Topic: Russia
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Witkoff and Kushner plan Norway talks on Ukraine war; Zelensky expected to attend
US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are planning to visit Norway this week for a new round of negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine, Reuters reported citing three sources. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to take part, with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and representatives of the UK, France, Germany, Poland, the EU and NATO also reported as participants. Witkoff is separately expected to meet Vladimir Putin in Russia after the Oslo meeting. The White House had not officially commented at the time of reporting, and the schedule was described as preliminary.
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Poland detains dual Polish-Ukrainian citizen at military academy on espionage suspicion
Poland's Military Gendarmerie detained a 31-year-old dual Polish-Ukrainian citizen, named Vasyl, who was enrolled in a reservist officer training course at the Military Medical Academy in Łódź, on 16 October on suspicion of espionage. A court placed the suspect in three months' temporary arrest. Polish Deputy Minister of National Defence Cezary Tomczyk confirmed the case and indicated possible contact with the Ukrainian side as the investigation continues.
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Putin proposes Trump–Putin–Xi trilateral to discuss Ukraine war; Kyiv and Europe excluded
The Wall Street Journal reported on 19 October 2026 that Vladimir Putin proposed a three-way summit with US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping to discuss ending the war in Ukraine on terms favourable to Russia, with the Kremlin suggesting the APEC summit in Shenzhen on 18–19 November as the venue. The proposed format does not include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump told reporters he would attend if Putin and Xi wanted the meeting; Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed talks had taken place but said no final decision had been made; Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there is no clear understanding yet of the meeting or its agenda. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha rejected the Russia–China–US format, saying it would only encourage Putin to continue the war, while European officials insisted any settlement must respect Ukraine's territorial integrity and include Kyiv.
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Zelenskyy says Ukraine holds more territory than Russia has taken since autumn, pushes back on Gerasimov's Zaporizhzhia claims
In his evening address on October 18, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces have liberated more territory since the start of autumn than Russia has captured, and that the same trend has held in other periods of 2025. He pushed back on claims by Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, asserting that Russian forces are being engaged about 20 km from Zaporizhzhia, not 5 km as Russia claims, and that several named settlements remain under Ukrainian control.
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Fence breach at Leipzig/Halle Airport likely caused by vehicle; northern runway closed
On the evening of 17 October, a breach in the perimeter fence of Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany was discovered, likely caused by a vehicle. German federal and Saxony state police responded; no intruders, suspicious objects, or vehicle were found. The northern runway was temporarily closed while the southern runway, where Amazon cargo planes landed, continued operating.
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Ukrainian drones hit St Petersburg oil terminal, VK data centre and bridge in large-scale overnight attack
On the night of 18 October, Ukrainian drones launched a large-scale attack on Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast, striking the Petersburg Oil Terminal, the Ruchyi fuel depot, a VKontakte data centre, a cable-stayed bridge on the Western High-Speed Diameter, and an Ozon logistics centre. Fires broke out at the oil terminal's tank farm and at the Ozon warehouse; Russian authorities reported power outages, restricted flights at Pulkovo airport, and one death plus five injuries in Saint Petersburg. Ukrainian defence company Fire Point said its FP-1 drones were used.
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Ukraine reports Starlink connectivity loss for military drones; Zelensky calls it a "planned special operation"
On 14 October, Ukrainian military drones equipped with Starlink terminals lost connectivity, with the slowdown lasting roughly a day and effects lingering into 17 October. The incident occurred while US President Donald Trump was threatening to halt intelligence sharing over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking in Brussels on 17 October, said connectivity had not fully recovered and described the episode as a "planned special operation." Both Trump and SpaceX owner Elon Musk denied involvement in any throttling.
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Moscow reports second consecutive night of drone attacks; mayor says nearly 200 drones destroyed across two nights
Moscow authorities, led by Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, reported a second consecutive night of drone attacks on the Russian capital. The mayor said 62 drones were shot down between 23:00 Saturday and 1:19 Sunday, Kyiv time, following a reported attack of more than 140 drones the previous night. Across both nights, Sobyanin stated that nearly 200 Ukrainian drones were destroyed while heading for Moscow.
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Trump suspends Russia sanctions under Graham Law, agrees Russian diesel deal, in sharp break with Zelensky
On October 16, 2025, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order suspending the implementation of sanctions and tariffs against Russia under the bipartisan Graham Law (HR 5334), just two days before they were due to take effect. The move came a week after Trump agreed during a phone call with Vladimir Putin to import hundreds of thousands of tons of Russian diesel fuel. Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the 60-day review and rejected criticism that easing sanctions was a "gift" to Putin. President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that if the United States sides with Russia, Ukraine "will not be able to win and will not be able to survive," and said the sanctions suspension is a continuation of Trump's "diesel deal" with Moscow. The decision drew rare bipartisan criticism, including from Republican Senators John Cornyn, Thom Tillis, Ted Cruz, Kevin Cramer and Dave McCormick, as well as Democrats. Separately, SpaceX unilaterally restricted the Starshield terminals that Ukraine's military relies on, and US officials warned Ukraine that intelligence sharing and arms supplies could be reduced.
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Russian forces executed captured Ukrainian soldiers on Hulyaipole direction, Ukraine opens war crime investigation
Russian servicemembers, believed to be from the 38th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade, executed captured Ukrainian service members on the Hulyaipole direction in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Ukraine's military reported on October 17. Spokesperson Maksym Kravchuk of the "South" force grouping said intercepts captured orders to "finish off" and "zero out" the unarmed prisoners, and Ukrainian forces also obtained drone video of the scene. Ukraine's Office of the Prosecutor General opened a pretrial investigation under Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine for a war crime causing death.
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Ukraine confirms strikes on Russian drone plant and missile brigade warehouse
Ukraine's General Staff confirmed on October 17, 2026, that Ukrainian Defense Forces struck two targets in Russia: the "Roboavia" UAV production facility near Lenina, Rostov Oblast, on October 16, and a material-technical supply warehouse of a Russian missile brigade near Latyshi, Bryansk Oblast, on October 12. The General Staff framed both strikes as part of Ukraine's right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter, aimed at reducing Russia's military-economic and technological potential. Russia has not publicly commented, and Radio Liberty said it could not independently verify the claims.
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Poland has spent over 480 million zloty financing Starlink for Ukraine since 2022
Poland has financed Starlink terminals and subscription fees for Ukraine since 2022, spending over 480 million zloty in total. The current contract runs until the end of December 2026 and no agreements for subsequent years have been signed. Polish officials have publicly linked a recent ground-station arson in Mazovia to Russian services.
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Trump suspends Russia sanctions under "Graham Law" days before they were to take effect
President Donald Trump on October 16, 2026 signed an executive order suspending the application of sanctions, restrictions, and tariffs against Russia that had been due to take effect on October 18 under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act. Using a waiver provision in the law, Trump certified to Congress that the suspension serves the national interests of the United States. The order keeps the new measures formally on the books but does not apply them for now, while previously imposed US sanctions against Russia remain in force. Critics including the law's co-author Senator Richard Blumenthal and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the move; Russia's Kirill Dmitriev welcomed it as a "truly historic moment."
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Russia launches massive new campaign of strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities
On 16 October, Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov publicly reported to Vladimir Putin that Russia had begun a dedicated campaign of massive strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Overnight into 17 October, Russian forces hit energy facilities in 10 oblasts, with President Volodymyr Zelensky saying more than 15 power generation and transmission sites were damaged in one of the largest such strikes on record.
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Babiš blasts Trump's diesel deal with Putin as 'slap' to Europe at EU summit in Brussels
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived at an EU leaders' summit in Brussels on 16 October 2026, where Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš publicly criticised Donald Trump's diesel agreement with Vladimir Putin, calling it a 'slap' to Europe. Zelensky told journalists in Brussels that Putin does not want real peace talks and warned that concessions on Russian diesel could be followed by gas deals and sanctions relief. The summit comes amid reports that Trump has shifted from mediator to a party doing deals with Moscow, and that Washington has pressured Kyiv over strikes on Russian oil refineries.
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Moldovan airspace violated by drones five times in one night amid Russian strikes on Ukraine
Moldova's Defense Minister Anatolii Nosatyi condemned five separate drone incursions into Moldovan airspace during the night of October 16 and the morning of October 17. The violations, recorded in the north and southeast of the country, occurred against the backdrop of massive Russian attacks on neighboring Ukraine. No crashes or explosions were reported.
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Ukrainian drone attack shuts 22 Russian airports, including all four Moscow hubs
A large-scale Ukrainian drone attack on the night of October 15 forced Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsia) to restrict operations at 22 airports across the European part of Russia, including all four Moscow airports — Vnukovo, Domodedovo, Zhukovsky, and Sheremetyevo — effectively creating a no-fly zone for civil aviation. Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported multiple drone interceptions throughout the night, with Russian air defense claiming to have shot down between 59 and 70 drones heading toward the capital.
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U.S. extends Lukoil sanctions exemptions for foreign gas stations until April 2027
The U.S. Department of the Treasury extended general licenses allowing certain activities with sanctioned Russian oil company Lukoil until April 24, 2027. The licenses permit Lukoil-branded gas stations outside Russia and named Bulgarian Lukoil entities to continue operating while the underlying sanctions remain in force. The decision came about a week after President Donald Trump announced a deal for Russian diesel supplies to U.S. and global markets, drawing bipartisan U.S. criticism and sharp pushback from EU foreign ministers.
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Trump announces deal for Russia to supply 300,000 tonnes of diesel to US market
On 9 October 2026, Donald Trump announced that Russia would immediately supply 300,000 tonnes of diesel fuel to American and world markets under a deal with Vladimir Putin reached during a phone call. On the same day, the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued General License 135, authorizing specified transactions involving Russian diesel through 7 April 2027. The deal was justified by Trump as a way to lower diesel prices that had risen because of a war with Iran ahead of the 3 November midterm elections; critics from both parties argued it contradicts a 2022 law banning Russian energy imports and the sanctions Trump himself signed in September.
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Russia builds large jet-drone launch base near Ukraine in about six weeks
Russia has nearly completed a large new base for launching jet strike drones in Russia's Rostov Oblast, near the Ukrainian border, built in about six weeks on a site that was an empty field at the end of August. The complex, roughly 0.9 square kilometers in area, sits about 3.5 km from the Millerovo airbase and is intended for launching 'Geran-4' and 'Geran-5' jet drones, according to private intelligence company DroneSec. Construction has coincided with a roughly six-fold increase in Russia's use of jet drones over the summer.