New night of drone exchanges between Russia and Ukraine. This time, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that its forces shot down 130 Ukrainian drones, mainly over western regions and over the regions of Moscow and Yaroslavl. Several infrastructures have been damaged, including a Russian power plant in Western Oryol and areas near the city of Vladimir.
In diplomatic news, 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 firm stance regarding its demands on Ukraine.
With both countries increasingly resorting to attacks on civilian infrastructure, the war enters a stage marked by diplomatic exhaustion and the risk of a large-scale energy crisis within Russia and Ukraine, as winter approaches in Eastern Europe.
UN Assumes War Will "Continue for a Considerable Time"
The UN confirmed on Friday that there are millions of vulnerable people in Ukraine, which will soon enter its fourth winter enduring Russia's attacks, acknowledging that its planning is based on the premise that the war will "continue for a considerable time."
"There were several moments this year when there was cautious optimism that it could end, but now there is no feeling that it will end soon," admitted the UN's humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, recalling that this year was deadlier for civilians than 2024, with a 30% increase in fatalities. Efe reports.
Ukraine Claims Russia Seeks a "Humanitarian Crisis" with Attacks on its Energy Network
Ukraine's Energy Minister, Svitlana Hrynchuk, asserted on Friday, at a G7 Energy Ministers meeting in Toronto, that Russia is trying to create "a humanitarian crisis" with massive attacks on the country's energy infrastructure.
During a press conference with Canada's Energy and Foreign Ministers, Tim Hodgson and Anita Anand, Hrynchuk confirmed that the energy infrastructure Russia is destroying in Ukraine is not a military target. Efe reports.
"They are directly attacking civilian infrastructure, and they know it very well. What they want is to leave Ukraine in the dark, they want to freeze Ukraine, and they want to create a humanitarian crisis," she explained.
Europol Identifies Hundreds of Russian Mercenaries Associated with War Crimes in Ukraine
At least 654 suspected fighters from the Russian private military companies Wagner and Redut have been identified by Europol as suspects of committing war crimes in Ukraine, such as civilian executions, sexual violence, and illegal attacks.
The operation, carried out by the police forces of Moldova and Ukraine with the support of Europol's Central International Crime Team, has allowed the reconstruction of part of the recruitment and command networks of both groups, also present in other conflicts such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Efe reports.
Among the suspects are citizens of Ukraine, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina, as reported by the European agency.
Ukraine Calls on the European Union to Strengthen Tariffs on Russian Imports
On Friday, Kyiv urged the European Union to increase its customs duties on Russian products not yet subject to sanctions imposed by Brussels since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.
"If the products are not covered by sanctions, we will raise the issue of imposing customs duties," clarified Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriï Sybiga. According to him, the maneuver could allow the EU to bypass the opposition of Hungary and Slovakia, which threaten to block the extension of sanctions against Moscow. AFP reports.
"We will work on this with our European partners," indicated the Ukrainian representative during a joint press conference with Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky.
Ukraine has Carried Out 160 Successful Attacks on Russian Oil Facilities in 2025
Ukraine has conducted nearly 160 successful attacks on Russian oil sites since the beginning of this year, the head of Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) reported on Friday.
"Since the beginning of the year, there have been nearly 160 successful attacks on Russian oil extraction and refining facilities," stated General Vasyl Maliuk to journalists, including AFP correspondents.
Ukraine Hands Over Russian Prisoner to Lithuania to Stand Trial for War Crimes
Ukraine has handed over to Lithuania a captured Russian military officer to be tried there for war crimes, announced the Ukrainian prosecutor's office on Friday, as reported by Afp.
"For the first time since the start of the large-scale aggression, Ukraine has handed over a Russian military officer to a foreign state, Lithuania, to be prosecuted for war crimes," declared Ukraine's Attorney General, Ruslan Kravchenko, on social media, calling the event "historic for justice."
"It is a clear signal to all war criminals: they will not be able to escape justice in any free country in the world. Justice will prevail," he added.
The suspect, a senior Russian navy officer, is accused of "illegal detention, torture, and inhumane treatment of civilians and prisoners of war," including a Lithuanian citizen, according to the Attorney General.
Russia Tightens Siege in Pokrovsk and Kupiansk
Russian forces continue to tighten the siege in the cities of Pokrovsk (Donetsk) and Kupiansk (Kharkiv), while launching massive drone and missile attacks on Ukraine's military industry and energy system, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported on Friday.
"Near the city of Kupiansk (...) assault groups continued to annihilate the encircled Ukrainian Army grouping," stated the Russian military command in its weekly report published on Telegram.
Defense specified that Russian units are carrying out "clearing" operations in two localities located in the Kupiansk encirclement zone.
The Russian Army repelled yesterday in this sector of the front the attempt by soldiers of the 14th Ukrainian Motorized Brigade to break the siege by crossing the Oskol River with the help of four boats.
During the week, Russian forces thwarted six enemy attempts to break the siege and three to regain control of a ford on this river.
In Pokrovsk, where Russian troops reportedly surrounded several Ukrainian battalions, they continued their advance near the train station.
In this sector of the front, Russian soldiers repelled four enemy attempts to unlock their positions.
Ukraine Destroyed a Russian Oreshnik Missile in Russia during the Summer of 2023
Ukraine destroyed one of Russia's Oreshnik medium-range missiles in a special operation during the summer of 2023, announced the head of the SBU security service on Friday, as reported by Reuters.
Vasyl Maliuk informed journalists that the operation was carried out jointly by the SBU, the GUR military intelligence, and foreign intelligence services, adding that the operation was "100% successful."
Putin Captures Trump's Attention with Nuclear Loudspeaker
Russian leader Vladimir Putin has finally managed to capture the attention of US President Donald Trump, although he had to resort to the nuclear loudspeaker, the only ace up the Kremlin's sleeve that can still influence the White House, Efe reports.
The goal is for Washington to understand that the war in Ukraine is the least of its problems and that something much more important is at stake, strategic stability and nuclear disarmament in the world.
The price to pay - the White House chief announced the resumption of nuclear weapons testing - is lower considering that Moscow believes it has an advantage over its adversary in a new generation arsenal, mainly hypersonic.