Ukraine in November 2024. The use of the experimental medium-range missile caused a stir at the time. According to Vladimir Putin, the missile is uninterruptible and possesses destructive power comparable to that of a nuclear weapon. Western experts, however, questioned these claims. Reuters quoted Ukrainian intelligence officials as saying that Russia had produced three Oreshnik missiles this year and planned to double its annual production to six.
2:25 PM – Ukraine extradites Russian soldiers for war crimes trial
Ukraine announced on Friday that it had extradited a Russian soldier to Lithuania for the first time, where he is to be tried for alleged war crimes. Ukrainian Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko stated on Telegram that it was the"first time" since the start of Russia's war of aggression that Ukraine had extradited a Russian soldier to another country.
The seaman arrested in Ukraine, who had served in the Russian military police, was involved in illegal arrests, torture, and inhumane treatment of civilians and prisoners of war, Kravchenko said. One of the victims was a Lithuanian citizen. Vilnius is pursuing war crimes charges against the man, who faces a life sentence in the NATO and EU member state. The extradition is"a historic and important precedent for the entire international justice system," the Ukrainian Prosecutor General said.
1:12 PM – Ukraine: 160 Russian oil and energy facilities hit since the beginning of the year
Ukraine has struck 160 Russian oil and energy facilities since the beginning of the year, according to its Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). The continued attacks are intended to reduce Russia's ability to finance its war in Ukraine, said SBU chief Vasyl Malyuk. Ukraine and Russia intensified their attacks on each other's energy infrastructure ahead of winter.
According to the United Nations, massive Russian airstrikes recently crippled parts of Ukraine's energy, water, and heating systems. The situation for those affected is worsening with the approaching winter and its freezing temperatures, said Matthias Schmale, the UN's emergency coordinator for Ukraine, in Geneva. In the city of Shostka, in the Sumy region, with a population of 40,000, there were power outages for almost the entire month of October following Russian attacks.
12:42 PM – Russia is alleged to have deployed the missile that led Trump to withdraw from an agreement.
Russia has reportedly attacked Ukraine in recent months with a cruise missile whose secret development prompted Donald Trump, during his first term as US president, to withdraw from a nuclear arms control agreement with Moscow. This was reported by the Reuters news agency, citing Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha. Russia has launched the ground-launched 9M729 missile at Ukraine 23 times since August, Reuters quoted another senior Ukrainian official as saying. Ukraine also registered two missile launches in 2022.
The Russian Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The 9M729 missile prompted the US to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty) in 2019. The Trump administration at the time stated that the missile violated the treaty and could fly far beyond its 500-kilometer range, although Russia denied this.
12:00 PM – Orban wants Trump to grant an exemption from US sanctions against Russian oil
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban wants to secure an exemption from US sanctions against Russian oil from President Donald Trump. He hopes to convince Trump of Hungary's special situation at a meeting in Washington at the end of next week, Orban said on Friday. The long-time Trump ally cited his country's heavy reliance on pipeline deliveries for energy as the reason."Hungary is a landlocked country," Orban said."We depend on the transport routes that supply Hungary with energy. These are mainly pipelines." He added that this special situation must be made clear to the US if an exemption from the sanctions against Russia is to be obtained.
9:40 a.m. – Ukrainian drones hit power plant in Russia
A Ukrainian drone attack damaged the Oryol power plant, according to Russian authorities. The region's governor, Andrei Klychkov, stated on Telegram that parts of an intercepted drone had crashed into the facility. He reported that the attack resulted in power outages and disruptions to district heating in parts of the city, located about 400 kilometers southwest of Moscow.
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