Ukraine deployed special forces to besieged parts of Pokrovskoye in the Donetsk region this week, Ukrainian military sources say.
19:42 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky promised further aid to the people of his country before winter on Saturday. This includes free kilometers of rail travel. The DPA agency reported this, TASR writes.
"Three thousand kilometers, so that everyone can choose free railway routes within Ukraine: Lviv-Kiev, Kiev-Dnipro and any other," Zelensky said in a video address. He added that the details of the program are still being worked out, but he said it is intended to show Ukrainians that the budget funds spent on state railways really serve society.
The government is also preparing a winter program similar to last year, in which 14 million Ukrainians received support equivalent to just over 20 euros. It has promised to fix natural gas prices as well as electricity prices for households.
The price of a kilowatt-hour of electricity currently amounts to less than nine cents, DPA reported, adding that after Russian attacks on power plants and substations, electricity is only available for a few hours a day in large parts of Ukraine.
18:11 The delivery of American Tomahawk missiles with a flat trajectory will not help resolve the conflict in Ukraine. In response to reports that the Pentagon has approved the deliveries, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said this today, according to the TASS agency. But the final word belongs to US President Donald Trump.
The United States is in talks with Ukraine about the possible provision of Tomahawks. They would allow the country, which Russia invaded in February 2022, to strike targets deep inside Russian territory.
The American television station CNN reported on Friday that the Pentagon had given the green light to provide Tomahawks to Ukraine after assessing that the deliveries would not have a negative impact on the US stockpile of these weapons.
"It is clear and proven by both the current situation and the overall situation that militarization and the supply of weapons, especially to a terrorist regime, will not bring any settlement to anyone," Zakharova told reporters today. Moscow calls Ukraine's political leadership, led by President Volodymyr Zelensky, a terrorist regime. Similarly, Zelensky speaks of the Russian leadership as terrorists.
Tomahawk Missile Thunder
17:27 Ukrainian soldiers have strengthened their tactical positions in some parts of the besieged city of Pokrovsk, which Russian troops have penetrated. The Ukrainian military announced this on Saturday, according to Reuters, adding that the situation in the city in the Donetsk region remains complex and dynamic. The Russian Defense Ministry previously said that Ukrainian soldiers in Pokrovsk were starting to surrender. Reuters warned that it could not independently verify the reports from the battlefield, TASR reports.
The Supreme Commander of the Ukrainian Army, Oleksandr Syrsky, in a post on the Telegram platform, once again denied Russia's claims about the encirclement or blockade of Pokrovskoye and the adjacent Myrnohrad. According to him, the situation in this direction is currently the most complicated and an operation to destroy and push out Russian forces is underway.
"The enemy in Pokrovskoye is paying the highest price for trying to fulfill the task of the Kremlin dictator to occupy the Ukrainian Donbas. We continue to liberate and clear the territory around the city of Dobropil. Pokrovskoye - we hold. Myrnohrad - we hold," wrote Syrsky, who visited the area.
According to the 7th Rapid Reaction Corps of the Ukrainian army, which is defending Pokrovsk, Ukraine is increasing the number of its troops there and the soldiers are also trying to cut off the Russian army's logistical routes.
'Anna of Kiev' defends Pokrovsk: Unit strikes attacking Russian column near town
17:16 The number of nighttime Russian missile attacks on Ukraine in October was the highest since the beginning of 2023. This is according to an analysis by the AFP agency, which is based on available Ukrainian data. These nighttime attacks primarily target Ukraine's energy network, the French news agency noted today.
Russian forces fired 270 missiles into Ukraine in October, a 46 percent increase from September, according to daily data provided by the Ukrainian Air Force. This is the highest number of missiles fired into Ukraine in a single month in nighttime bombing raids since the Ukrainian Air Force began releasing such data in early 2023.
Moscow is targeting Ukraine's energy grid as part of a strategy to weaken the will of Ukraine's civilian population, Kiev says. In October, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of trying to sow chaos and exert psychological pressure by intensifying attacks on energy infrastructure. Ukrainians are facing their fourth winter of war.
As in previous years, scheduled alternating power outages were introduced throughout October in all regions of the country, including Kiev, to alleviate electricity shortages.
Do the Russians want all of Donetsk? Ukrainians are turning their tanks into scrap metal there
14:55 Ukrainian soldiers are beginning to surrender near the besieged town of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine. TASS reported this today, citing the Russian Defense Ministry. The Ukrainian military immediately said that the situation in Pokrovsk remains complicated. The army is trying to get more teams there to counter the advance of Russian troops, Reuters reported, citing a statement from the Ukrainian military.
12:15 Since the beginning of 2025, Ukraine has carried out approximately 160 successful strikes on oil extraction and processing facilities on Russian territory, said SBU chief Vasyl Malyuk. According to Col. Markus Reisner, Russian generals have not fulfilled their promise to Putin to collapse the Ukrainian front by November.
11:35 G7 energy ministers condemned Russia's direct attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, which have devastating economic, environmental and social consequences for its people , especially the most vulnerable. They also confirmed their readiness to help the country attacked by Russia restore its damaged energy system. This follows from a statement published by the Canadian presidency on Saturday night, TASR reports.
Russian forces have been regularly carrying out strikes on energy facilities in Ukraine. On Thursday night, Kiev said they launched more than 50 missiles and 650 drones, hitting energy infrastructure and civilian targets and killing two people. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded by calling on allies to put more pressure on Moscow.
"Russia's recent attacks on Ukrainian natural gas infrastructure have endangered communities and human lives, weakened civilian infrastructure and the energy security of the Ukrainian population," said a statement issued at the G7 summit in Toronto.
The energy ministers confirmed their"unwavering" support for Ukraine in defending its "territorial integrity, right to exist, freedom, sovereignty and independence" and also in its efforts to join the European Union.
"We recognize the courage and perseverance of frontline energy workers trying to provide electricity and heat to Ukrainians this winter, and we condemn the attacks that caused significant loss of life to energy workers carrying out emergency repairs," they said in the text.
Children burned to death during Russian attack on Kharkiv
11:31 Russia has thwarted an attempt by Ukrainian special forces to deliver its soldiers to Pokrovsk by helicopter, killing all 11 soldiers on board. Reuters reported this today, citing the Russian Defense Ministry. Pokrovsk is located in the Ukrainian Donetsk region, which is occupied by Russians.
Two Ukrainian military sources told Reuters that Kiev had deployed special forces to fight in parts of Pokrovskoye. Ukraine is trying to maintain control of the besieged town of Pokrovskoye. Moscow says its troops have surrounded the Ukrainian contingents.
Ukrainian artillery destroys Russian aggressors
10:00 The Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine (HUR) announcedthat on October 31, 2025, it carried out a successful special operation in the Moscow region, during which all three branches of the Koltsevoy oil pipeline were destroyed. This is a facility that, according to Ukrainian intelligence, supplied the Russian army with fuel for the war against Ukraine.
Explosion near Moscow: All three branches of the strategic oil pipeline exploded simultaneously, reports HUR
9:04 The Ukrainian government has set up a “gaming” reward system, in which drone teams earn points for successful attacks and enemy destruction—the points can then be exchanged for Ukrainian equipment in the internal arms store Brave1 Market. This is reported by The New York Times, which reported from the frontlines and Kiev.
9:03 Russian air defenses shot down 98 Ukrainian drones overnight. The Russian Defense Ministry said this, adding that six of the drones were heading towards the capital Moscow. According to Ukrainian military intelligence, Ukraine is behind Friday's explosions and the disruption of a Russian oil pipeline in the Moscow region.
According to the Russian ministry, the most drones were destroyed over the Belgorod region, where Russia shot down 45 of them. There were 11 drones over the Moscow region, six of which were aimed at the capital.
Russia usually does not report the full extent of the Ukrainian airstrike, only the drones shot down. The Russian Defense Ministry does not report any damage.
8:20 The Pentagon approved the delivery of long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine in early October and informed the White House about it before a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, writes CNN, citing its sources. According to the Pentagon, the delivery of these missiles to Kiev will not disrupt American weapons supplies, but the final decision depends on Donald Trump. European allies were excited by this information, but then they were unpleasantly surprised when Trump said that he would not give the Tomahawks to Ukraine for the time being. The Russian president noted that Russia's reaction to the threat of Tomahawk deliveries would be serious, even overwhelming.
7:40 Ukraine deployed special forces this week in the besieged parts of Pokrovskoye in the Donetsk region. Reuters reported on Friday, citing two Ukrainian military sources. Russia claims to have surrounded Ukrainian forces in the area. A source from the 7th Rapid Reaction Corps said that special forces landed in the area a few days ago with a Black Hawk helicopter. The second source said that the operation is being supervised by the head of Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR), Kyrylo Budanov.
"Special forces and aviation of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense launched a complex airborne operation in Pokrovskoye. Military intelligence strike units entered areas of the city that the Russian command considered controlled," reported the Ukrainian portal Suspilne, citing sources from the defense forces.
A video from Ukrainian military sources has appeared on social media, purporting to show a Black Hawk helicopter landing. Some Russian bloggers claim that the landing was unsuccessful. The information could not be immediately verified.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that Russia has deployed about 170,000 troops in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region, where it is trying to capture the city of Pokrovsk, a key logistical hub for the Ukrainian military."The situation in Pokrovsk is difficult," Zelensky said, but he rejected recent Russian claims that the devastated city is surrounded after more than a year of fighting. The president acknowledged that some Russian troops had entered the city, but insisted that Ukrainian defenders were neutralizing them.
"The Russians are in Pokrovskoye," Zelensky said at a briefing in Kiev, according to the AP."They are being destroyed, gradually destroyed, because we need to keep our soldiers," Zelensky added.
In previous sieges during Russia's nearly four-year war with Ukraine, defenders in some towns have retreated to avoid casualties. Ukrainian forces are outnumbered by the larger Russian army.
Russian President Vladimir Putin recently said that Russian forces were making significant progress on the battlefield, although their advance was slow and costly. The Kremlin leader is trying to convince the world that Ukraine cannot withstand Russian military superiority.
The capture of Pokrovskoye and also Kostyantynivka, located several dozen kilometers to the northeast, would provide the Russian army with platforms for advancing towards the two largest cities that Ukraine still controls in the Donetsk region, Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.
Ukrainian blogger, analyst, and drone supplier @sternenko on the general staff's “strategy” in and around Pokrovsk.
— Julian Röpcke (@JulianRoepcke) October 30, 2025
Nothing to add ... pic.twitter.com/V6t0eC3EXJ
7:35 Russian air defenses shot down 98 Ukrainian drones overnight, the Russian Defense Ministry said, adding that six of the drones were heading toward the capital Moscow.
According to the ministry, the most drones were destroyed over the Belgorod region, where Russia shot down 45 of them. There were 11 drones over the Moscow region, six of which were aimed at the capital.
Russia usually does not report the full extent of the Ukrainian airstrike, only the drones shot down. The Russian Defense Ministry does not report any damage.
Ukraine has been fighting a large-scale Russian military aggression for four years, with airstrikes by both countries. In recent months, Ukraine has increasingly targeted its drone and other strikes on Russia's oil industry. The stated intention is to cut off fuel supplies to the Russian military and make it harder for Moscow to finance the war through oil exports.
