Another night of drone exchanges between Russia and Ukraine. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that their forces shot down 130 Ukrainian drones overnight, mainly over western regions and over Moscow and Yaroslavl. However, several infrastructures were damaged, including a Russian power plant in Western Oryol and areas near the city of Vladimir.
On the diplomatic front, the Financial Times reported that United States canceled a planned summit in Budapest between President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin after Moscow maintained a rigid stance on its demands regarding Ukraine. The move highlights the international efforts' stagnation to revive peace negotiations.
With both countries increasingly targeting civilian infrastructure, the war enters a phase marked by diplomatic exhaustion and the risk of a large-scale energy crisis within Russia and Ukraine as winter approaches in Eastern Europe.
Russia attacked Ukrainian territory last night with 145 drones and a ballistic missile
Russia attacked Ukrainian territory last night with 145 drones and a ballistic missile intercepted by Ukrainian air defenses, according to Friday's report from the Ukrainian Air Force, as reported by Efe.
Of the total drones used by Russia in this new nighttime attack, around 90 were Shahed kamikaze unmanned aerial vehicles.
Ukrainian air defenses neutralized 107 of the drones. Another 36 unmanned vehicles hit twenty unspecified locations by the Ukrainian Air Force.
Two Military Recruiters Injured in Armed Attack in Central Ukraine
Two military personnel were injured in the city of Kremenchuk in the Poltava region of central Ukraine when a man being mobilized fired at them with a pistol, as reported by the recruitment center itself, according to Efe.
The incident occurred on Thursday afternoon. The man who opened fire on the military used a Soviet Tokarev pistol, firing several bullets while being escorted by several soldiers and a police officer to the center where mobilization procedures are carried out.
Also on Thursday, Ukrainian Telegram channels published a video recorded in the Ukrainian port city of Odesa on the Black Sea showing a group of men overturning a van used by military recruiters to patrol the city in search of adult males who have not registered to be called up.
Russia Attacks Railway Infrastructure in Two Border Regions of Ukraine
Russia attacked railway infrastructure last night in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions in northeastern Ukraine, bordering Russia and the scene of fighting between the Ukrainian Army and Russian invading forces, as reported by Efe.
According to the Ukrainian train company Ukrzaliznytsia, Russian forces attacked a passenger railway depot in Sumy, causing damage to rolling stock and various company facilities.
Ukrzaliznytsia had to replace several train cars on the route connecting the regional capital of Sumy with Kiev to ensure the train could depart on time.
Another Russian attack damaged railway infrastructure in the Lozova district of the Kharkiv region, forcing a change in the route of the train connecting Gusarivka in that northeastern province of Ukraine with Ivano-Frankivsk in the western part of the country.
Russia Destroys 130 Ukrainian Drones over Fourteen of Its Regions
Russian anti-aircraft defenses shot down 130 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones over fourteen regions of the country last night, one of them near Moscow, as reported on Friday by the Russian Ministry of Defense on its Telegram channel.
"During the past night, between 11:00 p.m. on October 30 and 8:00 a.m. (GMT+3) on October 31, anti-aircraft defenses intercepted and destroyed 130 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones," the military report states.
Of the total drones shot down, 81 were brought down in the five regions bordering Ukraine, with the most affected being the Kursk region, where 31 unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed.
Trump-Putin Summit Canceled
The United States canceled a planned summit in Budapest between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin after Russia maintained a firm stance on strict demands related to Ukraine, reported the Financial Times on Friday.
According to the newspaper, the decision came after a tense call between the top diplomats of both countries, citing sources familiar with the matter. Reuters could not immediately verify the FT report. The White House did not respond immediately to a request for comment, and Russian government officials were also unavailable.
Plans for the summit in Budapest this month were put on hold after Moscow insisted on its demands, including Ukraine ceding more territory as a condition for a ceasefire.
Russian Attack Leaves 11 Injured, Including 4 Children, in Sumy
Russia launched an attack overnight in the Ukrainian city of Sumy in the country's northeast, leaving 11 residents injured, including four children, reported Ukraine's emergency services on Friday.
The Sumy region borders Russia and has been under constant attack from both drones and missiles.
Emergency services reported via Telegram that Russia had hit a multi-story residential building, private homes, and other infrastructure facilities.
Ukraine Claims Russia Uses Missile That Led Trump to Exit Nuclear Treaty
Russia has attacked Ukraine in recent months with a cruise missile whose secret development led Donald Trump to exit a nuclear arms control treaty with Moscow during his first term as U.S. president, stated Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, as reported by Reuters.
Sybiha's statements are the first confirmation that Russia has used the land-based 9M729 missile in combat—whether in Ukraine or elsewhere.
Russia has fired this missile at Ukraine 23 times since August, according to a second senior Ukrainian official cited by Reuters. Ukraine also recorded two 9M729 launches by Russia in 2022, the source added.