War in UkraineLondon pays 20 million euros for Chernobyl repairs
October 15, 2026, 5:18 am|
The money is earmarked for work on the protective shell of the reactor. London is also calling for sanctions against Russia's shadow fleet to be increased.
All developments in the live blog
Much information about the course of the war, such as casualty numbers or details about fighting, comes from Ukrainian or Russian authorities and cannot be independently verified. In addition to our own research, we use material from the news agencies dpa, Reuters, epd, KNA and Bloomberg for our live blog.
Important updates
To the front as “bait” for Russia: 20 Bangladeshis killed
Ukraine: Space-X restricts Starlink use for military
First tanker on the way: Russia resumes diesel exports
Ukraine: Hundreds of thousands of households without power after Russian attacks
Zelenskiy complains about the lack of warning about Russian missiles
To the front as “bait” for Russia: 20 Bangladeshis killed
At least 20 Bangladeshi nationals who were allegedly lured to Russia under false promises of work have been killed as live “bait” in the Ukraine war. This was reported by a special unit of the Bangladesh police in Dhaka. The Special Response Battalion (SRB) in the South Asian country investigates cases of human trafficking. Preliminary investigations showed that the people who were actually unfit for war were sent to the front as “bait” in order to locate enemy positions.
Members of an internationally operating smuggling network recruited those affected as construction workers with the help of local “agents,” it said. After their arrival, however, they were urged to complete three weeks of training to prepare them for combat operations. “They were handed over to the Russian military and their passports and cell phones were confiscated immediately upon arrival on Russian soil,” senior SRB official Mohammad Asaduzzaman explained. The information could not initially be independently verified.
At the beginning of May, 30 “smuggled” Bangladeshis arrived in Russia. Of them, 17 died in drone attacks on the first day of their deployment to the front, said Asaduzzaman, citing survivors who managed to return to their homeland. Three others later died in a hospital. According to Asaduzzaman, two suspected members of the smuggling gang have now been arrested.
Amnesty International also accuses Russia of using deception, coercion and exploitation to recruit foreign nationals for its war of aggression against Ukraine. In September, the human rights organization published a report that a system was created to specifically exploit people in precarious living situations.
During its research, Amnesty said it interviewed people from eight countries who were held in two Ukrainian prisoner of war camps between 2024 and 2026. Amnesty also relies on discussions with relatives, lawyers, human rights activists and media professionals.
Barbara Klimke
Great Britain pays 20 million euros for Chernobyl repairs
The British government is providing 17 million pounds, the equivalent of 20 million euros, for repairs to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in northern Ukraine. The government in London said the money was intended for important repairs to the protective cover and the ventilation system. A Russian drone attack last year damaged the protective cover of the power plant. The world's worst nuclear accident occurred there in 1986.
British Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey emphasized that the government's commitment to the people of Ukraine was "unshakeable". Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Prime Minister Andy Burnham in London on Wednesday for bilateral talks.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham (r.) meets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Downing Street. Pool/Getty Images
Healey is also calling on his counterparts at the International Monetary Fund meeting in Bangkok to toughen sanctions on Russia's shipping: They should "stay the course on tough economic sanctions against Russia," he said, "particularly a tougher ban on shipping services that enable Putin's sanctions-busting shadow fleet to operate."
A US government official said President Donald Trump's administration was considering easing punitive measures against ships in the so-called shadow fleet that transported oil and oil products from Russia, Iran and Venezuela, among others, in order to reduce freight costs.
Musk after Ukraine criticism: Satellite control lies with US government
After criticism from Ukraine about restrictions on satellite communication in the satellite networks of the US space company Space-X, US entrepreneur Elon Musk points out that Starshield is owned and controlled by the US government. Any restrictions on speed or usage will be set by the US military and ultimately the US President, explains Musk.
Starshield is the military part of the satellite network, whose civilian arm is called Starlink. Regarding Starlink, Musk says this system is limited to civilian or defensive activities and cannot be used for offensive military purposes.
Ukraine had previously accused Musk's company Space-X, which includes Starshield and Starlink, of restricting Ukraine's use of satellites and thereby weakening Ukraine's drone defense and air defense in the fight against Russia. That had fueled concerns that US President Donald Trump could reduce support for Ukraine on the battlefield in order to force Kiev to make concessions to Russia or the US.
Zelensky criticizes Trump's course in the Ukraine war
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy feels betrayed by US President Donald Trump's diesel deal with Russia and other steps by the US leadership. In response to a question from British presenter Piers Morgan during his visit to London, Zelensky replied: "Indeed, yes, between you and me." Regarding Trump's actions, he said that was "not the right side of the story."
Morgan also included in his question Trump's claim that an energy truce has been agreed between Russia and Ukraine. This was followed by Russian bombings on Ukrainian energy facilities. Zelensky said the situation was more complicated than his emotions and that it wasn't just about him. “Our country must survive,” he said.
After a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on his Truth Social platform, Trump announced that Russia would immediately make more than 300,000 tons of diesel available to the USA and the world market. Sanctions should be suspended for this.
“It is a shame that we are losing a strong partner,” said Zelensky, describing his reaction. Ukraine cannot afford to be weak. “We are not selling our land.” It's not about business, but about life, your own country. If Trump doesn't choose their side, it will be painful, said the Ukrainian president. It is okay if the US President stands “in the middle”. “But when you’re in the middle, you have to stay in the middle.” He doesn't know who is pushing Trump onto the wrong side. “But that’s not the right side of the story,” Zelensky said.
Anne Eberhard
Military administration: Six dead in Russian attack on western Ukraine
At least six people have been killed in Russian drone strikes in the western Ukrainian city of Lutsk. About a dozen more people were injured, the military administration of the Volhynia region said on social networks. Accordingly, a dormitory and a grocery store caught fire, and a residential building in the city center was also damaged.
The local governor Roman Romaniuk had previously reported on Telegram that three people were dead and twelve injured. Debris from a drone hit a warehouse and a residential building was also damaged.
Lutsk is a large city in western Ukraine. It is just over 80 kilometers from the Polish border. Western Ukraine has long been considered relatively safe compared to more eastern regions of the country.
Carim Soliman
Ukraine: Space-X restricts Starlink use for military
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's entourage has accused the operator of the American Starlink satellite internet system of throttling services important to the army. “Currently, the restrictions affect the “military package” of Starshield’s services; they were limited to a speed of 100 miles (160 kilometers) per hour,” presidential adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov said on social media.
The operating company Space-X did not inform the Ukrainian military about the throttling. “This has led to the failure of some missions,” Beskrestnow wrote. He attributed the limit to the “current political situation.” The former advisor in the Ministry of Defense, Serhij Sternenko, had previously pointed out the restrictions. There was initially no official confirmation of this.
The Ukrainian military uses satellite internet, among other things, to remotely control drones as they approach their target. These usually fly faster than 160 kilometers per hour. If the speed of the satellite connection is reduced, the connection to the drone could fail. Zelensky had recently pushed for the Ukrainian army to be allowed to use Starlink connections over Russian territory. So far, Starlink's internet services have only been activated over Ukrainian territory.
The reason for the throttling could be US negotiations between Ukraine and Russia that have been stalling for a long time. According to media reports, Washington recently threatened to stop the transfer of military intelligence data if Kiev did not become more willing to compromise. Zelenskiy repeatedly accused the US on Tuesday of failing to warn Kiev of Russian ballistic missile attacks in a timely manner.
The government in neighboring Poland is also following developments with concern and anger. Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski addressed SpaceX boss Elon Musk directly in a mocking post on X. “Hey, Elon Musk, big man, are you playing politics with your products again?” he wrote on X. “As your European customers, we have you in mind.”
Ukraine also complains that the US no longer warns it about rocket fire, writes Sebastian Gierke:
First tanker on the way: Russia resumes diesel exports
Russia has resumed its diesel exports after an agreement with the USA. According to data from financial data provider LSEG on Wednesday, a tanker was loaded with around 40,000 tons of low-sulfur diesel in the Baltic Sea port of Primorsk. The ship was loaded on Tuesday and is on its way to Morocco.
US President Donald Trump said last week that Russia had agreed to supply world markets with diesel. This should reduce fuel prices. His administration then temporarily suspended US sanctions on Russian fuel that had been imposed because of the war of aggression against Ukraine. Trump and his Republicans are under pressure before the midterm elections for Congress at the beginning of November because of high fuel prices, which have increased massively in the wake of the war against Iran launched by the USA.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said negotiations were underway between Russia and the United States to finalize a contract for diesel supplies. A mechanism is being sought that would enable deliveries despite Western sanctions against Russian companies.
Nowak had already said on Monday that Russia could increase its diesel exports to three to 3.5 million tons per month by the end of the year. This corresponds to the country's usual export volume. After the agreement with the USA on October 10th, Russia lifted its own partial export ban on diesel. This was imposed because Ukrainian counterattacks on Russian refineries had led to bottlenecks in Russia.
Anna Schimpp
Ukraine: Hundreds of thousands of households without power after Russian attacks
Russia carried out massive attacks on Ukraine again during the night. As a result, there are dead and injured people, and at least 600,000 households are without electricity, wrote Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Russia has used 39 ballistic missiles and more than 102 drones against Ukrainian energy supplies and critical infrastructure, Zelenskiy wrote on social media. There is significant damage to 26 power supply facilities and four oil and gas facilities.
Zelenskiy accused Moscow of not following US President Donald Trump's call for a ceasefire on attacks on energy facilities. He spoke of a deliberate attack on a significant scale; “Russia has never seen such demonstrative disregard for America before.” He called on Trump to impose tough sanctions against Russia and asked for additional Patriot-type defense systems, which are considered effective against ballistic missiles and which Ukraine lacks.
According to the Ukrainian Civil Defense, the death toll in the capital Kiev rose to three people. Two people were killed in separate attacks in the Dnipropetrovsk region in the evening and at night. Six others were injured.
The Defense Ministry in Moscow confirmed attacks on communications and energy infrastructure in the capital Kiev and its surrounding areas as well as the Kharkiv region this morning. The reason given was that they would serve the armaments sector and the Ukrainian armed forces. In addition, Russia claims to have fended off 902 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory and the annexed Crimea. The information cannot be independently verified.
In addition, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin wrote on Telegram about 493 Ukrainian drones that flew towards the Moscow region during the night. The majority of them were repelled from a distance; 180 drones were shot down on the approach to Moscow. There were once again restrictions at several airports in Russia, as Russian agencies reported, citing the Rosawiatsiya aviation authority.
In the city of Balakovo, a person was killed in a Ukrainian drone attack, shouted
