Ukraine's energy ministry reported that Russia fired more than 150 missiles and over 2,000 drones at the country's power system during October and early November.

Russia escalates freeze-out campaign as temperatures drop

As winter approaches, Russia has intensified attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, mirroring tactics from previous years aimed at causing blackouts and disrupting daily life. The strikes focus on critical nodes in the grid, aiming to strain repair crews and threaten civilian safety.

The ministry said that Russia targeted power generation sites, transmission lines, distribution networks, and gas infrastructure.

Recent attacks force nationwide blackouts and kill energy workers

The October-November assault represents Russia's fourth consecutive winter targeting Ukraine's power system. 

Among the major strikes: on 8 November, Russian forces launched over 450 drones and 45 missiles, forcing all three Centrenergo thermal plants offline and leaving Kyiv residents without electricity for up to 12 hours. 

Strikes on 2 November plunged the entire Ukraine-controlled part of Donetsk Oblast into a full blackout, while other attacks have killed energy workers using double-strike tactics - hitting infrastructure sites, then attacking again as repair workers arrive.

Earlier strikes in October destroyed 60% of Ukraine's gas production capacity, forcing Ukraine to import gas at emergency winter prices and spend nearly €2 billion to maintain heating for 12 million Ukrainians.

Rolling blackouts persist despite heroic repair efforts

The ministry expressed gratitude to energy workers and highlighted newly installed anti-drone shelters at key facilities and international support in limiting damage.

Yet, Ukraine continues to experience severe rolling blackouts across the country. Some regions face power cuts for up to 12 hours daily as Russian strikes outpace repair work.

Energy workers operate around the clock under dangerous conditions, racing to prevent complete grid collapse. 

"Compared to the first attacks in 2022, we're now like ants: we run in, everyone takes their task," said Oleh, a master technician repairing transformer equipment, in a ministry video.

The workers' coordination has improved dramatically since 2022. But improved efficiency can't overcome the math: when Russia fires 2,000 drones and 150 missiles in six weeks, repair crews struggle to keep pace.

"It often happens: we just got home and immediately need to leave again to fix an emergency," added Ivan, head of the overhead line repair section at the facility featured in the video.

The accumulated experience from years of war allows crews to work faster, but the exhaustion is mounting, the blackouts continue, and winter has not even begun.

Last night, Ukrainian Telegram channels reported several Ukrainian attacks within Russia and in the occupied part of Ukraine. Long-range drones and Flamingo missiles were used in the attacks, according to monitoring accounts and videos. Later, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed an attack on occupied Berdiansk, confirmed attacks inside Russia without specifying the targets, and reported an attack in occupied Crimea.

Explosions reported in Belgorod, Krasnodar, Oryol, occupied Zaporizhzhia and Crimea

Around 17:00 on 12 November, Ukrainian Telegram channel Supernova+ shared photos showing fire and smoke near Nikolskoe in Russia's Belgorod Oblast north of Ukraine. The caption stated there were “reports of a UAV attack.”

Later, the same channel posted an image from Gulkevichi in Krasnodar Krai, southern Russia, showing a fire, reporting a power substation "incident" that left nearby Novokubansk without electricity.

Late on 12 November, Ukrainian Telegram channel Exilenova+ shared video footage of air defense activity in occupied Berdiansk, Zaporizhzhia Oblast. The channel noted that local residents reported two strikes, adding that this information “requires clarification.”

In the early hours of 13 November, Exilenova+ posted additional videos from Afipsky, a Russian settlement in Krasnodar Krai that hosts an oil refinery. Locals were heard complaining about the work of air defense systems during the apparent attack.

The same channel also reported an attack on Oryol, a city in western Russia. One of the videos showed burning debris falling from the sky. Later, Exilenova+ shared a photo showing structural damage at the Oryol thermal power plant — specifically, a large hole in a wall of one of its workshops. A Ukrainian airspace monitoring account, Nikolaevsky Vanyok, stated that Flamingo missiles had been used in the Oryol attack, sharing photos of a missile marked with the user’s avatar.

In occupied Crimea, explosions were reported in Feodosiya on the peninsula’s eastern coast. The Krymsky Veter Telegram channel said powerful blasts were heard in the area.

General Staff confirms hits in Berdiansk, Crimea, and unspecified targets in Russia

Later on 13 November, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine released a statement confirming a series of strikes. The Staff also shared a clip, showing launches of drones and missiles.

According to the military, "a number" of enemy targets were hit overnight in both occupied Ukraine and inside Russian territory. The specific extent of damage was still being assessed.

In occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Ukraine confirmed a hit on an oil depot near Berdiansk, as well as forward command posts belonging to Russia’s 5th Combined Arms Army and the 127th Motor Rifle Division.

In occupied Crimea, Ukrainian forces reported strikes on multiple military facilities. Targets included the Maritime Oil Terminal, helicopter parking areas, and drone preparation sites at the Kirovske airfield, and an air defense radar station near Yevpatoriya on the western coast. The General Staff did not mention the location of the oil terminal, but the report likely refers to the facility in Feodosiya.

While no specific Russian regions were mentioned, the General Staff stated that targets in Russia were also hit. The report emphasized that the strikes were part of a systemic campaign to degrade the logistical and offensive capabilities of Russian forces.

The General Staff noted that Ukraine employed various long-range strike systems in the operation, including domestically developed Flamingo missiles, and the drones such as Bars and Lyutyi.

Ukraine has become a drone superpower, producing about 4 million unmanned aerial vehicles of various types each year. For comparison, some estimates put US military drone production at roughly 100,000 units per year, Bloomberg reports. 

Ukraine’s drone era began with Turkish Bayraktar TB2s. Ukraine purchased its first Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicles in 2019. These drones have significantly strengthened the capabilities of Kyiv's forces since the beginning of Russia's full-scale war. Today, Ukraine produces most of its drones itself with the support of its allies. 

Ukraine's drone variety exceeds NATO arsenals

Now, Ukrainian companies, facing acute funding shortages, are eager to share their drone expertise and create safer production lines aimed at European armies that want to stockpile weapons.

“It’s not just the quantity of drones, it’s the variety. Probably more than all NATO countries combined right now," said RAND analyst Michael Bohnert.

That variety includes long-range strike drones, as well as inexpensive first-person-view (FPV) attack drones.

Increasingly, Ukrainian air defenses are also using interceptor drones. Ukraine and the UK plan to begin joint production of such drones in the coming months to counter swarms of Russian drones.

FlyWell wants $50 million to manufacture drones on European soil

• Some Ukrainian drone makers have already entered the EU market. For example, Skyeton opened a facility in Slovakia and has announced partnerships with Denmark and the UK. The company produces reconnaissance UAVs capable of flying for up to 24 hours.
• Another Ukrainian firm, TSIR, is now operating in Finland and is preparing to launch a production line for tactical quadcopters that can cover up to 15 kilometers and are used for reconnaissance and strikes along the front line, in a joint venture with Finnish partner Summa Defence Plc.
• FlyWell brings together several Ukrainian companies that produce aerial, ground, and maritime drones intended for reconnaissance and strikes on Russian targets from the front line to ranges of up to 2,000 kilometers. FlyWell plans to raise about $50 million to fund European manufacturing and R&D projects.

Currently, Summa Defence is self-funding production and has already created prototypes of three models that could enter mass production immediately after testing in Ukraine, CEO Yussi Holopainen said. Some of the output is intended for NATO countries, but Ukraine remains the priority.

Offices in Berlin and Copenhagen

Denmark allocated nearly $77 million this year to help Ukrainian arms manufacturers establish operations on its territory. The first project is expected to begin producing rocket fuel this year for Fire Point, a Ukrainian company developing the Flamingo cruise missile with a range of 3,000 kilometers.

Ukraine plans to open offices in Berlin and Copenhagen this year to market weapons, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on 3 November. This is about joint production and the export of weapons that Ukraine can afford to sell in order to raise funds for domestic production of scarce items that Kyiv currently lacks funding for.

Russia launched another overnight drone and missile attack on Ukraine in the early hours of 10 November, targeting multiple oblasts across the country, according to Ukraine’s Air Force. While most long-range drones were intercepted, some strikes still caused civilian casualties, infrastructure damage, and fires in several areas. More civilians were hurt in Russia's artillery and short-range drone attacks across several regions, local authorities reported.

52 drones intercepted but 15 reach targets across Ukraine

Ukraine’s Air Force reported that Russian forces attacked with 67 long-range drones of various types — primarily Shaheds, as well as Gerbera and other strike UAVs — launched from multiple directions, including Russia’s Kursk, Millerovo, Oryol, and Bryansk oblasts, and from occupied Crimea. Two Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles were launched from the airspace over Tambov Oblast, and five S-300/S-400 surface-to-air missiles were fired from Kursk Oblast.

By 9:30 a.m., Ukrainian air defense units — using aircraft, mobile fire teams, electronic warfare, and missile systems — had downed or jammed 52 drones.

Civilian casualties

In Sumy Oblast, Russian long-range drone strikes injured two women early on November. A 45-year-old woman was hurt in the Velykopysarivska community, and an 89-year-old woman was hospitalized after a drone hit the Krasnopilska community, local police and the oblast administration reported. Drone attacks also damaged three apartment buildings, seven one-family homes, four warehouses, two garages, one outbuilding, power lines, and two vehicles in six communities across five districts.

In Kharkiv Oblast, two women were injured when Russian drones hit the village of Prykolotne in Kupiansk District. At least ten detached homes and other structures were damaged, the oblast prosecutor’s office said.

In Kherson Oblast, a 26-year-old man died after a Russian short-range drone dropped explosives on a residential street in Stanislav on 9 November around 4:00 p.m., according to the oblast prosecutor’s office. Law enforcement launched a war crimes investigation.

Elsewhere in Kherson, Russian shelling injured a 49-year-old employee of a scientific institution in the Korabelnyi District. She sustained leg wounds, a concussion, and cranial trauma. In a separate attack, a 59-year-old woman suffered a concussion and head injuries in her own home. Both were hospitalized, the regional authorities said.

In Donetsk Oblast, two civilians were injured in Russian attacks over the past day, said oblast head Vadym Filashkin. Late on 9 November, Russian forces used a Granat-4 drone to strike Sloviansk on 9 November, damaging a two-story apartment building and a vehicle. No injuries were reported in that particular strike.

Fire breaks out on Odesa apartment building facade

In Odesa, a drone strike early on 10 November ignited the facade of a four-story residential building. Firefighters quickly extinguished the flames, said Odesa Oblast head Oleh Kiper. There were no injuries or deaths.

Russian strikes on Dnipropetrovsk Oblast sparked multiple fires. In Nikopol and the Pokrovska community, artillery and drones ignited a private home. In the Vasylkivska community of Synelnykove District, a drone strike caused a fire in a church and damaged a bank building, according to acting oblast head Vladyslav Haivanenko. No injuries were reported.

Khmelnytskyi Oblast also came under attack during an air raid on 10 November, but local authorities said there were no casualties or damage.

Zaporizhzhia Oblast authorities recorded 367 Russian strikes in the past 24 hours, according to oblast head Ivan Fedorov. 13 localities came under fire. Russian forces launched seven airstrikes, used 162 FPV drones, 4 MLRS barrages, and 194 artillery strikes.

Ukraine is paying a terrible price for its resistance to Russia's genocide war and occupation. On the night of 8 November, all of Ukraine came under fire. The Russian army launched over 450 attack drones and 45 missiles, targeting residential buildings and energy infrastructure across the country.

According to Centrenergo, a company supplying electricity to central and eastern Ukraine, its three thermal power plants have been forced to shut down following the attacks. Eight regions are facing widespread power outages, and in Kyiv, residents are left without electricity for up to 12 hours a day.

In Dnipro, a drone strike on a residential building killed three people. 

“More pressure on Moscow”: Zelenskyy calls for stronger sanctions

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attacks must trigger a unified global sanctions response.

“Every strike by Moscow on our energy sector must be met with sanctions on the entire Russian energy sector, without exception. Nuclear energy, the military-industrial complex, and trade in oil and gas must all be under sanctions," Zelenskyy claimed. 

He emphasized that the world must act on frozen Russian assets and increase support for Ukraine to prevent the Kremlin from destroying the country’s civilian energy system before winter.

25 ballistic and seven hypersonic missiles

According to Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat, Russia used a record number of ballistic missiles in this latest strike, per 24 Channel. 

“Twenty-five Iskander-M/KN-23s and seven Kinzhal missiles. A total of 32 missiles followed ballistic trajectories. This is Russia's new tactic," he said. 

The main strikes hit the regions of Kharkiv, Kyiv, Poltava, Dnipro, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, and Odesa.

Largest national oil and gas company says Russia wants to freeze Ukrainians 

Naftogaz CEO Serhii Koretskyi said the 8 November strike was the ninth deliberate attack on civilian gas infrastructure since early October. 

“This is yet another act of terrorism aimed at depriving Ukrainians of gas, heat, and electricity during the winter," said the head of the the largest national oil and gas company of Ukraine.

Ukraine strengthens energy ties with the West

On the eve of the strikes, Ukraine signed an agreement to import US liquefied natural gas (LNG) via Greek terminals. According to the Ministry of Energy, the deal represents a long-term partnership through 2050, ensuring stable gas supplies and integrating Ukraine into European energy routes.

“We are building a resilient system for the delivery and storage of American gas to prevent Moscow’s energy blackmail,” said Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk.

Russia’s deadly winter offensive tests the world

The Kremlin is now operating even more clinically and cynically than before. Russian capabilities and tactics are evolving faster than Ukraine can improve its air defenses, both missile interceptions and electronic warfare measures around sensitive sites. It appears this winter will be a test of endurance like no other.

The Kremlin has changed the way it is terrorizing Ukrainians when temperatures are going low, by concentrating on specific regions, striking in waves, and using new variants of cheap Shahed drones.

The drones are also attacking differently, approaching from near‑vertical trajectories and flying above the effective range of machine guns, almost like missiles.

Beyond the cost of damaged infrastructure, recent attacks are forcing Ukraine to spend a staggering $1.9 billion on imported gas.

Experts warn that this winter could be one of the toughest in Ukraine’s history. The world’s response will determine whether the aggressor can be contained or whether the global community allows the destruction of sovereign nations by force. 

As Washington flip-flops on granting Tomahawk cruise missiles to Kyiv, there is a more practical, politically expedient solution, which doesn’t involve an American veto of every target that Ukraine may want to hit. 

That solution is twofold: fund Ukraine’s defense companies to make their own missiles and long-range drones, and supply Kyiv with cheaper, less advanced munitions in greater numbers, observers and insiders said. 

This will still let Ukraine scale up its deep-strike campaign, meant to grind down the Russian offensive rather than face its full might on the front lines, saving both lives and money. 

“Right now, we need less missiles to meaningfully reduce the Russians’ capabilities, compared to 2022, because now we have drones,” said Serhii Kuzan, chair of the Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Center. 

"But let's imagine that you also add missiles... this is a few dozen-fold enhancement to our long-range capabilities."

American Tomahawks and German Tauruses, which would be very helpful for deep strikes, remain blocked by politics for the time being. However, the Ukrainians have already made up for their dearth of missiles by innovating a menagerie of effective homegrown solutions. They just need support to make more. 

Ukraine’s drones have proven effective at hitting softer targets like refineries, but also factories. One Kyiv-based developer told Euromaidan Press that drones can now penetrate a meter of concrete and deal heavy damage with warheads lighter than 100 kilograms.

Ukraine also produces its own missiles, like the Neptune and, more recently, the Flamingo. It also gets cruise missiles from less reticent allies — the Storm Shadows and SCALPs provided by the UK and France, respectively. All of the above have been used in successful strikes against Russia.

“The situation is not binary, and Ukraine could undoubtedly make effective use of 50 or so Tomahawks. However, since the US is highly unlikely to donate these missiles, European governments might be better advised to channel the estimated $125–200 million they would cost… directly into Ukraine’s missile industry,” wrote missile expert Fabian Hoffmann of Oslo University. 

“Given that expanding Ukraine’s domestic missile production remains a major strategic priority, this may represent the more beneficial option.”

Deep strikes into Russia need to be scaled up

If necessity is the mother of invention, she has been an especially fruitful mother in Ukraine, birthing a wide variety of tech for both the front line and strategic attacks deep inside Russian territory. 

When Western allies refused to grant long-range weapons out of fear of escalation, Ukraine was forced to develop a plethora of effective attack drones of different shapes and sizes, from their Shahed analogues like the Batyar, to bombers resembling civilian aircraft, like the UJ-22 or the Horynych, to high-altitude balloons and more. 

Using these unmanned technologies, Ukraine has been striking Russia’s hydrocarbon infrastructure for years, but this campaign really kicked into high gear in 2025, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claiming that attacks are happening practically every day. 

In spite of the economic damage, Russia has so far kept up the frontline pressure, demonstrating that it can still afford to throw money and bodies at the problem, something that Ukraine, short on both funds and manpower, cannot do. 

Still, Kyiv hopes that by disabling enough strategic targets with more attacks, Russia’s military sustainability will falter. 

Observers and insiders who spoke to Euromaidan Press said that deep strikes will not win the war or reconquer lost territories, but they can still weaken Russia’s war effort and halt its advance, with the right choices of targets and sufficient means to hit them. 

• Drones work better against softer targets like refineries, but these are easier to replace
• Industrial machinery is harder to replace but harder to damage and is farther away from the front, so missiles work better against it
• Missiles are also useful for killing commanders in bunkers — if enough are killed, this can paralyze a regional offensive, thanks to Russia's top-down command style
• Tomahawks would be very useful to hit hardened targets, but chances of Ukraine getting them seem remote, with the White House constantly changing its mind
• Up to 50 missiles were under discussion; Ukraine would need hundreds of Tomahawks to take out entire factory complexes — plus, Washington could tell Kyiv what targets it's allowed to shoot
• For the same cost, the US and European allies could provide cheaper missiles and funding to buff up Ukraine's deep strike capabilities

Blasting Russia's refineries and industrial base

Designing a deep strike campaign around drones means choosing softer targets, said Marc DeVore, a defense policy scholar, who advised the UK’s Foreign Office on Russia’s full-scale invasion. 

“I think that Ukraine has done a great job in terms of identifying some of those target sets,” he told Euromaidan Press. 

Well-placed drone strikes can take refineries offline but to keep them that way, the attacks have to be regular and repeated, with most drone-sized payloads. 

“Repairs and restoring a refinery to operation is not necessarily rocket science and there's a sufficient number of producers of the necessary equipment that the Russians will be able to source,” DeVore said. 

Replacement piping, pumps, and other components can be easily acquired from China or built at home. Now, drones can do lasting damage to cracking units, which break down crude oil, and may be harder for Russia to source.

Missiles are able to do a lot more devastating damage to these targets, which would keep them offline longer. But missiles can be even more valuable if used to strike harder to reach targets, such as factories that make weapons or the stuff that goes into them.

Such plants are better-protected and also contain hefty industrial machinery like CNC machines or rotary forges that make parts for military vehicles. A recent investigation by InformNapalm showed that Russia must resort to evading sanctions to get its hands on more of these machines. 

These machines are hard to damage with small payloads, but also much harder to replace if they are destroyed by a larger blast.

“Russia doesn't produce its own rotary forges, and China also is a laggard. So the rotary forge industry is largely dominated by one Austrian company, (GFM), and Russia depends on it for rotary forges,” DeVore said.  

“So if one could either destroy those forges or inflict sufficient damage, it would be very difficult for Russia to replace them,” assuming the company doesn’t sell its tech to a random middleman that pops up overnight. 

Range is also a factor. Tomahawks can go up to 1,500 kilometers. A significant proportion of Russia’s heaviest military production assets are located far from the front lines, requiring any weapons to cross major distances to reach them.

The majority of long-range attack drones and cruise missiles that Ukraine uses now typically have ranges in the hundreds of kilometers, without breaching the 1,000 kilometer mark. Ukraine’s Flamingo cruise missile has a claimed range of up to 3,000 kilometers, but this has yet to be verified independently. 

Killing Russian command staff to halt the advance

Missiles are typically more effective at penetrating command and control centers, which are typically shielded by thick concrete. An attack like that can kill important command staff, which can be very disruptive to the Russian military, with its top-down command structure.

It was a Ukrainian Storm Shadow strike in 2023 that blasted the Black Sea Fleet headquarters and command center in Crimea, reportedly killing dozens of officers. 

Missile strikes were also instrumental in hitting the command posts of Russia’s 155th Naval Infantry, “paralyzing that entire direction” for a while, according to Kuzan. “The same story played out in Kursk in the spring.”

Successful attacks over the course of a month can disable command and control of an entire assault grouping, he said. But this requires a sufficient number of missiles.

The limits and opportunity costs of expensive missiles

With a few dozen good missiles, Ukrainians can force Russians to divert their air defense assets to protect more strategic sites, possibly weakening air coverage along the front. Or the Russians can be forced to spend resources to disperse production and harden facilities, especially if they don’t know how many missiles Ukraine has. 

However, “if your goal is inflicting decisive damage on the Russian economy, yes, you would need hundreds,” DeVore said. 

Hoffmann would agree, writing that destroying production plants with conventional missiles requires large salvos. Each Tomahawk can obliterate everything within a radius of 13 meters, but the Alabuga plant that makes Russia’s weapons stretches across 160,000 square meters. 

It’d take at least 150 Tomahawks to destroy 50% of the facility, assuming all of them reach their targets. This is a lot more than the amount Washington had reportedly considered.

“This is not to suggest that this type of counter-industry targeting is inherently unfeasible. It is not,” Hoffmann wrote. “Still, such operations are more demanding than commentators generally suggest, and arguably require more heavy missiles than Ukraine has access to in the short-term.”

With fewer missiles, Ukraine can focus on disrupting supply chains like electronics, explosives, propellants, and so on, which it has been doing with some success, using drones and Storm Shadows. 

“The other problem… is that for the Tomahawk to be used, it requires an entire targeting infrastructure that's dependent on the Americans,” DeVore said.

“Even if the Americans were willing to provide this system, they would have a de facto veto on every use case which I'm not sure is the situation you want to be in when the occupant of the White House seems to change his mind a lot.” 

The more expedient alternative: help Ukraine develop missiles and drones

With that in mind, if Washington is unwilling to supply Ukraine with its most advanced, exquisite missiles, the US and other NATO allies can still improve Kyiv’s ability to degrade Russia’s oil industry and military production capabilities. 

“Whether or not Tomahawks arrive in Ukraine, this will not decide the war. What matters far more is that European governments continue to invest substantial funds directly into Ukraine’s missile sector,” Hoffmann wrote. 

Zelenskyy said that while Ukraine uses foreign missiles like Storm Shadows, 95% of deep strikes are conducted using Ukrainian weapons. 

For example, some Ukrainian attack drones are more powerful than people give them credit for, despite having a limited payload size on paper, said Viktor, a Ukrainian technician who works in a lab developing Shahed-like delta-wing UAVs to attack Russia. His full name was omitted from the article for security purposes. 

He claimed the cost of the basic hardware is just $5,000, although incorporating jamming-resistant antennas raises the price several times. According to Viktor, some Ukrainian companies have learned to squeeze a lot more damage out of a relatively small payload, just tens of kilograms in mass.

"Some ammo is made by ordinary guys... they don't know the chemistry or physics that they should know," he said.

"But I know a few companies that paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for special simulation programs for how they need to make the ammo to penetrate a meter of concrete, with a small amount [of explosive charge] and cause huge damage inside."

He added that Ukrainians already have the ability to use digital image matching to hit stationary targets on the ground. This is similar to what the Tomahawk uses for its terminal guidance. 

In fact, there is a “whole list” of much simpler weapons that allies can deliver to Ukraine by the thousands, relatively inexpensively, Kuzan said. For example, air-launched munitions with cheap guidance, like turbo-powered versions of the glide bombs Russia keeps dropping — these “ersatz-missiles,” as he called them, can strike from 300 to 450 kilometers away. 

While Russian air defenses are able to shoot cheaper weapons down with relative ease, Ukrainians have proven adept at punching corridors through these defenses with decoys, anti-radiation weapons, and other tech, enabling them to deliver sufficient firepower against stationary targets. 

"You can carry out strikes against sites where weapons, equipment, fuel, and everything else the army consumes, are being stockpiled. That's the mission," Kuzan said. "The more such sites are hit, the slower the advance. So, in fact, it's precisely these strikes that can halt the invasion."

The ratio of Russia’s use of ballistic missiles with 480 kg warheads to cruise missiles has increased in 2025 compared to previous years. Additionally, the Russians are refining their deployment methods for Iskander-M systems, which are capable of destroying residential buildings, making it more difficult for Patriot systems to intercept them, according to RBC-Ukraine.

The missile subtly changes course while the battery tries to keep up automatically

This challenge is compounded by the fact that the Iskander-M missile can make minor course adjustments as it approaches its target.

As Yurii Ihnat, Head of Communications for the Air Force Command, has noted that the Patriot system intercepts ballistic missiles automatically, which makes it harder to determine the precise moment to engage a maneuvering missile.

Ballistic missiles make sharp trajectory changes

Russian occupiers have also begun using Iskander-M more frequently and from multiple directions, often combining them with other tools, such as drones and cruise missiles.

“This, in turn, makes them even harder to intercept. A Patriot battery during an attack can only 'look' in one direction. It cannot engage targets 360 degrees around it,” the military official added.

Despite these challenges, Patriot systems continue to operate effectively, achieving confirmed interceptions of both Iskanders and Kinzhal missiles.

Ukraine plans to begin mass production of its new Flamingo and Ruta missiles by the end of this year, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on 3 November, as reported by Ukrainian media, saying the country is making “very good” progress in developing its own long-range strike capabilities.

In recent months, Kyiv has accelerated domestic weapons production to strengthen its defenses and reduce dependence on foreign supplies amid ongoing Russian attacks. Ukraine’s push to build homegrown missiles marks a major step toward achieving self-sufficiency in long-range precision warfare, a domain once dominated by imported systems.

Speaking at a press briefing, Zelenskyy said the new weapons are already being used by Ukraine’s Defense Forces, but declined to specify numbers. “We expect mass production by the end of this year,” he said

He added that Ukraine’s Neptune anti-ship missile is already in serial production, with an extended-range cruise missile version - the “long Neptune” - also in service.

The Flamingo is a long-range Ukrainian cruise missile designed for deep-strike missions. Ukrainian officials say it delivers heavy strike power and long reach, giving Kyiv a strategic-capability previously dependent on foreign supplies.

The Ruta is a shorter-range jet-powered cruise missile or high-end loitering drone developed with technology from the Netherlands-based start-up Destinus. It is intended for tactical precision strikes and greater operational flexibility.

Zelenskyy said the deployment of these systems shows that Ukraine is “doing very well” in domestic missile production despite wartime constraints. “Every new missile we build strengthens our independence,” he noted.

The move underscores Ukraine’s determination to expand its domestic defense industry while maintaining pressure on Russian military targets far behind the front lines.

The UK has quietly delivered a new batch of Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine, according to Bloomberg. The resupply was timed ahead of winter, with British officials fearing Russia will escalate attacks on Ukrainian civilians in the coming months.

UK sends more Storm Shadows without announcing how many

People familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that the UK government recently provided Ukraine with additional Storm Shadow missiles. The exact number of missiles remains undisclosed, and the delivery was not publicly announced. Officials described the move as a precaution, aimed at ensuring Ukraine’s long-range capabilities are maintained through winter, when the Kremlin may intensify its assault on civilian infrastructure.

Storm Shadows are British-made, air-launched cruise missiles with a range of over 250 kilometers. They use inertial and terrain-reference navigation combined with GPS and are designed to fly low and fast, making them difficult to intercept. The UK does not regularly confirm how many Storm Shadows it has provided to Ukraine.

Storm Shadow strikes inside Russia resumed recently

In October, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said Storm Shadow missiles were used in a large-scale strike that successfully penetrated Russian air defenses and hit a chemical plant inside Russia. That was the first confirmed use of the missile inside Russian territory since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January.

Ukraine first launched Storm Shadows into Russia in November last year, just a day after it used US-provided ATACMS missiles for the first time. The British weapons require US targeting data to reach their full potential. 

Russian forces launched a sweeping overnight assault on Ukraine, striking civilian and energy infrastructure across several oblasts, according to the Ministry of Energy and multiple regional authorities. The air assault left six civilians dead and 13 injured, and plunged the entire Ukraine-controlled part of Donetsk Oblast into a full blackout.

Donetsk Oblast completely loses power after Russian strike, outages in three other regions

Early on 2 November, authorities reported widespread emergency power outages in the Ukraine-controlled part of Donetsk Oblast. According to the Kramatorsk City Council and the Druzhkivka City Military Administration, Kramatorsk, Druzhkivka, and Sloviansk were among the cities affected.

By 11:30 a.m., the head of Donetsk Oblast, Vadym Filashkin, confirmed the entire oblast under Ukrainian control had been cut off from the national grid due to Russian attacks.

“Emergency power outages began in the national power grid due to enemy strikes on infrastructure,” Filashkin wrote. He added that repair teams had started working to restore power as soon as security conditions allowed.

The Ministry of Energy of Ukraine confirmed the blackout in Donetsk Oblast and partial outages in three more regions, stating:

“Today, Russia again struck energy facilities. Donetsk is completely de-energized, and consumers in Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, and Chernihiv are partially disconnected.”

Two killed, three injured in Odesa drone attack

In the early hours of 2 November, Russian drones struck a truck parking lot in Odesa Oblast. The State Emergency Service (DSNS) of Odesa reported that the impact caused a fire involving five trucks, one of which was loaded with soybeans. Emergency crews extinguished the blaze.

The Odesa Oblast Prosecutor’s Office later confirmed two people were killed in the attack. Three others were injured, including one man who was hospitalized with thermal burns; his condition was assessed as moderate. The identities of the deceased were not immediately known. Another injured man, aged 42, was also taken to a medical facility, while two others received treatment on site.

Four civilians killed in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, including two children

On the evening of 1 November, Russian forces shelled Samarskyi District in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. Acting head of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration, Vladyslav Haivanenko, reported that four civilians were killed, including two children — boys aged 11 and 14. Seven other people were injured in the strike.

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Ukrainian drones strike five Russian and Russian-controlled substations in response to attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid

Haivanenko reported on 2 November that a 50-year-old woman who had been critically injured in the attack died in hospital overnight. Rescue workers extinguished a fire caused by the shelling and cleared debris from the site.

Three civilians injured in Zaporizhzhia city

Russian forces attacked Zaporizhzhia city overnight on 1–2 November using multiple launch rocket systems. According to Zaporizhzhia Oblast head Ivan Fedorov, three civilians were injured, including an 87-year-old woman who suffered fractures.

The city’s Shevchenkivskyi District was damaged. According to the city council, 65 detached houses were hit. The State Environmental Inspection reported that over 700 square meters were littered with debris, and a crater approximately 30 square meters in size was recorded at the site of impact.

Civilian homes hit in Chernihiv Oblast

Two Shahed attack drones hit the town of Novhorod-Siverskyi in Chernihiv Oblast overnight on 2 November. According to the head of the Novhorod-Siverskyi District Administration, Oleksandr Seliverstov, the drones struck a residential area. Several civilian homes were damaged, though no casualties were reported.

Ukrainian Air Force intercepts 67 drones during mass attack

Ukraine’s Air Force reported that Russia launched a combined attack starting at 7:00 p.m. on 1 November, using 79 attack drones — including Shahed and Gerbera models — and two Iskander-M ballistic missiles. Launch sites included Russia’s Bryansk, Kursk, Oryol, Millerovo, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk.

Last night, Russia launched a massive overnight drone and missile barrage that targeted Ukraine’s power grid and civilian infrastructure.  While air defenses prevented a majority of the threats from reaching their targets, the attack caused damage — with fatalities, blackouts, and destroyed infrastructure in several regions. The attack killed at least two people, injured nearly 20 — including children.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the assault as a continuation of Russia’s "terror" war against civilian life and called for new sanctions against Russia.

Power grid hit as Russia unleashes air and missile barrage

The combined Russian attack began late on 29 October and continued into the morning of 30 October. Ukrainian monitoring channels tracked waves of Shahed explosive drones entering airspace starting at 17:04, with the first explosions reported in Chernihiv. Hours later, missiles were launched from various platforms, including air-, sea-, and land-based systems. Russian forces employed ballistic, cruise, and aeroballistic missiles, including Kinzhal and Kalibr types.

Air alerts were active across most of Ukraine overnight, and explosions were heard in multiple oblasts, including Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Lviv, Khmelnytskyi, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Kyiv. The Zaporizhzhia attack lasted several hours, with drones preceding ballistic strikes.

Air Force reports 705 threats tracked, 623 neutralized

Ukraine’s Air Force reported that from 19:00 on 29 October, Russia launched a complex combined aerial attack involving 705 total air threats: 653 drones and 52 missiles of various types.

Intercepted or suppressed aerial threats included:

• 592 drones, including Shahed and Gerbera types;
• 7 Kalibr cruise missiles;
• 1 Iskander-K cruise missile;
• 21 Kh-101 cruise missiles;
• 2 Kh-59/69 guided aviation missiles.

Zelenskyy: Russia continues "terror war" against civilians

President Zelenskyy addressed the attack in a statement, confirming hits on residential areas in Zaporizhzhia, where dozens were injured and two people killed. The Russian attack critically injured a seven-year-old boy in Ladiyzhyn, Vinnytsia Oblast, the President reported.

“Russia continues its terrorist war against life,” Zelenskyy said, calling for increased pressure on Moscow, including sanctions targeting oil, gas, and finance sectors, and secondary sanctions against those who sponsor the war.

He added that Ukraine expects the United States, Europe, and G7 countries not to ignore Moscow’s intent to destroy everything.

Zaporizhzhia: Dormitory destroyed, two dead, 17 injured

Zaporizhzhia was among the most severely hit oblasts. Russian forces struck the city with both missiles and drones over several hours overnight, hitting five apartment buildings and several one-family homes, according to local authorities.

One Russian missile hit a dormitory, destroying multiple floors. Rescue teams recovered the body of a 62-year-old man identified by his sister.

"A woman recognized her brother’s house in a news report and began trying to reach him by phone. She later rushed to the scene, where, during the recovery of the body, she identified her brother," Suspilne wrote.

Later, the rescuers pulled another victim from the rubble.

According to the Zaporizhzhia Oblast Prosecutor’s Office, five apartment buildings and several private houses were damaged. In total, 17 people were injured, including six children.

Infrastructure facilities were also hit, and fires broke out in residential areas. A criminal investigation for war crimes has been launched.

Kyiv Oblast: some 60 drones downed, woman injured

Kyiv Oblast came under a mass drone attack, with air defenses shooting down around 60 Shahed drones, the oblast administration reported. No damage to critical infrastructure was reported, but a 35-year-old woman in Boryspil was hospitalized with severe injuries. 

Cherkasy Oblast: Farm fire, homes damaged, no injuries

In Cherkasy Oblast, drones and missiles targeted Zvenyhorod area, the oblast authorities said. Drone debris damaged a power line and several civilian homes, and caused a fire at a farm building. One animal was killed in the blaze. Authorities confirmed no civilian injuries.

According to regional officials, Ukrainian air defenses destroyed 12 drones and one missile over the oblast.

Dnipro: Power outage delays trains

Explosions were reported in Dnipro and surrounding areas. The local power grid suffered significant disruptions, forcing Ukrainian Railways to switch to backup locomotives. At least 11 passenger trains were delayed due to the outage, according to Suspilne.

Rivne Oblast: Infrastructure damaged, no casualties

Russian air attacks targeted infrastructure in Rivne Oblast. Local officials said civilian facilities sustained minor damage. There were no injuries.

Ukrainian Air Force monitoring channels reported possible launches of Kinzhal missiles toward Rivne, and drone activity was recorded in the southern parts of the oblast.

Lviv Oblast: Energy facilities and homes damaged

Lviv Oblast suffered hits to two energy infrastructure sites as part of the overnight attack. The regional military administration confirmed power outages and introduced hourly shutdown schedules. Several private buildings and a vehicle in the town of Khodoriv were also damaged.

Authorities said repairs were underway and heating season preparation was not interrupted due to backup systems.

Chernivtsi Oblast: Missile debris damages power line

In Chernivtsi Oblast, three Russian cruise missiles were detected in the airspace. One was shot down, and its debris damaged a power line in Novoselytsia community. No injuries were reported.

Odesa Oblast: Energy worker injured, 26,900 homes lose power

A strike on an energy facility in Odesa Oblast injured one energy worker, who received medical treatment. Damage was described as “significant” by DTEK energy company. About 26,900 households temporarily lost power, while critical infrastructure was restored using backup generators.

Dnipropetrovsk Oblast: 22 drones downed, missile hits Dnipro, fires in Synelnykove district

The oblast administration reported that air defenses shot down 22 Russian drones over Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

A Russian missile targeted an enterprise in Dnipro. Drone strikes hit Synelnykove district, causing fires and damaging infrastructure and private houses. In Nikopol district, Russian forces used FPV drones and artillery against several communities.

The authorities reported no casualties in the region.

Sumy, Kharkiv, and Donetsk oblasts: continued Russian attacks, civilian casualties reported

Russian forces continued shelling and bombing Sumy, Kharkiv, and Donetsk oblasts, according to local authorities.

• In Sumy Oblast, 40 attacks were recorded, including 20 strikes with guided aerial bombs. An FPV drone strike killed a 43-year-old man.
• In Kharkiv Oblast, authorities reported 172 combat engagements. The oblast also came under shelling, drone, bomb, and missile attacks. A 48-year-old man and a 46-year-old woman were injured.
• Russian attacks in Donetsk Oblast killed two civilians and injured seven.

Barracuda-500 opens up a new 900 km strike potential for Poland. Manufacturing these missiles would theoretically allow Warsaw to reach Moscow, writes military portal Defence Express.

“The presence of Barracuda-500 in the Polish military’s arsenal would theoretically allow them to strike even Moscow, which lies roughly 900 km from the state border,” the analysts say. 

Can Barracuda-500 production spread fast? 

For now, the discussion concerns producing these missiles only for Poland’s own needs, and does not even touch on the possibility of supplying them to Ukraine, although that scenario is entirely realistic.

In addition, the US Air Force also wants to purchase more than 3,000 Barracuda-500 missiles.

“Ukraine had already expressed interest in the Barracuda-500, which is intended to replace or complement the Tomahawk,” the experts explain.

The missiles were first revealed in autumn 2024, and since then, production has also been rolled out in Taiwan.

“Therefore, looking ahead, it is quite possible that Barracuda-500 production could be established in Ukraine in a relatively short time,” the experts believe. 

The cheap missile ready to strike from fighters or transport planes

“The price of one Barracuda-500 is estimated at $216,500, which is very low for a cruise missile," the experts added. 

Barracuda missiles can be launched from airborne platforms such as the F-15E, F-18E/F, and F-16, and also from any transport aircraft, even an An-26, on Rapid Dragon pallets.

Russia has announced a successful test of its nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile, a weapon President Vladimir Putin described as “unique” and capable of evading any air defense. But Western analysts say the missile offers no real strategic advantage, calling it dangerous, impractical, and largely pointless.

The test, carried out last week in the Arctic, marks the latest Russian effort to showcase its military and nuclear capabilities amid growing battlefield losses and new Western sanctions. Yet, defense experts say the missile adds little to Russia’s existing arsenal and is more about political theater than military innovation.

“The main reason no one else has tried to build something like this is that it doesn’t really have any use,” Pavel Podvig, a senior researcher at the UN Institute for Disarmament Research, told NBC News. He noted that the missile’s nuclear propulsion system introduces serious safety risks without improving Russia’s nuclear deterrent.

Burevestnik’s range touted, but experts see little practical value

The Burevestnik, code-named Skyfall by NATO, is designed to fly for days at low altitudes, theoretically allowing it to bypass missile defense systems and reach targets anywhere on the planet. But experts argue that modern ballistic and submarine-launched missiles already provide similar reach, without the danger of an airborne reactor or radioactive fallout from a failed launch.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov defended the test, saying it reflected Moscow’s determination to “ensure its own security [...] especially against the backdrop of the militaristic sentiment that we are currently hearing, primarily from the Europeans.”

Putin announced the test alongside Russia’s top general, Valery Gerasimov, claiming the missile flew for 15 hours and covered nearly 9,000 miles - a record range. 

US President Donald Trump called the test “inappropriate,” urging Putin to focus on ending the war in Ukraine instead of “testing missiles.”

Burevestnik: risky relic, not a real threat

The Burevestnik is one of several experimental nuclear weapons Putin unveiled in 2018 to demonstrate Russia’s ability to outpace Western missile defenses. Both the US and Soviet Union abandoned similar projects during the Cold War because of extreme safety hazards and limited strategic value.

A 2019 explosion in northern Russia, which killed five scientists and caused a brief radiation spike, was widely believed to involve a failed Burevestnik test. The incident highlighted the dangers of mounting nuclear reactors on missiles, a concept largely dismissed by modern militaries.

Analysts say the latest test was likely timed to reinforce Moscow’s narrative of technological strength and resilience as sanctions and military setbacks continue to erode its conventional power. 

Despite Putin’s boasts, experts agree the Burevestnik is less a weapon of the future than a costly symbol of Russia’s political defiance.

Russia strengthens its Arctic presence, directing nuclear weapons toward the US, warns Norwegian Defense Minister Ture Sandvik. According to him, Moscow is increasing its nuclear arsenal and targeting submarines around the Arctic Circle, preparing for potential conflict with NATO, The Telegraph reports.

Oslo has detected expanded weapons development on Russia’s Kola Peninsula, home to the valuable Northern Fleet and part of Russia’s nuclear arsenal.

Putin aims to dominate the Arctic

Russia is building up on the Kola peninsula, explained Norway's defense minister, where one of the largest arsenals of nuclear warheads in the world is located.

“They (the nuclear weapons) are not only pointed towards Norway, but towards the UK and over the pole towards Canada and the US,” Sandvik said.

Nuclear forces and new weapons tests

“We see that they’re testing new weapons, for example, hypersonic missiles, and they are testing nuclear-driven torpedoes and nuclear warheads,” he added.

The Kola Peninsula contains the world’s most concentrated nuclear arsenal and is critical for Moscow’s ability to deliver a “second strike.”

Putin’s tool of control 

The Northern Fleet serves as the base for Russia’s Arctic naval forces and, according to Sandvik, is now used to test powerful new weapons and expand Putin’s nuclear potential.

“Even though Putin is losing heavily in Ukraine – he has lost one million soldiers – the Northern Fleet is intact. And they are developing it,” he said, highlighting a new frigate and a multipurpose submarine developed over the past two years.

The Arctic as a key theater of conflict

The Northern Fleet has at least 16 nuclear submarines and hypersonic Zircon missiles capable of traveling eight times the speed of sound.

Alongside the US and the UK, Norway monitors the region 24/7, as the Arctic becomes a third critical battlefield, particularly due to new shipping routes opened by melting glaciers.

A strategy to blockade NATO allies

Putin seeks to establish the Bastion defense system, control the Bear Gap, and deny NATO allies access to strategic sea lanes.

His goal is to cut off supplies and support, and all Russian doctrines and military plans focus on this objective. For Norway, controlling these critical gaps is paramount.

Next potential theater of military operations

Sandvik added that if the war in Ukraine ends, the Arctic Circle could become the next main theater of military operations, as there is a possibility that Putin will deploy forces to threaten Finland’s borders.

Russia's nuclear threats continue. Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin on tests of the unlimited-range nuclear-powered cruise missile "Burevestnik" conducted on 21 October, UNIAN reports. 

Putin states that Burevestnik can fly 14,000 kilometers

Putin stated that Russia’s nuclear forces “are at the highest level in the world” and boasted about tests of the “unique” nuclear-powered missile Burevestnik. He made the statements during a meeting with Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov and the commanders of military formations.

According to him, the missile traveled 14,000 kilometers and remained in the air for about 15 hours. He also claimed that Burevestnik demonstrated the ability to evade missile defense systems.

“Technical characteristics of the missile allow it to be used with guaranteed accuracy against heavily protected targets at any distance,” Gerasimov said.

Commenting on the tests, Putin added that this is a “unique weapon that no one else in the world possesses.”

He also stated that the missile tests are complete and the key objectives of the tests have been achieved.

“We need to determine possible methods of deployment and start preparing the infrastructure to integrate this weapon into our armed forces,” said the Russian president.

Dmitriev in the US: Details on Burevestnik tests was conveyed to the US administration 

Kirill Dmitriev, the Kremlin's special envoy for investment and economic cooperation, stated during the visit to the US that “the security of the whole world” depends on peaceful US–Russia relations and warned the Trump administration about “complete annihilation of humanity."

He also mentioned the nuclear drills held on 21-22 October, RBC reports. During the drills, Russia launched a Yars ballistic missile toward the US. This missile can also carry a nuclear warhead. 

Ukraine is prepared to continue fighting Russia for another two to three years, but fears the war could last decades, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned in his interview for The Times.

He said he has "no doubt that Ukraine will survive as an independent state." However, Kyiv is concerned about how long the country can sustain the war, both in terms of human losses and economic strain.

"Now the main question is how many victims we will see. President Zelensky told me [on Thursday] that he hopes that the war will not last ten years, but that Ukraine is ready to fight for another two, three years," Tusk stated.

Ukraine’s right to strike Russia-linked targets across Europe

Tusk also emphasized that Ukraine has the right to target Russian-linked objectives anywhere in Europe. He noted that the full-scale war is crippling Russia’s economy, which faces “dramatic” challenges amid new US sanctions on Russian oil companies.

Following the “Coalition of the Willing” meeting, European leaders expressed hope that a decision on giving Ukraine access to frozen Russian assets could be reached by Christmas.

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper called for urgent action: “We have to go after Russia's money." According to the official, now that sanctions are working and it’s time to increase economic pressure to push Russian President Vladimir Putin toward negotiations.

Russia is willing to fight, the West still unprepared

Tusk highlighted that internal instability makes Putin even more aggressive, while the Trump administration’s tough stance on Moscow has yet to provide a clear picture.

He said that "the Russians are in really deep trouble" economically. 

“Does it mean we can say we are winning? Not at all. They have one big advantage against the West, and Europe especially: they are ready to fight … in wartime, this is absolutely the crucial question,” he emphasized.

Putin’s threat to NATO and European capitals is real 

Tusk warned that a Kremlin attack on a NATO country would also put the UK at risk. He expressed shock at the British public’s apparent indifference to national security, referencing a reported arson attack on UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s home, likely orchestrated by Russian intelligence.

He added that Russia’s deployment of new “Oreshnik” hypersonic missiles in Belarus or Kaliningrad would allow Moscow to strike any European capital, including London, with a range of up to 3,200 km.

“We are talking about the end of the era of illusions in Europe — too late, I’m afraid. Too late to be well prepared for all the threats, but not too late to survive,” Tusk added.

Russia launched strikes across Ukraine overnight on 25 October, including a double-tap attack in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast that killed a rescue worker responding to the initial strike - a tactic that violates Geneva Conventions protections for emergency responders.

The assault also damaged a kindergarten in Kyiv and killed at four people in total, with ballistic missiles and drones hitting residential areas.

The Russians launched nine Iskander-M ballistic missiles, along with 62 drones, approximately 40 of which were Iranian-deisgned Shaheds, according to the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Air defense systems shot down or suppressed four ballistic missiles and 50 drones across the north, south, and east of the country by 09:00 a.m. However, five ballistic missiles and 12 strike drones hit 11 locations, with debris falling at four additional sites.

Kyiv hit by ballistic missiles, two civilians killed

The capital sustained a ballistic missile attack that killed two people and wounded 10 residents, according to Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko.

The strikes hit Desnyanskyi, Dniprovskyi, and Darnytskyi districts, with a kindergarten in Dniprovskyi district among the damaged structures.

Missile debris fell on open ground in some areas, damaging window glass in buildings, while a non-residential building caught fire at another location, according to the State Emergency Service.

A crater formed between apartment buildings in Darnytskyi district. Three of the wounded were hospitalized to city medical facilities.

One rescuer killed in double-tap strike

Two people died in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, including Master Sergeant Oleksandr Yehorychev, a driver of the 37th State Fire and Rescue Unit, according to the State Emergency Service.

Yehorychev was killed during a repeated Russian missile strike on Petropavlivska community in Synelnykivskyi district on the evening of 24 October. He was extinguishing a fire caused by a Russian drone strike when he came under the repeated missile fire and received severe injuries.

Another rescuer was wounded in the same strike. A woman also died, and seven people sustained injuries.

The attacks damaged two fire and rescue vehicles, residential buildings, and shops.

Kamikaze drones also struck Pokrovsk community in the region, destroying a residential building and sparking a fire.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer urged European leaders at a "coalition of the willing" summit in London on 24 October 2025 to send more long-range missiles to Ukraine, as the White House's first major sanctions against Russia's energy sector this year signal a strategic shift in Western pressure on Moscow.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was in London for the summit. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Netherlands' Dick Schoof also attended, with other leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron joining virtually. The summit comes shortly after US President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on Russia's two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, following the collapse of planned Trump-Putin talks.

Why long-range missiles in focus now

Starmer's push for long-range weapons represents a strategic shift from defensive operations to actively degrading Russia's deep logistics network. "I think there's further we can do on capability, particularly... long-range capability," Starmer told Zelenskyy at Downing Street before the summit.

The timing reflects Ukraine's growing momentum in striking strategic Russian targets. On 21 October, Ukrainian forces used British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles in a combined strike on the Bryansk Chemical Plant, a facility producing ammunition and serving as a frontline artillery repair hub for Russian troops, according to Euromaidan Press.

While Russia continues devastating strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure—destroying approximately 60% of the country's natural gas production and forcing nationwide blackouts, according to Institute for the Study of War assessments—Starmer cited a recent Russian strike on a nursery as proof Putin lacks seriousness about peace.

"The only person involved in this conflict who does not want to stop the war is President Putin," he said during his speech.

UK's pioneering role on long-range weapons

Britain became the first Western country to provide long-range cruise missiles in May 2023 by sending Ukraine its Storm Shadow system, which can strike targets over 500 kilometers away. The UK subsequently lobbied intensively—particularly targeting Washington—to lift restrictions on using these weapons inside Russia.

Storm Shadow missiles have proven their strategic value, playing a critical role in destroying multiple vessels of the Russian Black Sea Fleet and forcing the remainder to withdraw from the northwestern Black Sea, according to Euromaidan Press. France restarted production of the SCALP variant at MBDA's UK Stevenage facility in 2025 after a 15-year pause.

However, Storm Shadow strikes deep inside Russia require US approval due to classified American cartography data used in the missile's guidance system, Defense Express has noted. Without access to this data, the missiles would be limited to GPS navigation, potentially making them vulnerable to Russian electronic warfare.

New air defense aid accelerated

Separately from the long-range weapons push, Starmer announced Britain will accelerate delivery of 140 Lightweight Multirole Missiles to Ukraine this winter, ahead of the original schedule. This forms part of a £1.6 billion deal for over 5,000 such missiles, supporting hundreds of jobs at Thales in Belfast.

The summit also pressed allies to "finish the job on Russian sovereign assets" to unlock billions for Ukraine's defense. The day before, EU leaders tasked the European Commission to develop options for funding Ukraine for two more years, leaving the door open for a €140 billion "reparations loan" backed by frozen Russian assets—though Belgium, where most frozen assets are held, has raised legal objections.

Read also:

• US, EU sanction Russian energy; Putin downplays hit, Trump says "We'll see"
• Storm Shadows strike major Russian munitions plant in growing strategic campaign

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected claims that Ukraine has used US long-range missiles to hit deep within the Russian territory. The statement came after a Wall Street Journal report alleged that the US lifted restrictions on Ukraine’s use of certain Western weapons for strikes on Russia.

Ukrainian President denies using US weapons for strikes inside Russia

Speaking from the sidelines of the EU leaders’ summit in Brussels on 23 October, Zelenskyy said Ukraine has never launched American long-range weapons at targets deep inside Russia. During a briefing in Brussels, he responded to a journalist’s question about the WSJ article that claimed the US administration had removed limits on using Western missiles against Russia, citing an attack on Russia’s Bryansk Oblast.

“I don’t know who wrote what,” Zelenskyy said. “We never used American weapons for long-range strikes on very important targets in Russia. That’s important.”

He clarified that Ukraine did use various long-range systems, but only in areas of active combat or against Russian forces preparing to launch operations.

Now, President Zelenskyy also stressed that equating attacks on occupied Ukrainian territory with strikes on Russia was incorrect.

“Crimea and the East are Ukraine, and we cannot talk about using any weapon, not even domestically produced ones, against Crimea as if it were Russian territory,” he said. “No, it’s temporarily occupied territory.”

Ukraine turns to its own long-range weapons

Zelenskyy said Ukraine now uses domestically produced long-range systems. These include capabilities ranging from 150 kilometers to 3,000 kilometers. According to him, the key challenge is not technology, but scaling up production.

“The issue is how to get additional funding to mass-produce the long-range capabilities we have,” he explained.

He also referenced Russia’s frozen assets, stating that it was important for Ukraine to access some of those funds to support its weapons manufacturing, as well as European and other allied defense industries.

Spain and Finland have joined NATO’s PURL (Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List) program to fund the delivery of US-made weapons to Ukraine. The announcements followed meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Spain confirms entry into NATO’s joint arms initiative after call with Zelenskyy

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez confirmed that Spain has joined the PURL initiative, El País reports. Speaking to reporters on 23 October ahead of the European Council meeting in Brussels, Sánchez said he had informed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Spain’s decision during a recent phone call.

“This is a proposal that NATO launched a few weeks ago,” Sánchez said. “We are fulfilling our obligations and commitments,” he added, describing Spain as “a reliable partner” of the Alliance.

According to Euractiv, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles had earlier discussed Spain’s possible contribution to PURL with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on 21 October.

Aside from joining PURL, Spain also supplies Ukraine with domestically produced military equipment worth $1 billion annually, El País notes.

Finland pledges €100 million to US arms funding scheme

President Zelenskyy confirmed in Brussels that both Finland and Spain had joined the PURL program, Liga reports. Speaking at a press briefing, Zelenskyy thanked both countries for joining the initiative.

PURL expands as European allies fill Ukraine’s supply gap

The PURL initiative was launched by the United States and NATO in July. The program allows NATO member states to fund the procurement of US-made weapons for Ukraine from American stockpiles. The initiative aligns with a list of priority needs defined by Ukraine and approved jointly with NATO and the US.

Between August and October, Germany, the Netherlands, Canada, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden jointly financed four packages worth around $2 billion. These included Patriot air defense missiles and HIMARS long-range rocket systems. Estonia, Belgium, Lithuania, Luxembourg, and Latvia have pledged further contributions but have not yet formed complete packages.

On 15 October, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that more than half of the alliance’s 32 members had already joined the initiative. Then on 22 October, Rutte confirmed that weapons worth several billion dollars, funded by European NATO allies, had already been delivered to Ukraine under PURL.

Russia casts the shadow of a nuclear war on the world. Russian President Vladimir Putin began nuclear exercises on 22 October, which included launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, Newsweek reports.

Russia’s nuclear triad operates at full power

According to a statement published by the Russian state news agency RIA on Telegram, all Russian nuclear triads—land-based, sea-based, and air-based—participated in the exercises.

During the drills, an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) “Yars” was launched from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, while strategic Tu-95MS bombers conducted strikes with air-launched cruise missiles.

A strategic submarine cruiser also launched a ballistic missile from the Barents Sea.

“The exercises tested the level of preparedness of the military command and the practical skills of operational personnel in organizing the management of subordinate forces,” the Kremlin statement said.

Nuclear tension rises as peace talks on Ukraine hang in the balance 

According to AP News, the meeting in Budapest was postponed following a statement by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who had a phone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Rubio said the meeting “is unlikely to yield positive results in peace negotiations,” as Russia has not demonstrated readiness to make concessions or even discuss compromise conditions.

Earlier, Trump announced plans to meet with Putin in Budapest to talk over conditions for ending the war after pressure regarding potential Tomahawk supplies to Ukraine. However, these announced intentions were insufficient for Moscow to overlook the “root causes of the war,” which is simply the existence of Ukraine as an independent state, which Lavrov reminded them of after the call.

Moscow pushes the security to the edge

That these exercises were clearly aimed at influencing Trump is evidenced by statements from the Russian Foreign Ministry, claiming that “the hostile policies of NATO countries could lead to a head-on collision of nuclear states.”

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov stated that Moscow must ensure the resilience of Washington’s rejection of the extremely hostile anti-Russian course of the previous US administration, TASS reported. 

“We… must make sure… of Washington’s readiness to work on eliminating the root causes of the current Russia–West crisis,” he said.

Ryabkov also said that “calls for nuclear disarmament without considering the current military-political situation are completely unrealistic.”

“In the event that the US rejects the Russian initiative on the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, the nuclear threat will increase, but Russia will undoubtedly ensure its own security,” Ryabkov added.

Putin made statements regarding the new nuclear treaty in September and October 2025. Specifically, on 22 September 2025, at a meeting of the Russian Security Council, he declared Russia’s readiness to continue adhering to the treaty's main quantitative limits for one more year after its official expiration on 5 February 2026.

He added that this will be possible if the US “acts in a similar manner and does not take steps that undermine or violate the existing balance of deterrence potential.”

Editor's note: This is a breaking story and is being updated.

Russia launched another mass missile and drone attack overnight on July 9, targeting Ukrainian cities, including in the country's far-west regions located hundreds of kilometers from the front line.

Late spring and early summer in Ukraine have been marked by disturbingly frequent mass attacks on civilian targets, with Russia regularly terrorizing cities with ballistic and cruise missiles alongside record-breaking numbers of kamikaze drones.

Ukraine's Air Force warned late on July 8 that Russia had launched MiG-31 aircraft from the Savasleyka airfield in Nizhny Novgorod, putting the entire country under an hours-long active missile threat. Swarms of drones were also heading towards multiple cities in Ukraine, the military said.

Explosions rocked Kyiv at around midnight on July 9, according to Kyiv Independent journalists on the ground. Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced that Russian drones were attacking the city center and that air defenses were shooting down targets.  

Ukraine's Air Force reported that dozens of Russian attack drones and ballistic missiles were targeting Ukraine's far-west regions, with alerts of overhead drones approaching the western cities of Lutsk, Lviv, Khmelnytskyi, and Ternopil.

Explosions were heard in the city of Lutsk in western Volyn Oblast just before 4 a.m. local time, Suspilne reported, amid warning of drones and missiles overhead. The city served as one of the hardest-hit throughout the attack.

Lutsk Mayor Ihor Polishchuk said that a fire damaged an "industrial site" as well as a garage, in what he called the "most massive enemy attack" on the city since the start of full-scale war.

The Polish Air Force said it scrambled fighter amid the attack to protect Poland's airspace. The air raid alerts were lifted in western Ukraine around 6:15 a.m. local time, after nearly seven hours of warnings from the Air Force.

At least one person was injured amid the attack, with a woman sustaining a chest fracture in city of Brovary in Kyiv Oblast, the regional military administration reported.

Explosions were also reported in communities closer to the front line, including Dnipro, Sumy, as well as over Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

Russian ballistics and kamikaze drones have targeted Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities with renewed ferocity, killing dozens of civilians and injuring hundreds more.

The renewed attacks on Ukraine comes as U.S. President Donald Trump has promised to send 10 Patriot interceptors to Ukraine, amid escalating tension between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"It's a horrible thing, and I'm not happy with President Putin at all," Trump said. "I'm disappointed frankly that President Putin hasn't stopped (the attacks)," Trump said on July 8. The comments come after the Pentagon halted air defense weapon shipments to Ukraine.

Ukraine war latest: Trump reportedly pledges to send 10 Patriot missiles to Ukraine, asks Germany to send battery

* Trump reportedly pledges to send 10 Patriot missiles to Ukraine, asks Germany to send battery * ‘They have to be able to defend themselves’ — Trump says US will send additional weapons shipments to Ukraine, criticizes Putin * EU to impose ‘toughest’ sanctions on Russia in coordination with US senators, French foreign minister says * Russia’s Black Sea Fleet shrinks presence in key Crimean bay, Ukrainian partisans say * Putin signs decree allowing foreigners to serve in Russian army during

The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk

The United States has only about 25% of the Patriot missile interceptors it needs to meet Pentagon military plans, a shortage that led U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to pause a major transfer of weapons to Ukraine, the Guardian reported on July 8.

The decision to halt the delivery, made on July 2, followed an internal review showing low stockpiles of critical air defense systems. The depletion was largely due to recent U.S. operations in the Middle East, including the interception of Iranian missiles after strikes on the American Al Udeid airbase in Qatar, according to the Guardian.

According to officials familiar with the matter, the Pentagon's munitions tracker, used to measure the minimum supplies needed for U.S. war plans, showed Patriot interceptor levels had fallen below acceptable levels. That prompted concerns that sending more to Ukraine could put U.S. defense readiness at risk, the Guardian wrote.

The freeze reportedly affected Ukraine's two key arms transfer methods: drawdowns from Pentagon stockpiles and the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), through which the Defense Department orders new weapons from contractors.

Because U.S. orders take priority, Ukrainian requests for new weapons, including Patriot missiles, face years-long delays.

The pause came at a critical time for Kyiv, as Russia intensifies large-scale aerial attacks on Ukrainian cities. With limited options to acquire precision-guided and other key munitions, Ukrainian forces have increasingly relied on Western-supplied air defenses to counter the growing threat.

For its latest aid package, the U.S. had planned to send dozens of Patriot interceptors, along with Hellfire missiles, air-to-air Sparrows, GMLRS rockets, and anti-tank weapons, according to the Guardian.

NBC News reported on July 4 that U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth unilaterally halted a weapons shipment to Ukraine despite internal military assessments showing the aid would not compromise American military readiness.

The assessment concluded that while some munitions stockpiles, including precision weapons, were low, they had not fallen below critical thresholds.

Amid the ongoing questions over Washington's weapons pause, Trump has apparently promised to send 10 Patriot interceptors to Ukraine, Axios reported on July 8. Sources also told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) that Trump claimed he wasn't behind the decision to halt arms to Kyiv in a recent phone call with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

How to enter Ukraine’s defense market: A short guide for foreign companies

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent. For editorial coverage of Ukraine’s weapons procurement, the country’s Defense Ministry and the scandal-ridden Defense Procurement Agency click on the links

The Kyiv IndependentVladyslav Bandrovsky

Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko announced on July 1 that the Russian-made Oreshnik missile system will be deployed in Belarus by the end of 2025. Speaking at a ceremony marking Independence Day, Lukashenko said the decision was made in coordination with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting in Volgograd.

"The first Oreshnik positions will be in Belarus. You’ve seen how Oreshnik works: the same missiles, the same strikes — but without nuclear warheads, without radioactive contamination of the land and air. This weapon will be stationed in Belarus by the end of the year," Lukashenko said.

Lukashenko, who has ruled since 1994 and claimed victory in a seventh consecutive presidential election in January, argued that hosting such weaponry would not make Belarus a target, adding that such concerns are being "imposed from outside." He claimed that countries possessing nuclear weapons have historically avoided military aggression and said the presence of such systems in Belarus is intended solely as a deterrent.

He also said he had delivered a warning to U.S. officials, stating that while nuclear weapons in Belarus are securely stored in accordance with international standards, any unauthorized incursion into Belarusian territory would trigger a "swift and forceful response."

The Belarusian leader emphasized that any use of the Oreshnik system would not involve nuclear warheads and that maintaining modern military capabilities is critical for national defense.

Russia first launched the experimental Oreshnik missile during a strike on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Nov. 21. Putin claimed the attack was in retaliation for Ukraine's use of U.S. and British long-range missiles against Russian territory.

Although little is publicly known about the missile, defense experts believe Oreshnik is not a wholly new development but likely an upgraded version of Russia’s RS-26 missile, also known as the Rubezh, which was first produced in 2011.

Lukashenko reportedly thanked Moscow for supporting the deployment of advanced weapons systems to Belarus and said the introduction of Oreshnik would serve as a tool for domestic stability. "I’m confident that even those of our supporters who don’t yet understand this will come to realize it — without a war. That’s why Oreshnik will be on Belarusian soil. To prevent uprisings," he said.

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The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on July 1 that the decision to supply Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine remains under consideration but stressed that Germany will not become a party to the war.

"It has always been clear that if we supply the Taurus, this weapon will be used not by German soldiers, but by Ukrainians," Merz told Tagesschau. "By the way, the same applies to other cruise missiles supplied by the United Kingdom or France."

The Taurus is a powerful cruise missile capable of striking targets at a distance of 500 kilometers (300 miles) — a greater range than the long-range weapons Ukraine has received from other partners.

Speaking to the outlet, Merz highlighted the complexity of the Taurus system, noting that it requires extensive training before Ukrainian forces can operate it. In terms of range, speed, and payload, the Taurus missile is similar to the Storm Shadow, which is produced by MBDA’s French division. The key difference lies in the warhead design — Taurus can be programmed to detonate after penetrating fortified targets, such as bunkers or reinforced facilities.

“The problem for us is that this system is extremely complex, and training soldiers on it takes at least six months. Are they already being trained? We haven't agreed on that yet,” he said. “I discussed this with President (Volodymyr) Zelensky, and I also raised it within the coalition. We haven’t started yet. It is and remains an option.”

The chancellor also added that Germany would no longer publicly disclose details about its military support to Ukraine in order to prevent Moscow from assessing the full scope of Western assistance.

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Germany has provided Kyiv with approximately 47.8 billion euros (about $51.8 billion) in total bilateral support, making it Ukraine’s second-largest country donor. This aid includes military equipment, humanitarian assistance, support for refugees, infrastructure repair, and financial aid for energy and winter relief, with military support alone totaling around 28 billion euros ($30 billion).

Ukraine to exit mine ban treaty, citing war demands, realities on the ground

Ukraine looks to withdraw from a major international treaty on anti-personnel landmines to bolster its defense on the battlefield, where its troops are trying to hold off Russia’s intensifying offensive. President Volodymyr Zelensky, on June 29, had requested that Ukraine withdraw from the 1997 Ottawa Treaty that banned the production

The Kyiv IndependentAsami Terajima

Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) struck on June 28 the 1060th Material-Technical Support Center in the city of Bryansk, Ukraine's General Staff said.

The facilities store a Russian missile and drone arsenal, Ukrainska Pravda reported, citing a source in HUR.

Local residents reported hearing explosions and gun fire throughout the morning of June 28. Pictures posted on social media show smoke billowing from the area of where the centre, formerly the the 120th arsenal of the Main Missile and Artillery Directorate, is located in an industrial area in the southern part of the city.

The General Staff said it was assessing the strike as extent of the damage was not immediately clear.

Bryansk Oblast Governor Alexander Bogomaz acknowledged a drone attack on the region overnight claiming that four civilians were injured in the attack, damaging ten homes and a vehicle.

Later in the morning, Bogomaz claimed that all the drones had been downed by Russian air defense unit in a separate attack, claiming that no damage had been inflicted. He did not mention the Main Missile and Artillery Directorate in his comments.

The Kyiv Independent cannot immediately verify the reports or claims made by Russian officials.

Bryansk Oblast, located in Russia's far-west, borders Ukraine's Chernihiv and Sumy Oblast, and has been the target of various Ukrainian strikes.

Ukraine's military regularly conducts strikes onto Russian and Russian-occupied territory.

Drones operated by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) struck the Kirovske military airfield in occupied Crimea overnight on June 28, the SBU told the Kyiv Independent. The attack destroyed Mi-8, Mi-26 and Mi-28 attack helicopters, and a Pantsyr-S1 self-propelled anti-aircraft missile and gun system, the SBU claimed.

Ukrainian drone strike on Crimea air base destroys 3 Russian helicopters, SBU claims

The attack destroyed Mi-8, Mi-26 and Mi-28 attack helicopters, and a Pantsyr-S1 self-propelled anti-aircraft missile and gun system, the Security Service of Ukraine told the Kyiv Independent.

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Denisova

Editor's note: This is a developing story.

Russia launched a missile attack on June 22 on the training ground of a Ukrainian mechanized brigade, where military personnel were being trained, the Ground Forces reported.

"Unfortunately, there are dead and wounded," the statement read. The Ground Forces said that greater personnel losses were avoided thanks to the timely security measures taken when the air raid alert was issued.

Around 5:30 p.m., the Ground Forces initially said that three people were killed in the attack and 11 were wounded.

The number of injured was later updated, at around 7:30 p.m., to 14 people.

A special commission has been set up at the Ground Forces Command to investigate the incident, according to the statement. Law enforcement agencies are also working at the scene.

It is the second officially confirmed Russian attack in June that led to military casualties in the training facilities, adding to a chain of such attacks in the past few months.

Former Ground Forces Commander Mykhailo Drapatyi had promised to ensure new safety standards on the training grounds and hold accountable those responsible for the deaths after a Russian strike on March 1 on the training ground in Dnipropetrovsk during exercises.

Yet on May 20, another Russian missile strike against a shooting range in Sumy Oblast killed six service members and injured over 10, according to Ukraine's National Guard.

After another Russian attack on June 1 on a Ukrainian military training ground killed 12 and injured 60, Drapatyi submitted his resignation as the Ground Forces Commander. He was appointed Commander of the Joint Forces on June 3.

Ukraine's swift release of the statement and casualty number in the latest Russian attack stands out, as both Ukraine and Russia rarely acknowledge successful enemy attacks against their military facilities.

Ukrainian Land Forces Commander resigns after Russian attack that killed 12 soldiers on training ground

Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi submitted his resignation on June 1.

The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk

Russia's weapons arsenal includes over 1,950 strategic missiles and thousands of drones, the news outlet RBC-Ukraine reported on June 21, citing a statement from Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR).

According to HUR, the figures reflect Russia's stockpiles as of June 15.

Throughout May and June, Russia has launched a series of mass missile and drone attacks against Ukrainian cities — including a large-scale strike against Kyiv on June 17 that left 30 dead and over 170 injured. Russia has repeatedly shattered its own drone record in attacks on Ukraine in the past month.

Russia's missile stocks include up to 500 Iskander-M ballistic missiles, HUR told RBC-Ukraine, as well as up to 150 hypersonic Kinzhal missiles. Moscow also has up to 60 North Korean-made KN-23 ballistic missiles.

In addition to ballistics, Russia possesses up to 300 Iskander-K cruise missiles, up to 260 Kh-101 cruise missiles, up to 280 Kh-22/Kh-32 cruise missiles, and over 400 Kalibr cruise missiles.

Russia produces up to 195 missiles per month, HUR said.

Moscow also aims to ramp up drone production from 170 to 190 units per day, according to HUR. As of June 15, Russia had over 6,000 Shahed-type attack drones and over 6,000 Gerberas, a cheap decoy version that imitates the Shahed.

Russia's arsenal highlights Ukraine's urgent need for additional air defense systems, something President Volodymyr Zelensky has been continuously lobbying Western partners to provide.

Zelensky announced on June 20 that Ukraine is boosting production of interceptor drones to combat the growing numbers of Shahed UAVs launched by Russia each night. Ukraine is also producing its own missiles and recently announced that its domestically produced Sapsan ballistic missile had entered serial production.

The president hopes to secure additional funding for defense production from allies at the upcoming NATO summit.

Russia has paired its intensifying nightly attacks with escalated rhetoric about its territorial ambitions in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 20 declared that "all of Ukraine" belongs to Russia, suggesting the Kremlin is looking to expand its illegal occupation .

Russian forces currently occupy five Ukrainian regions: Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

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The Kyiv IndependentKate Tsurkan

President Volodymyr Zelensky on June 20 said sanctions are "urgently" needed on more Russian defense companies in order to stall the mass-production of the Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM).

Speaking at a press briefing attended by the Kyiv Independent, Zelensky said a "large number" of companies were involved in the manufacture of Oreshnik which Russia has launched at Ukraine once, and used the threat of more launches to intimidate Kyiv and its Western allies.

Russia first launched the experimental Oreshnik missile in an attack against Dnipro on Nov. 21. Putin claimed the strike was a response to Ukraine's use of U.S. and British long-range missiles to attack Russian territory.

While little is known about the missile, defense experts say it is likely not an entirely new development, but rather an upgraded version of Russia's RS-26 missile. The RS-26, also known as the Rubezh, was first produced in 2011.

While Putin has announced plans for mass production of the Oreshnik, a U.S. official previously  told The Kyiv Independent that Russia likely possesses only a small number of these experimental missiles.

Zelensky said 39 Russian defense companies were involved in its production, 21 of which are not currently under sanctions.

"And this means that they receive parts and components for the Oreshnik, and they need it, because without these parts there will be no Oreshnik," he said.

Highlighting apparent difficulties Russia was already having in mass-producing the missile, Zelensky said it is "absolutely incomprehensible why sanctions should not be imposed urgently."

The Financial Times (FT) reported on Dec. 27. that the upgrades were developed using advanced manufacturing equipment from Western companies, despite sanctions.

Two key Russian weapons engineering institutes — Moscow Institute for Thermal Technology (MITT) and Sozvezdie — were named by Ukrainian intelligence as developers of the Oreshnik.

According to the FT, they posted job listings in 2024 that specified expertise in operating German and Japanese metalworking systems.

The listings cited Fanuc (Japan), Siemens, and Haidenhein (both Germany) control systems for high-precision computer numerical control machines essential for missile production.

Despite sanctions slowing the flow of such equipment, FT analysis found that at least $3 million worth of Heidenhain components were shipped into Russia in 2024, with some buyers closely tied to military production.

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Israel’s strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities have alarmed none more than Russia, the country that first brought nuclear power to Iran in defiance of Western objections. We’re “millimeters from catastrophe,” said Kremlin spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on June 18 in response to a bombing campaign that Israel launched against

The Kyiv IndependentKollen Post

Ukraine should continue to inflict "entirely justified" losses on Russia in the face of escalating aggression, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address on June 19.

His remarks come two days after Russia launched one of its deadliest assaults on Kyiv, attacking the capital with ballistic missiles and hundreds of drones on June 17 in a nine-hour attack that killed 30 people and injured 172 others.

"There was no military sense in this strike; it added absolutely nothing to Russia in military terms," Zelensky said, refuting Moscow's claims that the attack targeted Ukraine's "military-industrial complex."

The president described Russia's attack — which struck residential buildings, student dorms, and a kindergarten — as "deliberate terror."

Zelensky urged Western partners to mount economic pressure on Russia and said he was working on new proposals for coordinated sanctions. He also said he held meetings with the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) to discuss deep strikes in Russia.

"Russia must continue to suffer entirely justified losses due to its aggression," he said.

While Russia has intensified its campaign of aerial terror against Ukrainian cities, Kyiv has stepped up its efforts to reduce Russia's military capabilities, launching successful strikes on airfields, weapons factories, and oil refineries.

The most audacious of these attacks was the large-scale Operation Spiderweb, a coordinated drone strike on four key Russian military airfields on June 1. According to the SBU, the operation damaged 41 Russian warplanes, including heavy bombers and rare A-50 spy planes.

Since March, Ukraine has repeatedly offered to declare an unconditional ceasefire if Russia agrees to the same terms. The Kremlin has resisted at every turn. U.S. President Donald Trump's attempts to broker a peace deal have led to continued escalation and more civilian deaths.

With Western support eroding and no ceasefire in sight, Ukraine continues grasping for leverage against Moscow — including by developing its own long-range weapons. Kyiv has developed several weapons capable of deep strikes in Russian territory, such as the Palianytsia and Peklo (Hell) missile-drone hybrids.

Ukraine has proven its ability to strike targets far from the border. A June 15 attack reportedly hit a drone factory in Russia's Tatarstan, around 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from Ukraine.

Russia also continues to suffer staggering troop losses on the front lines. Earlier on June 19, Russian Ambassador to the U.K. Andrey Kelin accidentally admitted that Moscow is rapidly losing personnel in Ukraine during an interview with CNN.

According to figures from Kyiv, Russia has suffered more than 1 million dead, wounded, and missing soldiers since the start of its full-scale invasion.

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The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk

NATO plans to enhance its missile defense systems on its eastern flank in response to a growing threat from Russia, Bloomberg reported on June 12, citing its undisclosed sources.

For the first time, member states of NATO are reportedly considering combining the alliance's ballistic missile shield with other integrated missile defense assets. The talks are taking place behind closed doors and involve sensitive deliberations, Bloomberg reported, citing its sources.

Moscow has long opposed NATO's missile defense infrastructure, particularly the U.S.-built interceptors deployed in Poland and Romania, states neighboring Ukraine. The alliance has previously said those systems are intended to counter potential long-range threats from Iran, not Russia.

The so-called "NATO expansion to the east" is one of the key narratives used by Russian propaganda to justify its large-scale war against Ukraine.

The proposed integration of ballistic missile defense with NATO's broader air and missile defense network would address threats from any direction in the future. This shift suggests the effort would increasingly be focused on deterring Russian capabilities, according to Bloomberg's sources.

The move comes as NATO ramps up its defense posture more than three years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The alliance recently agreed on the most ambitious new weapons targets since the Cold War.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called on alliance members to make a "quantum leap" in defense investment in response to the enduring threat from Russia. Speaking at Chatham House in London, Rutte urged allies to increase air and missile defense by 400%.

Talks on integrating the systems may wrap up ahead of the NATO summit in The Hague on June 24–25, but could continue afterward, the sources said. Ukraine is invited to attend the summit. It remains unclear whether the initiative will still officially cite Iran as a threat or move fully toward addressing Russia.

The effort is part of a broader strategy to reinforce NATO's eastern flank, but some officials have raised concerns about how it might affect peace efforts in Ukraine and whether the United States will fully support the integration, Bloomberg reported.

Previously, U.S. President Donald Trump echoed Russian claims that Kyiv provoked the invasion by pursuing its NATO ambitions.

Earlier, Bloomberg reported that NATO is deploying a new satellite surveillance system aimed at monitoring military activity in Ukraine and along the alliance's eastern borders. The system, known as Smart Indication and Warning Broad Area Detection (SINBAD), will use AI-powered analysis to scan large areas and detect potential threats with unprecedented frequency.

NATO expands satellite surveillance to monitor Ukraine, eastern flank

The initiative, named Smart Indication and Warning Broad Area Detection (SINBAD), will allow NATO to scan vast territories with unprecedented frequency, using AI-powered analysis to detect changes and alert allies to potential threats.

The Kyiv IndependentAnna Fratsyvir

Editor's note: This story has been updated to include Germany's announcement to supply Ukraine with $2.2 billion in additional military aid.

Germany will deliver new IRIS-T air defense systems to Ukraine under a three-year supply plan, President Volodymyr Zelensky said during a joint press conference with German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, who added Berlin has no plans to provide Taurus long-range missiles.

The announcement comes amid escalating Russian aerial assaults, including a June 10 missile and drone strike on Kyiv, one of the largest since the start of the full-scale invasion.

"We are grateful for the supply of IRIS-T air defense systems," Zelensky said on June 12. "We understand that deliveries are currently being planned... for the next three years. This is very important assistance."

The IRIS-T is a German-made medium-range surface-to-air missile system capable of intercepting drones, aircraft, and cruise missiles.

Pistorius confirmed the delivery timeline but firmly ruled out the possibility of sending Taurus missiles — weapons Kyiv has repeatedly requested to strike deep into Russian territory.

"You asked me whether we are considering this, and my answer is no," Pistorius said.

Before taking office, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz signaled openness to lifting former Chancellor Olaf Scholz's ban on the missiles. That stance has not yet resulted in a policy shift.

Ukraine has already received long-range missiles — including ATACMS from the U.S. and Storm Shadow and SCALP from the U.K. and France. Initially restricted to use within Ukrainian territory, Western allies only began easing those limitations in late 2024.

Germany is Ukraine's largest military donor in Europe. Pistorius said that Berlin will provide 9 billion euros ($10.4 billion) in aid this year, with investments in defense production being considered. The total includes an additional commitment in military aid worth 1.9 billion euros ($2.2 billion).

"Today, we discussed that this aid will continue," he said. "We agreed on additional investments in production... both in Ukraine and in Germany."

Zelensky visited Berlin on May 28 for talks with Merz, part of an ongoing effort to bolster Ukraine's defense industry amid uncertainty over U.S. support under President Donald Trump.

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The Kyiv IndependentKollen Post