President Zelensky and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said technical-level talks between Ukraine, Russia and the US would resume in Abu Dhabi in the first half of November, after Putin met US envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg. Putin said Russia was ready to discuss a final agreement, not a short truce. Strikes continued, with the UN reporting at least 14 civilians killed in Russian attacks overnight into Thursday.
The White House said Melania Trump brokered a localized ceasefire in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky, set to begin on October 29 to allow aid deliveries and civilian evacuations. Non-military teams from both sides will visit residents and arrange transport to Russia or Ukraine; residents have reportedly been eating weeds to survive. The Kremlin confirmed the deal and said the militaries were working out timing, and CBC reported Pope Leo was also involved.
Ukraine said on Friday it was still experiencing slowed speeds on Starshield, SpaceX's military version of Starlink, hampering operations against Russia, after Trump said the limits had been lifted. Trump said he would talk to Elon Musk if the problem was not fixed, adding that Musk 'will never do anything wrong'. Musk had previously said any limits were decided by the US military and the president.
Russia struck Kyiv with ballistic missiles and drones overnight into Thursday, hours after Vladimir Putin told US envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg that Moscow was ready in principle to resume trilateral talks. Ukrainian authorities reported seven people killed in the strikes and at least nine over 24 hours, while Moscow said it downed hundreds of Ukrainian drones, with reported figures of 630 and 808. President Zelensky said the attacks showed no real change in Russia's attitude toward the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for the front line to be frozen along current positions as a first step toward negotiations. He said Kyiv must have a seat at any talks and wants security guarantees from the US and European allies. Trump separately told Zelensky it was time to make a deal.
Russian aerial attacks killed nine people in Ukraine as Zelensky met US and European officials in Norway. In Kyiv, a drone attack set fire to a residential building and killed two people.
A report said Elon Musk ordered a reduction in Starshield satellite services used by Ukraine. Kyiv reported restrictions last week, shortly after Trump urged Ukraine to stop targeting Russian oil refineries.
NATO is sending additional military assets to the Black Sea after a series of Russian attacks on merchant shipping, with five more vessels attacked on Tuesday. Russia's military said it struck three cargo vessels in Ukraine's Danube port of Reni, among others. The attacks have targeted ships carrying agricultural cargo near NATO's borders.
South Korea said it would pull additional embassy staff from Ukraine following a dispute linked to two captured North Korean soldiers who were transferred to South Korea. The move comes less than two weeks after Seoul said it was recalling its ambassador to Ukraine.
Ukraine's 92nd Assault Brigade said it carried out its first aerial drone evacuation of a wounded soldier. The serviceman was surrounded by landmines and Russian drones, making a ground rescue impossible, according to the military.
A Zelenskyy adviser told the BBC Ukrainians were dying because of reduced US intelligence sharing, and Zelenskyy said Ukraine got no early warning before Russia fired 16 ballistic missiles and over 200 drones. He also said Starshield satellite terminals stop working at high speeds; Rubio and the White House denied any change, and Bessent warned Zelenskyy to be careful.
A Ukrainian army brigade said it airlifted a wounded soldier from the front line using an aerial drone, describing it as the first such operation in the world. The mission highlights the growing role of unmanned systems in battlefield rescue.
Zelenskyy said the US deliberately throttled Starlink and its military Starshield service so Trump could send a 'message', while thanking Washington for resuming intelligence sharing. A speed cap imposed on October 15 cuts connections for terminals moving faster than 160 kph, hampering drones; Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned Zelenskyy to be careful with such claims, and Washington denied ordering it.
Ukraine says temporary speed limits on the Starlink network disrupted military missions, and its president says access has still not been fully restored. US senators have called for an investigation, while BBC reporting shows Starlink playing a key role in a Ukrainian offensive regaining ground in the Donbas.
With front lines largely frozen, Russian missiles and drones are systematically hitting Ukrainian power plants in what analysts describe as an effort to make cities unlivable. Separately, authorities said the death toll from a Russian strike on a bus in eastern Ukraine had risen to 30.
Russia launched a large ballistic missile and drone attack on Ukraine, killing at least 28 people and wounding hundreds. Twenty died in a single apartment building in Pryluky, Chernihiv region, struck by a North Korean KN-23 missile.
Russia launched a large ballistic missile and drone attack on Ukraine, killing at least 28 people and wounding hundreds. Twenty of the dead were in one apartment building in Pryluky, Chernihiv Oblast, which was reported hit by a North Korean KN-23 missile.