Despite new US mediation efforts, Russia and Ukraine continue their attacks. According to Russian authorities, at least three people were recently killed in a Ukrainian rocket attack in the Oryol region.
The bodies were pulled from the rubble of a factory building, said Governor Andrei Klychkov. The authorities had previously reported eight injuries. It was not officially announced which plant was the target.
The Ukrainian General Staff in Kyiv said that a defense plant producing electronic components for missiles and aircraft was hit, as well as a rocket fuel production plant in Tolyatti in the Samara region. There was an explosion and a fire there.
The Russian armed forces, in turn, said they continued their attacks on Ukrainian port infrastructure during the night. The Russian Defense Ministry says drones attacked the Black Sea port of Chornomorsk and a cargo ship bound for Odessa. The information from both countries cannot be directly verified by independent sources.
Ceasefire around the front-line town of Oleschky
After US negotiator Steve Witkoff's shuttle diplomacy, there was some movement again in peace efforts in the Ukraine war. According to the White House on Friday, First Lady Melania Trump brokered a local ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv in the front-line town of Oleschky in the Russian occupied territory in southern Ukraine, which has been sealed off for months. Russia and Ukraine confirmed this.
According to the Defense Ministry, Russian Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov said that Russian forces would then cease fire in the direction of Kherson as part of a humanitarian operation in the Oleshky area. Kyiv also agreed to a ceasefire. The two sides said the ceasefire would take effect from 2 a.m. CET on Tuesday. How long it would last was initially unknown.
The Kyiv General Staff announced on social media that the Ukrainian armed forces would do everything to help the residents of Oleshky and ensure the safety and rescue of their fellow citizens. According to Ukrainian human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets, the agreement aims to ensure a ceasefire. In addition, humanitarian aid supplies are to be delivered to Oleschky.
The small town, which has been sealed off for months, is located in Russian-occupied territory in the south of Ukraine and is cut off from supplies. According to Ukrainian information, Russia is holding around 2,000 people there. Aid organizations have long complained about the precarious humanitarian situation. The regional capital Kherson is in Ukrainian hands and only nine kilometers away. The front runs in between.
Humanitarian corridor for evacuation
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the evacuation would take at least a few days, according to the Russian state news agency Tass. Anyone who wanted could leave Oleschky. The leader of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's party, David Arachamija, said on the Telegram platform that an operation to "unblock" Oleshky would begin shortly. The aim is to create a permanent humanitarian corridor for the safe evacuation of the civilian population and the delivery of aid supplies.
After a conversation with US negotiator Witkoff, Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin recently expressed his willingness to resume contacts with representatives of the US and Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Peskov confirmed that a meeting in the United Arab Emirates was being prepared for mid-November. A date from November 10th was mentioned as a possible period for a three-way meeting in Abu Dhabi.
Mutual exchange of prisoners
On Friday, Ukraine and Russia each exchanged 270 prisoners of war. “270 of our people are at home,” Ukrainian President Zelenskyj wrote on Platform X. According to him, those released included soldiers from the armed forces, the National Guard and other units, as well as nine civilians. Many have been in Russian captivity since 2022.
As usual, the exchange took place at a border crossing between Belarus and Ukraine. The Ministry of Defense in Moscow announced that 270 Russian soldiers had been received. They should receive medical and psychological care in Russia. The negotiations on the exchange of prisoners and the return of dead soldiers are one of the few functioning threads of conversation between the warring parties.
Starlink internet again
After more than a week of restrictions, Ukraine's Starlink satellite communications system is functioning at normal speeds again. "The Defense Ministry's monitoring systems are registering a return to normal speed of Starlink and its military version Starshield," Ukrainian Defense Minister Yevheniy Khmara told reporters in Kyiv. "The connection is stable." Ukraine relies on the Starlink satellite network from Elon Musk's space company SpaceX for its communication on the battlefield and the use of drones.
Ukraine had accused SpaceX of restricting the use of the satellite network since October 14th. This had fueled fears in Ukraine that the US might reduce battlefield support to force Kyiv to make concessions.
US President Donald Trump had previously announced an agreement with Russia to purchase Russian diesel fuel. At the same time, he waived new sanctions against Moscow and urged Ukraine to stop its attacks on Russian oil refineries.
Neither SpaceX boss Musk nor the US government had taken responsibility for throttling Starlink in Ukraine.
