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Humanitarian convoy brings food and medicine to Russian-held city where people have suffered severe shortages
People living in the besieged Russian-held city of Oleshky in southern Ukraine were evacuated on Friday as part of a joint relief operation, the first of its kind in four years and eight months of war.
The city, which lies on the Russian-occupied side of the Dnipro River, opposite Kherson, has suffered months of serious food and medical shortages, leading to warnings of starvation for the few thousand people remaining there, including about 50 children.
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© Photograph: Facebook Official account of Kyrylo Budano/AFP/Getty Images
© Photograph: Facebook Official account of Kyrylo Budano/AFP/Getty Images
© Photograph: Facebook Official account of Kyrylo Budano/AFP/Getty Images
Ukrainians in the three EU countries that have taken in the largest numbers of Ukrainian refugees are increasingly facing aggression — from insults on public transport to knife attacks. Journalists at the Kyiv Independent analyzed tens of thousands of posts on X and found that the same narratives circulating online
The planned resumption of trilateral negotiations between Ukraine, Russia and the United States in Abu Dhabi in early November is already being presented in several Western capitals as evidence that diplomacy has regained its momentum, but a return to the negotiating table should not be confused with genuine progress toward
A Ukrainian drone attack on the Novokuybyshevsk oil refinery in Russia’s Samara region on 30 October has exposed growing differences between Kyiv and Washington over the conduct of the war against Russia.
The strike, which reportedly caused extensive fires at the facility, came after approximately two weeks without Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries, a pause that American media attributed to pressure from President Donald Trump.
Footage circulating on social media showed several columns of thick smoke rising from the refinery. Ukrainian defence manufacturer Fire Point subsequently reported that Ukrainian forces had struck the installation with FP-1 drones, including a diesel hydrotreating unit.
However, the full extent of the damage and its consequences for production remain unconfirmed.
The Novokuybyshevsk refinery belongs to Russia’s state-controlled Rosneft group and has a nominal annual processing capacity of approximately 8.8 million tonnes of crude oil.
According to Rosneft, its products include petrol, diesel, lubricants and aviation fuel.
The latter is particularly relevant to Ukraine’s military objectives because the facility contributes to Russia’s capacity to supply fuel for military aviation.
The refinery has been attacked repeatedly since 2024, including a confirmed Ukrainian operation in August 2026.
These repeated strikes form part of a broader Ukrainian campaign intended to disrupt Russian fuel production, impose repair costs and reduce the resources available to Moscow’s military.
The campaign’s cumulative effects have become increasingly apparent.
In September, the International Energy Agency reported that Russian refinery throughput had fallen to 3.8 million barrels per day in June, approximately 30 per cent below its level a year earlier.
The agency estimated that Russian diesel production had declined by almost 30 per cent, contributing to domestic supply pressures and restrictions on fuel exports.
The timing of the latest strike carries considerable diplomatic significance.
On 29 October, The Wall Street Journal reported that Ukrainian military units had been instructed to suspend operations against Russian refineries following demands from the Trump administration.
The informal suspension was reportedly expected to continue until after the American congressional elections on 3 November, potentially extending further into November.
Trump has repeatedly criticised Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, arguing that they contribute to rising diesel prices in the United States.
The issue has acquired particular political sensitivity as American voters prepare for the midterm elections against a background of elevated energy costs.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged that military operations had been conducted more cautiously but maintained that no formal order prohibiting refinery strikes had been issued.
The attack on Novokuybyshevsk suggests that Kyiv considers any restraint temporary rather than a permanent limitation on its military operations.
It also demonstrates the limits of Washington’s ability to determine Ukraine’s operational decisions.
Nevertheless, the relationship remains unequal. Ukraine continues to depend on American military technology, intelligence and other forms of assistance.
Recent restrictions affecting Ukrainian access to Starlink services, alongside tensions over intelligence sharing, have illustrated the risks associated with that dependence.
The latest refinery strike therefore represents a calculated diplomatic risk rather than evidence that American pressure has ceased to matter.
The operation also raises a broader question concerning the economic effectiveness of Ukraine’s long-range strike campaign.
Russia’s oil industry supports government revenue through several channels, including crude exports, refined petroleum products and taxation.
Attacks on refineries can reduce fuel production, increase repair expenditure and disrupt military logistics. However, their direct consequences for federal revenue differ from those of disruptions to crude oil exports.
One argument advanced by analysts is that damage to Russia’s oil-export infrastructure can have a more immediate effect on the volume of crude reaching international markets.
Research published by the Kyiv School of Economics in April estimated that attacks on Russian Baltic oil terminals reduced potential export earnings by approximately $1.76 billion over a fortnight compared with a scenario without those attacks.
That finding supports the argument that export infrastructure represents an important economic vulnerability.
However, it does not establish that refinery attacks are strategically ineffective.
The IEA has documented substantial disruption to Russian refining operations, including declining fuel output, reduced exports and mounting financial pressures.
An additional complication is that higher international oil prices can partially offset reduced Russian export volumes, limiting the financial effect of disruptions.
Trump’s objections must also be considered against the wider disruption of international energy markets resulting from the conflict involving Iran.
The restriction of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, damage to Middle Eastern energy infrastructure and reduced availability of refined petroleum products have contributed to exceptionally high fuel prices.
In its October 2026 Oil Market Report, the IEA identified major supply disruptions in the Middle East as a central factor behind the global energy crisis.
Ukrainian refinery strikes have also contributed to tighter supplies of diesel, but they are only one element of a much larger international shortage.
An analysis published by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas similarly identified disruptions in the Middle East, Russian refinery outages and wider refining constraints as contributing factors.
Consequently, attributing American diesel prices principally to Ukrainian military operations would misrepresent the complexity of the market.
The latest strike illustrates two separate challenges confronting Kyiv.
The first concerns Ukraine’s relationship with Washington. Ukraine must preserve essential American assistance while retaining sufficient freedom to conduct operations against Russian military and economic assets.
The second concerns the allocation of limited long-range strike resources.
Ukraine’s growing capacity to damage Russian energy infrastructure has created opportunities to impose economic costs on Moscow. Yet the relative effectiveness of attacks on refineries, export facilities and military-industrial enterprises remains a legitimate subject of strategic debate.
The Novokuybyshevsk operation demonstrates that Ukraine is prepared to resume attacks despite American objections.
Whether the campaign can produce a lasting reduction in Russia’s ability to finance and sustain its war will depend less on the symbolism of individual strikes than on their cumulative economic and military consequences.
For Kyiv, maintaining operational independence from Washington is important. Translating that independence into measurable strategic results remains the more consequential challenge.
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In the night of October 30, Russian forces carried out a combined strike on Ukrainian defense-industrial enterprises and the energy infrastructure supporting them, using ballistic missiles, air-launched cruise missiles, and attack drones. The main target areas were Kyiv, Poltava, and Dnipropetrovsk Regions. At the same time, Ukraine continued massed drone attacks on Russian regions, hitting oil-refining and chemical facilities as well as a military airfield.
Kyiv and Kyiv Region
JSC “Kyiv Radio Plant” / LLC “Trymen-Ukraine” (Kyiv). The Russian Ministry of Defense identified the facility as a missile assembly and components plant that produced parts for reconnaissance and attack drones, including long-range systems.
JSC “Fanplit” (Kyiv). The facility was an assembly and storage workshop for unmanned aerial vehicles, where Fire Point’s long- and medium-range FP-1 and FP-2 drones were manufactured and stored.
PS-330 “Novokyivska” electrical substation (Khotiv, Kyiv Region). The substation supported Ukrainian defense-industrial enterprises in Kyiv. Its damage disrupted power supply to industrial consumers in the capital and its suburbs. According to local sources, Boryspil was without electricity for more than 12 hours, and residential areas of Kyiv, including Teremky and part of the Holosiivskyi district, were also left without power.
Dnipropetrovsk Region
PS-330 “Svitloe” electrical substation (Svitloe). The facility supported military-industrial enterprises in Dnipro. Ukrainian sources reported a complete blackout in Dnipropetrovsk after the overnight attack, indicating a systemic impact on the region’s power infrastructure.
Poltava Region
Kremenchuk Oil Refinery. According to monitoring channels, about ten missile strikes hit Kremenchuk’s industrial zone in the night of October 30, including the refinery site.
Kremenchuk Thermal Power Plant. Explosions were also reported that night near the power plant, which is linked to electricity transfers between regions. Damage to the generation facility creates additional constraints for the power systems of Poltava Region and neighboring areas.
Odesa Region and the Black Sea
Dry cargo vessel (Black Sea, 30 km south of Odesa). According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, on the afternoon of October 30 a vessel was struck while at sea as it was delivering military cargo and dual-use goods to the port of Odesa for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. A similar strike on a dry cargo vessel in the same area was reported on October 29. Over the week, reports mentioned strikes on 12 dry cargo vessels. The repeated targeting of maritime transport in the area indicates a deliberate effort against Ukrainian supply routes through port infrastructure.
Strikes on targets in Sumy, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson Regions, as well as Vinnytsia, Volyn, Cherkasy, and Chernihiv Regions, were also reported.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, 1,043 Ukrainian UAVs were shot down overnight over 19 Russian regions.
Samara Region
Novokuybyshevsk Oil Refinery (Novokuybyshevsk). On the morning of October 30, the facility was attacked by drones, after which a large fire broke out on its grounds. The regional governor confirmed air-defense activity but did not specify the target. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said that three Russian refineries and one gas-chemical complex had been attacked, adding that Russia would have to reduce diesel supplies to the United States.
Moscow Region
Massed drone attack on Moscow and the surrounding region. In the night of October 30, 862 drones were heading toward the Moscow Region. Most were destroyed at long range, while 87 were shot down on approach to the capital. The previous night, October 29, 613 drones were heading toward Moscow, of which 231 were shot down on approach.
Volgograd Region
Marinovka military airfield (Oktyabrsky). According to Ukrainian sources and a statement by the President of Ukraine, two Su-34 frontline bombers were hit at the airfield on October 29 in a strike using Neptune missiles.
Republic of Bashkortostan
JSC “Bashkir Soda Company” (Sterlitamak). On October 29, drones attacked the company’s industrial site. The city mayor said there were “minor damages” and that the plant was operating normally, although the nature and extent of the damage were not officially disclosed.
Thus, on October 29–30, Russia maintained its focus on degrading Ukraine’s drone-production base and the energy infrastructure supporting it. At the same time, sustained pressure on maritime logistics in Odesa Region continued, limiting the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ ability to supply forces through ports. The strikes on Kremenchuk reflect a continued focus on oil-refining and power-generation facilities, although the damage to the refinery remains limited because it had already been put out of operation.
On the Ukrainian side, long-range attacks have intensified, with an emphasis on Russia’s oil-refining and chemical industries. Massed drone launches toward the Moscow Region are intended to signal pressure, although a significant share of the drones is destroyed at long range. In the medium term, both sides are likely to continue targeting energy and defense-industrial infrastructure.
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The post Russia Strikes Ukrainian Military Plants and Energy Infrastructure, Ukraine Sends 800+ Drones Toward Moscow appeared first on South Front.
Humanitarian convoy brings food and medicine to Russian-held city where people have suffered severe shortages
People living in the besieged Russian-held city of Oleshky in southern Ukraine were evacuated on Friday as part of a joint relief operation, the first of its kind in four years and eight months of war.
The city, which lies on the Russian-occupied side of the Dnipro River, opposite Kherson, has suffered months of serious food and medical shortages, leading to warnings of starvation for the few thousand people remaining there, including about 50 children.
Continue reading...
© Photograph: Facebook Official account of Kyrylo Budano/AFP/Getty Images
© Photograph: Facebook Official account of Kyrylo Budano/AFP/Getty Images
© Photograph: Facebook Official account of Kyrylo Budano/AFP/Getty Images
If Western nations keep attempting to "inflict a strategic defeat" on Moscow they may get a war instead, Putin threatened.
The post Putin Warns Russia is Ready For War With Europe, Would Turn Baltic Sea Into Second Strait of Hormuz appeared first on Breitbart.
Courtesy of SkyFall
Izyum thought he was going to die. A devastating blast had taken part of the Ukrainian infantryman's left foot, and he had lost a lot of blood. To make matters worse, Russian soldiers were closing in on his position, and there was no easy escape.
Then came a drone — a massive six-rotor aircraft with an enclosed stretcher underneath. It landed roughly 10 meters away from Izyum's position, in tall grass beside a minefield. Fiber-optic cables were strewn across the area, and he worried the hazards would prevent the rescue drone from taking off.
Dizzy and nauseous, Izyum's comrades helped him over to the unusual aircraft. Summoning what little strength he had left, he hoisted himself into the stretcher capsule. As the drone lifted off, he breathed a little easier, at last feeling some sense of relief.
Izyum is one of two Ukrainian soldiers who have been airlifted out of combat by the StarGate uncrewed aircraft, the first specialized drone for aerial evacuation, which was recently unveiled by Ukrainian company SkyFall. The wounded soldiers were medically evacuated this month in back-to-back rescue missions.
Izyum and KVN, a drone pilot in Ukraine's 475th Separate Assault Regiment who flew StarGate during the rescues, described the missions to Business Insider in interviews this week. Both spoke through a translator and were identified only by their call signs for security reasons.
Casualty evacuation by aerial drone is a new concept being pioneered in Ukraine. This month's rescue missions were among the first of their kind in combat. Skyfall, other defense industry officials, and soldiers say they expect to see more of these missions in the future and believe this experimental tactic is a critical capability, especially in moments when neither medical teams nor robots can reach wounded troops.
Courtesy of SkyFall
Right now, this approach is seen as a last resort — a break-glass option for when battlefield conditions prevent all other evacuation methods.
KVN's first daughter had just been born when the call came in. The 475th assault regiment, known as CODE 9.2, was preparing for a special operation, and leadership needed him to fly the main drone. A car was on its way to pick him up.
He soon arrived at an undisclosed location in Ukraine for the operation, the rescue of a wounded soldier from the 129th Separate Heavy Mechanized Brigade.
At the center of the operation was StarGate, a heavy hexacopter that SkyFall developed specifically for casualty evacuation purposes. The drone — which SkyFall said is the first of its kind — was unveiled in mid-October, only days before KVN's mission.
Ukraine is increasingly turning to robots to evacuate wounded soldiers in combat. With surveillance and attack drones swarming the front lines, almost any movement carries tremendous risks, making it dangerous for teams to retrieve casualties. Ground robots are one solution, but tough terrain can limit where they can go.
Courtesy of SkyFall
Heavy hexacopters have emerged as an option when other extraction methods are not possible. Earlier this month, Ukraine carried out its first casualty evacuation using an aerial drone, rescuing an infantryman from the 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade with a Heavy Shot Ayudag-6 heavy lift drone developed by Gurzuf Defence.
There have since been two more missions. KVN was the pilot for both, flying Skyfall's StarGate drone.
KVN recalled that his first evacuation happened at night. There were dozens of people — most of them from CODE 9.2, but some from other military units — involved in the rescue operation. The SkyFall team also participated in the planning.
KVN was nervous.
Reaching the casualty meant flying 20 miles out and back through areas flooded with Russian drones and electronic warfare that threatened to derail the mission.
So the Ukrainians assembled something akin to a strike package, with more than a dozen drones flying alongside StarGate to protect it from attack, draw Russian attention away from the rescue, and bomb enemy positions near the evacuation point.
Courtesy of SkyFall
Russian first-person-view (FPV) drones initially prevented the rescue drone from taking off with the wounded soldier, but eventually the skies cleared. KVN said his hands were shaking, but he relied on StarGate's built-in stabilization technology and his teammates' support to steady the drone and his nerves.
The first evacuation took 30 minutes. StarGate didn't have the range for the full 40-mile round trip, so KVN had to land it halfway on each leg so ground teams could swap out the batteries.
After the mission, KVN grabbed some much-needed sleep. When he woke the next morning, he learned that a second evacuation had been approved and would soon be underway.
Izyum, an infantryman in Ukraine's 1st Territorial Defense Brigade, sat down on the ground to rest.
His team had been tasked with holding a position they had just assaulted. When Izyum stood up, he triggered a blast that tore off part of his left foot. His comrades pulled him into a dugout and immediately applied a tourniquet.
Courtesy of SkyFall
They radioed back to their commanders that Izyum had suffered a severe injury and needed evacuation.
The situation was dire. Any attempt to walk to higher-level care would mean navigating roughly 20 miles of Russian drone and mine threats. Izyum had lost so much blood, and his strength was fading fast. Given the severity of his injuries, he would never have been able to make that trek on his own. His fellow soldiers would have had to risk their lives to help him make the journey.
And ground robots, increasingly used by Ukraine to evacuate wounded soldiers as the front-line kill zone grows more perilous, couldn't reach his position because ponds, small rivers, and tree lines blocked their path.
Brigade leadership concluded that the only option was to evacuate him by air. And with crewed helicopters effectively out of the question, they needed a drone. StarGate was chosen for the mission.
Izyum didn't think he was going to make it home. His crew was so deep on the front lines, and the Russians were close. At one point, the enemy was only 5 meters out.
Eventually, the rescue drone arrived. As the StarGate drone landed amid a mess of mines and cables, Ukrainian forces used Vampire drones, smaller hexacopters made by SkyFall, to bomb the Russians and keep them at bay.
Courtesy of SkyFall
KVN said landing near the minefield was one of the biggest challenges he faced during the mission, though Russian drone and electronic warfare threats were also problems. He said he had to fly "like a ninja" to avoid them.
Even with new technologies such as drones and ground robots, evacuating wounded soldiers isn't an easy process, and it takes time to plan, prepare, and execute. Nearly two days passed between Izyum's injury and his rescue. When he landed and opened the capsule to see friendly faces, he finally felt safe for the first time since the blast. KVN, too, felt an overwhelming sense of relief when the mission was finally over.
Izyum had four surgeries and is missing half his foot. He will soon be transferred to a rehabilitation facility. Speaking from a hospital in northeast Ukraine, he said that he is grateful to everyone who saved his life.
Some Ukrainian officials have acknowledged that large rescue hexacopters could be easy targets for Russia and said that they should only be used in the most extreme circumstances.
Both KVN and Izyum, however, said that aerial drone casualty evacuations should be expanded as standard practice; CODE 9.2, for instance, plans to create dedicated units for these missions, and SkyFall is aiming to build out a department within the firm specifically for evacuations.
StarGate drones — which cost roughly $50,000 a unit, can carry up to 330 pounds, and can fly at speeds over 60 miles per hour — are equipped with survivability features, such as artificial intelligence-enabled navigation and communication redundancies. SkyFall said it aims to be able to make 1,000 drones a month by the end of 2026.
Fire at a German airport being integrated with a nearby tank factory and drone testing facility is being investigated as a potential attack.
The post German Police Investigate Suspected Political Arson After Fire at New Defence Industry Facility appeared first on Breitbart.
The Trump administration is assessing an application from the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) to be removed from the US sanctions list, a US official told The New York Times (NYT). A day later, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the two sides were in talks over it.
Washington has been easing pressure on Moscow piece by piece. On 9 October, the Treasury issued a general license allowing sales of Russian diesel, including into the US. A week later, President Trump waived new sanctions under the Graham Act, a Russia sanctions law he had signed on 18 September. Meanwhile, Kyiv is still waiting for the next round of three-way peace talks. Freeing a Kremlin fund now would lift another cost from Moscow before any settlement on Ukraine.
The fund is run by Kirill Dmitriev, Vladimir Putin’s envoy in talks with Washington. The official said the administration was weighing the application through established procedures, as part of an effort to “improve US-Russia relations and help end the war.”
The official also praised Dmitriev as “a helpful envoy.” Russian officials pushed for delisting during talks on the fund’s role in shipping Russian diesel to the US, people familiar with the negotiations told the NYT. The Treasury, however, held that its 9 October license already let the fund handle diesel transactions, the paper reported.
Ushakov described a two-way conversation rather than a review. He said on 28 October that it had been going on for some time and that he did not know the outcome. He pointed in particular to Dmitriev’s active contacts, saying that was why the issue had come up.
The Treasury fully blocked the fund and Dmitriev on 28 February 2022, four days after Russia launched its full-scale invasion. At the time, it said the fund was widely considered a slush fund for Putin. The Treasury is handling the new request under its normal process, and the fund will have to prove the grounds for its sanctions no longer apply, people familiar with the process told the NYT.
Eric Green oversaw Russia policy at the White House National Security Council under President Joe Biden. He told the paper that lifting the sanctions would send a strong message. In his view, Washington would be relaxing its position of not easing sanctions and other costs until a settlement in Ukraine.
This is not Dmitriev’s first push this year. On 7 February, Zelenskyy said Ukrainian intelligence had shown him a so-called “Dmitriev package” of US-Russia cooperation, worth about $12 trillion, that Dmitriev presented in the US. In April, he arrived in Washington as a US oil waiver for Russia neared expiry. US delisting would not touch UK and EU restrictions on the fund. But it would reopen American finance to a fund the Treasury said Putin’s inner circle relied on to raise money abroad.
The Kremlin is seeking to avoid a face-to-face meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin by proposing they speak by phone instead, the Kyiv Independent has learned.
The apparent move comes as Kyiv insists the two leaders should meet in person to address the most pressing issues
par Francesca DE VILLASMUNDO
Le président ukrainien Volodymyr Zelensky a fermement mis en garde les dirigeants européens contre toute tentation de lever ou d’alléger les restrictions visant Moscou.
La côte du président ukrainien Volodymyr Zelensky est en chute libre aux États-Unis
Lors du sommet européen tenu à Bruxelles les 15 et 16 octobre 2026 et dans un entretien vidéo de ce même mois octobre, le président ukrainien Volodymyr Zelensky, dont la côte aux États-Unis est en chute libre, a mis fermement mis en garde les dirigeants européens, ses derniers alliés sur la surface de la terre. Alliés de plus en plus esseulés et eux aussi dans la ligne de mire de Donald Trump, qui peut leur couper les vivres énergétiques comme bon lui semble en raison de leur obstacle à la paix en Ukraine. Car, après s’être coupés du gaz et pétrole russes, à peu près 50% de leurs ressources énergétiques, les Européens se sont tournés vers le géant américain, dont ils dépendent maintenant pour une trop large part.
Sentant le vent tourné contre lui, Zelensky a donc menacé les Européens, si ceux-ci venaient à lever les sanctions contre la Russie, sans tenir compte qu’il dépend cependant grandement d’eux pour le financement de son pays ruiné et les armes.
Menaces de Zelensky contre les Européens s’ils suivaient les traces des États-Unis : «Nous réagirions définitivement»
Ainsi, ce dernier a-t-il déclaré lors de ce sommet et dans cet entretien vidéo :
«Pour l’instant, je ne vois aucun grand pays européen sérieux — et je le dis sérieusement pour tous les pays — dont l’économie européenne soit au point mort. Les pays à forte économie ont une plus grande influence aux États-Unis. C’est pourquoi je ne vois aucune demande immédiate de leur part concernant la levée des sanctions et le rétablissement des alliances énergétiques avec la Fédération de Russie. Je ne le vois pas car nous réagirions. Je réagirais».
«Nous réagirions définitivement», a-t-il lancé avec gravité à l’adresse de l’Europe si une telle décision venait à être prise.
En résumé, le président déchu affirme qu’à l’heure actuelle, aucun pays européen majeur et sérieux ne lèvera les sanctions contre la Russie ni ne rétablira les partenariats énergétiques avec Moscou. Cependant cette hypothèse doit tout de même être discutée dans les couloirs feutrés des chancelleries, et entre Washington et l’Union européenne, pour qu’il se permette de lancer des menaces, vagues et donc potentiellement dangereuses, envers les Européens dont qu’il dépend cependant grandement pour le financement de son pays ruiné et les armes. Mais l’impudence est le fait des ingrats et des corrompus, ce qu’est décidemment le président ukrainien…
source : Médias-Presse-Info
Publié à l’origine par Réseau International
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