Laura Thalmeyer
Unidentified flying object alert in Lithuania and Latvia
Lithuania has temporarily called residents in the center and north of the country to shelter in place because of an unidentified flying object. During the air warning, NATO interceptors were deployed and Kaunas airport was closed, according to the army and the national crisis center.
Northern neighbor Latvia also temporarily issued a warning for some border regions due to a “possible threat”. In recent months, Ukrainian drones have repeatedly invaded the airspace of the Baltic NATO states. According to the government in Kyiv, they are being thrown off course by Russian jammers. This is fueling concerns about the Russian war in Ukraine expanding into NATO territory.
Laura Thalmeyer
Report: Ukraine attacks oil port in St. Petersburg
According to Russian sources, Ukraine has used drones to attack targets in St. Petersburg, including an oil terminal in the port and a data center. The Russian military fended off 126 Ukrainian drones in the region, the state news agency Tass reported, citing Governor Alexander Drozdenko. There are no victims. A fire broke out at the oil terminal, said the city's governor, Alexander Beglov. The extent of the damage was initially unclear. Videos circulating online purporting to show a large fire were not independently verified.
Ukrainian media also reported a possible hit on an eight-lane bridge in St. Petersburg. The Russian side did not initially confirm this. According to Tass, the damaged data center belongs to the Internet company VK, which operates a popular social network in Russia. St. Petersburg Airport temporarily suspended operations due to the attack; Passengers and employees were taken to safe locations. Ukraine has been defending itself against the Russian war of aggression with Western support for more than four and a half years and has repeatedly attacked targets far behind the front in Russia.
Angelika Ahrens
Russia: Almost 200 Ukrainian drones intercepted over Moscow
According to the Moscow mayor, Russian air defense intercepts almost 200 Ukrainian drones. Since midnight, 195 drones have been destroyed on the way to the capital, Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram. Moscow's Domodedovo and Vnukovo airports are suspending flight operations. There is currently no Ukrainian statement available.
Julie Leduc
Trump's suspension of sanctions: cross-party criticism
Democratic and Republican members of Congress have condemned US President Donald Trump's suspension of new sanctions against Russia. “Beyond irresponsible,” wrote Republican Senator Thom Tillis on Platform If Trump really wants to lower energy prices, he could do so by resolving the conflict with Iran - not by doing Russian President Vladimir Putin a favor.
The Republican member of the House of Representatives, Don Bacon, criticized on X that Trump was prolonging Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine instead of ending it. His party colleague, Senator John Cornyn, shared an article about Trump's measure and wrote: "Lindsey would be horrified." Almost a month ago, the US President signed a sanctions package against Russia that bears the name of the senator and Trump confidant Lindsey Graham, who died in July.
Felicitas Dahmen
Channel: Ukraine asks neighbors for grain transit, Hungary agrees
According to a media report, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj is asking neighboring countries Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary for the transit of grain deliveries because of a blockade in the Black Sea. This is reported by broadcaster RTL, citing Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar. Magyar therefore has no objections as long as the grain is only transported through Hungary. According to Zelensky, transporting corn in sealed freight cars to Western Europe would help Ukraine. The background to this measure could be that the countries want to prevent very cheap grain from Ukrainian production from ending up on the markets of transit countries and thereby putting local farmers under price pressure.
Felicitas Dahmen
Zelenskyj: Three-way meeting with USA and Russia possible in December
A trilateral meeting between Ukraine, the USA and Russia could take place at the G20 summit in December in the USA, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. A meeting in a country in the Middle East or Europe is also conceivable, says Zelensky. However, so far there has been no confirmation of this from either the USA or Russia. Zelensky also says that peace negotiators from Ukraine and the USA may meet next week. The Ukrainian representatives spoke to the US team about this on Friday. Europe also needs its own negotiating channel for talks with Russia.
Felicitas Dahmen
Zelensky: Starlink throttling hinders Ukrainian drone defense
According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine cannot use its interception systems against Russian drone attacks due to restrictions on the Starlink satellite internet service. The government in Kiev is discussing the problem with US representatives, Zelensky said. The Ukrainian authorities were told that the restrictions were due to technical problems. In tests on the territory of the European Union, however, the system worked at higher speeds.
Felicitas Dahmen
Zelensky: Serious Russian attacks on energy facilities
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia attacked more than 15 Ukrainian energy facilities in the west and center of the country overnight. The Russian army has expanded its campaign against the energy system and is trying to strain Ukrainian reserves and repair capacities as much as possible, Zelensky said on the Telegram short message service.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin is directing the government to launch a program to repair trade and logistics infrastructure damaged in Ukrainian attacks. This is reported by the RIA news agency, citing the Kremlin.
Patricia Hoffhaus
Russia reports attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure
According to its own statements, Russia carried out large-scale attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure targets during the night. This includes the country's largest steelworks in Kryvyi Rih, which belongs to the ArcelorMittal group, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said. The facility has suspended operations since September following a series of Russian missile attacks.
In addition, a substation in Zhytomyr, another steelworks in Zaporizhia and a cargo ship in the Black Sea were hit. The latter loaded military supplies for the port of Odessa. Meanwhile, a woman was killed in Ukrainian drone strikes in Russia's Belgorod region, Russian state news agency Tass reported, citing rescue workers.
Felicitas Dahmen
Development Minister: Need an exemption from the debt brake for Ukraine aid
Federal Development Minister Reem Alabali Radovan is again calling for an exception to the debt brake to finance German aid to Ukraine. A large part of the civilian support for Ukraine comes from the development budget, the SPD politician told the Reuters news agency on the sidelines of the autumn meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank in Bangkok. However, in view of budget cuts, the previous level of aid is at risk.
The proposal is supported by Foreign Minister Wadephul. However, other Union politicians reject it because they do not want any further exceptions to the debt brake, such as those that exist primarily for defense spending.
Patricia Hoffhaus
Ukraine: One dead in Russian airstrike on Kherson
According to authorities, one person was killed in a Russian air strike on the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson. The region's governor, Oleksandr Prokudin, said on Telegram that it was the driver of an ambulance. Another 19 people were injured, including a child.
Angelika Ahrens
Trump suspends parts of the Russia sanctions by decree
US President Donald Trump suspended sanctions and tariffs against Russia by decree a few days before they came into force. This is in the national interest of the USA, Trump explained in the order published by the White House on Friday (local time). The measures are part of a law that Trump signed in mid-September.
Among other things, it provides for punitive tariffs on Russian goods and penalties for the purchase of Russian oil and gas. The suspension should remain in effect until Trump or senior administration officials decide that further steps are appropriate. US law allows the president to suspend sanctions by informing Congress of his decision.
Julius Stockheim
Putin promises Pope cooperation in helping Oleschky
Pope Leo asked Russian President Vladimir Putin in a telephone call for help for the suffering population of the embattled city of Oleshky in southern Ukraine. Putin has agreed to cooperate in delivering aid to the Russian-controlled city, the Kremlin said on Friday.
However, according to its statement, the Kremlin did not agree to a ceasefire requested by the Pope to enable the delivery of aid and food. Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of blocking supplies to the city, which Ukrainian forces are trying to recapture.
Julius Stockheim
Trump: US government and Musk not responsible for Starlink outages in Ukraine
US President Donald Trump has denied that his government or tech entrepreneur Elon Musk was responsible for Ukraine's restricted access to the Starlink satellite network. Neither he nor Musk are responsible for Ukraine losing full access, Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday. Any restrictions on access to the Starshield system were not imposed by the USA.
Trump also said he had a good relationship with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. However, Trump recently increased the pressure on Zelensky and said in a TV interview that he was not a big fan of him. He finds dealing with Zelensky more difficult than with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Julius Stockheim
Russia: Discuss further projects with the USA
Following the recently concluded diesel agreement, Russia says it is discussing further joint projects with the USA. Despite the US sanctions, both sides are examining further forms of economic cooperation, Russian investment representative Kirill Dmitriyev said on Friday at an energy conference in Moscow.
Among other things, joint projects in the area of Russian and US data centers would be discussed. This also involves the use of “small nuclear power plants” to cover the increasing electricity requirements of these plants. Dmitriev did not provide any further details.
Julius Stockheim
Russia creates “safe zone” in Ukraine
According to President Vladimir Putin, Russia wants to create a “security zone” in Ukraine along the common border. This will not be negotiable in future talks with Kyiv, says Putin. The measure is a response to the incursion of Ukrainian troops into the western Russian region of Kursk. According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the zone will be 660 kilometers long. 70 percent of them are already under Russian control.
Julius Stockheim
Pope calls on Putin for ceasefire in Ukraine
Pope Leo XIV called on Russian President Vladimir Putin for a ceasefire in southern Ukraine in a telephone call. The head of the Catholic Church expressed his “deep concern” about the humanitarian situation in the sealed-off frontline town of Oleshky in the Kherson region, the Vatican said. A ceasefire should enable the “delivery of food and medical aid as well as the voluntary and safe evacuation of the civilian population.”
Julius Stockheim
Wadephul sees Trump's attacks on Zelensky in connection with the election campaign
Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul attributes US President Donald Trump's attacks against his Ukrainian colleague Volodymyr Zelensky to the US midterm elections on November 3rd. Trump's statements must "certainly be placed in the final phase of the election campaign in the United States of America," said the CDU politician at a meeting with his Portuguese colleague Paulo Rangel in Berlin.
That's why we have to "look at the core of what the United States of America continues to do. And that is support for Ukraine together with us," explained Wadephul. Rangel said that with winter approaching, the U.S. is encouraged to stand with Ukraine's defense efforts.
Julius Stockheim
Russia puts assets of European companies under state control
Russia has taken control of the local assets of four companies from Germany, France, Sweden and Belgium in response to European support for Ukraine. A corresponding decree from President Vladimir Putin was published on Thursday. Affected are the French flooring manufacturer Tarkett, the Swedish packaging manufacturer Sverige International Holdings, the Belgian hygiene products group Ontex and the German packaging manufacturer Menshen.
There was initially no comment from the Sauerland company on Friday. The company employs around 1,400 people at 14 locations in eleven countries and recently achieved sales of 200 million euros. Russia also placed Russian assets of former European metal packaging company Eviosys under interim administration, which was acquired by US packaging group Sonoco in December 2024.
Patricia Hoffhaus
Zelenskyj: Ukraine needs 70 billion euros from the EU in 2027
