putin calls for surrender of 'surrounded' Ukrainian soldiers. Kiev: 'Kupyansk is not surrounded'

The Russian Air Defence Forces intercepted and destroyed 100 drones in the night of 28-29 October over several regions of the Russian Federation and in the skies over annexed Crimea, according to the Moscow Ministry of Defence. According to the Federal Aviation Agency, operation at multiple airports was temporarily suspended due to the alert, including Moscow's three main airports: Sheremetevo, Zhukovsky and Domodedovo.

The Ukrainian General Staff has confirmed the destruction of two oil refineries involved in the supply of the Russian army by night raids: the Novospassky refinery and the Mariysky refinery, as well as the Budyonny gas processing plant. This was reported by the Ukrainian Interfax news agency. According to the General Staff, the Mariysk refinery in the Tabashino settlement in the Republic of Mari El was also hit.

Russia responds to the drone air strikes developed by the Ukrainian military in recent weeks by focusing on the control of the front line. Against this backdrop, Russian President Vladimir Putin during a visit to Moscow's P.V. Mandryka hospital called on Kiev to decide on the surrender of the Ukrainian military, which according to Moscow is encircled in the Pokrovsk and Kupyansk areas. The Ukrainian leadership must make "appropriate decisions on the fate of its citizens and its military, just as they once did at Azvostal" in Mariupol, Putin said, quoted by Tass. The president said Russia is ready to cease fighting for a few hours "so that a group of journalists can enter these settlements, see what is happening there, talk to the Ukrainian military and get out.

Closely, Putin's claims that Kupyansk is surrounded have been dismissed as "fiction and fantasy". This is reported by Rbc-Ukraine citing the Ukrainian armed forces, according to which "heavy fighting is going on in and around Kupyansk, with the occupiers trying to set foot in the northern part of the city". "However, any claim about the 'encirclement' of Ukrainian troops is pure fantasy that is not based on any facts on the ground", the statement reads.

According to a recent US intelligence assessment, Putin would now be more determined than ever to continue the war in Ukraine and achieve a victory on the ground. Nbc reports this, based on a recent US intelligence assessment released to Congress earlier this month. The analysis, which confirms the Kremlin's strategic positioning since the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, emphasises that Moscow shows no openness to compromise, despite President Donald Trump's ongoing attempts to facilitate peace negotiations.