Ukraine war, latest news. Tusk: ‘Possible provocation on the border with Kaliningrad foiled’. Three Ukrainian power stations hit

“We are coordinating very closely with Germany and other European countries on the various points of the negotiations” ahead of the trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in Berlin, where he met with Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and after the Kremlin had categorically ruled out Europe’s participation in the talks on the 10th and 11th of this month. “Europe is part of the peace-building process and we are doing everything we can to ensure that we have a shared European vision of the security challenges, of how this war should end and what the outcome should be,” Zelensky added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged Europeans to step up their joint efforts to defend themselves. At the Berlin Security Conference (BSC), he also warned against harbouring any illusions about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s further military ambitions. “Russia has already made its decision. It has decided that a peaceful and united Europe is its enemy. And this is not something that will simply vanish into thin air within a year,” Zelensky said, as reported by the DPA. “Look at the military infrastructure that Russia has built up in recent years. Is it all intended solely for Ukraine? It is too much to be aimed at just one country – namely Ukraine. It is directed against you.” The Ukrainian leader called on European governments to rely on their own strengths, particularly in light of the radical shift in US policy.

Kyiv has been left without water following raids by Russian forces, according to the municipal utility Kyivvodokanal. “Enemy attacks and damage to energy infrastructure have left the main water supplier without electricity. As a result, the water supply to the city is currently unavailable,” the statement reads. The drinking water fountains located throughout the city are still operational.

Una donna e il suo gatto si riparano da un attacco con droni e missili russi in una stazione della metropolitana, ora adibita a rifugio antiaereo, a Kiev, in Ucraina, martedì 3 novembre 2026. (Foto AP/Danylo Antoniuk)

“The call between Stubb, Støre and Putin took place in close consultation with the Ukrainian authorities: the two leaders did not speak on behalf of the European Union, and it is not true that Putin gave ‘a history lesson’. The aim was to open a channel of communication, which could also be used in the future.” This was stated by European sources to ANSA, referring to last week’s call between Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Russian President Vladimir Putin. “The feeling” within the EU “is that this war cannot be resolved through direct talks with Putin, but that an intermediary is needed”, the sources emphasised, adding that “the real question is: do we want the US to represent our interests?”. “Europe must be at the forefront, not least because the conflict directly affects our territory. Reaching agreement on the appointment of a special envoy for peace in Ukraine will be difficult, but we must do so as soon as possible.”

“Ukraine can continue to count on Germany without any reduction in support. We will continue to guarantee our aid”. This was stated by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Berlin, reaffirming Germany’s commitment to supporting Kyiv. Looking ahead to the coming winter, Merz emphasised that “two things are important: air defence and the energy sector”.

The Chancellor reported that, during the previous meeting in Kyiv, further aid had been arranged in both sectors, which will now be implemented. “We want to make it possible, as early as this year, to provide further winter support and assistance with energy supplies,” he added.

The United States continues to supply weapons to Ukraine, but it is the European Union that is paying for them. This was stated by US President Donald Trump.

“I am continuing to supply weapons to Ukraine. I am doing so through the European Union,” Trump told Fox News.

Intesa Sanpaolo’s exposure to Russia is ‘virtually zero’. The bank states this in its press release on the nine-month results, specifying that ‘on-balance sheet cross-border credit exposure to Russia stands at 90 million, of which 80 million is to customers, net of 500 million in guarantees from export credit agencies’ and the on-balance sheet exposure of its subsidiaries amounts to 40 million billion, owed by banks, for Banca Intesa in Russia, and 90 million, owed by banks, for Pravex Bank in Ukraine’. Credit exposure to Russian counterparties currently included on the lists of entities subject to sanctions stands at 250 million.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has stated that Poland successfully thwarted what appeared to be an attempt at provocation on the border with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad during the night. Providing few details, Tusk said that ‘individuals with torches’ had been spotted in the border area. Polish border guards prevented any incidents from occurring. “Shortly after midnight, I received information from the border guards that suspicious movements had been observed on the border between Poland and Russia,” said Tusk.

The First Lady Melania Trump is bringing together officials from Russia and Ukraine at the White House in what the White House has described as an ‘extraordinary moment for America’. The event is scheduled for 5 November, when Melania will also issue a statement on the ceasefire in Oleshky at 11.00 local time, 17.00 US time.

Poland is stepping up security measures along its border with Russia. Soldiers from the Grom special forces unit have been deployed to the area bordering the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, according to Polish media reports. The decision is reportedly linked to the authorities’ fears of possible acts of sabotage and provocations by armed groups.

First Lady Melania Trump brings together officials from Russia and Ukraine at the White House in what the White House describes as an “extraordinary moment for America”.

The event is scheduled for 5 November, when Melania will also issue a statement on the ceasefire in Oleshky at 11.00 local time, which is 17.00 US time.

In Poland, the crisis that erupted at the weekend over the appointment of new judges to the Constitutional Court, which has led to an open clash between the sovereignist President Karol Nawrocki on the one hand, and the pro-European right-wing government led by Donald Tusk on the other. Yesterday, Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski accused Nawrocki not only of blocking the appointment and swearing-in of the judges chosen by the Warsaw Parliament, but also of personally pressuring Polish ambassadors to resign from their posts. Such a demand goes beyond the powers reserved for the President of the Republic under the Constitution: ‘I thought it was the President’s staff who had urged the ambassadors to resign and abandon their posts,’ said Sikorski, ‘but it turns out the President did so personally. But forcing Polish ambassadors to resign is simply not the President’s role.” The row over the Constitutional Court has already triggered the sudden resignations of the ambassadors to China and Romania, both of whom were appointed by former President Andrzej Duda, who belongs to the same sovereignist party as Nawrocki, the PiS, which was in power in Poland between 2015 and 2023.

In Warsaw, the institutional crisis began during the night between Friday and Saturday following efforts by Tusk’s government to remove judges appointed under the previous sovereignist administration led by PiS, whose appointments had also been contested by Brussels: the European Union itself had gone so far as to freeze funds earmarked for Poland, arguing that the reforms to the judicial system had undermined the democratic mechanisms of checks and balances.

From the Defence Reserve Forces – including the role of auxiliary carabiniere in the voluntary reserve – to funding for the modernisation of the infrastructure of the Army, Navy and Air Force, starting with their buildings, from the refinancing of the fund for international missions to the extension until March for 500 military personnel deployed to Milan as part of Operation Safe Roads; the budget certainly includes a number of new measures concerning the defence sector.

Below are ten questions and answers to help you understand what is changing, bearing in mind that the text of the Budget Bill may be amended during its passage through Parliament.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was received with military honours at the German Federal Chancellery by Friedrich Merz in Berlin. The visit – announced this morning by the Chancellor – had not been publicised in advance for security reasons. The talks between Merz and Zelensky are also expected to cover further military and financial support for Ukraine ahead of the new round of talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States, scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday next week in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates.

“Tomorrow, the European Commission will host a meeting with representatives from Ukraine, the United States, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, NATO and the World Bank: the meeting will focus on post-war reconstruction and Ukraine’s prosperity.” A Commission spokesperson made this statement during the daily briefing.

To mark Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Berlin and a conference attended by other high-ranking guests – the Berlin Security Conference – the German police have implemented large-scale security measures. Around 3,400 additional police officers are on duty today. Reinforcements have reportedly arrived from almost all over Germany. Some areas of the government district have been closed to traffic; from early this morning, armed officers have been manning the barriers. A number of roads have also been closed in the City-West area, near the Ku’damm, and in Lichtenberg. Zelensky’s visit – announced this morning by Chancellor Friedrich Merz – falls under one of the highest security categories.

The United Kingdom, together with France, is leading the first exercise of the Multinational Force for Ukraine (MNF-U), which is intended to be deployed, if necessary, once hostilities between Kyiv and Moscow have ended, and which was established as part of the Coalition of the Willing launched by London and Paris. The ‘Koalicja’ exercise, scheduled to take place in Poland from 9 to 22 November, simulates how to deploy, protect and resupply a force that will help rebuild the Ukrainian armed forces once the war is over, according to a statement from the British Ministry of Defence.

Ukrainian forces attacked a coach travelling on the Luhansk–Zimogorye route in the Luhansk region, which was annexed by Russia in 2022, killing one passenger and injuring eight others. This was reported by the head of the region’s pro-Russian administration, Leonid Pasechnik, as quoted by Interfax.

Ukrainians who do not wish to fight for Kyiv ‘should surrender to the Russian army’, said Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. ‘Overall, the following is clear: the Kyiv regime is facing extremely serious difficulties with those who wish to continue fighting for its interests. There are no people left to mobilise; there is a very high number of deserters and a large number of seriously wounded who cannot continue to serve. These manpower problems are well known,” said Peskov, as quoted by Interfax. “Those who do not wish to fight for the Kyiv regime can surrender to our army,” added the Kremlin spokesperson.

Heavy Russian air strikes overnight hit power stations and substations in nine regions, as well as railway lines, causing three power stations to be taken offline. This was reported by the press office of the Ukrainian electricity company Dtek. “The destruction is extensive. Three power stations have stopped generating electricity,” Dtek stated, without specifying which ones. However, it is known that large power stations in the Dnipropetrovsk, Vinnytsia and Kharkiv regions have been hit.

The Russian presidential spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, has confirmed that the trilateral talks between Russia, the United States and Ukraine will take place in Abu Dhabi on 10 and 11 November. The Russian delegation will be led by the Russian President’s adviser, Vladimir Medinsky.

“The European Union is rapidly transforming from an organisation for economic and social integration into an aggressive and warmongering bloc, hostile to Russia and Belarus.” This was stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, speaking at the fourth International Conference on Eurasian Security, which is taking place today and tomorrow in Minsk.

Overnight, Russia launched more than 60 missiles and 289 drones against Ukraine, according to a post by the Ukrainian Air Force on Facebook.

Ukrainian air defence forces have shot down 309 Russian projectiles. “Missile and drone strikes were recorded in 23 locations. In addition, debris from the downed targets fell at 14 sites,” the air force stated.

The Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky will be in Berlin today to meet the Chancellor. This was announced by Friedrich Merz himself, speaking at the IHK conference in the capital.

“These crises have taught us a hard lesson: we must be prepared for the worst, including an armed conflict here in Europe.” This was stated by the European Commissioner for Crisis Preparedness and Management Hadja Lahbib as she opened the ninth European Civil Protection Forum in Brussels. “Over time, three crises have transformed the way we operate: the devastating wildfires in Portugal in 2017, the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia’s war against Ukraine,” she explained. “The wildfires in Portugal claimed 66 lives. That tragedy prompted us to focus more on prevention. But, above all, we established ‘rescEU’, our European reserve of emergency resources. Ukraine also marked a turning point, giving rise to the largest operation in the history of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. Europe has sent nearly 160,000 tonnes of aid, ranging from medical supplies to power generators. We have transferred over 5,400 patients to European hospitals to receive the necessary treatment. With the EU’s support, Lithuania even dismantled an entire power station, piece by piece, to send it to Ukraine. And we are not just helping Ukraine: we are also learning from Ukraine,’ he added. “The Ukrainians manage to keep ambulances running and ensure the supply of electricity even under enemy fire. We must incorporate these hard-won lessons into our plans and emergency drills. And requests for assistance continue to come in. Last year, the Mechanism was activated more than 60 times: ten times more often than in its early years of operation. This figure alone tells us just how much the world has changed,” remarked the Belgian Commissioner

“Following the discussions held in Miami and Oslo, NATO representatives will meet this week in Brussels with representatives from France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States to discuss the way forward to bring the war in Ukraine to an end in a just and sustainable manner,” said NATO spokesperson Allison Hart.

Last night, Russian air defence forces shot down 856 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones over the regions of Bryansk, Belgorod, Vladimir, Kaluga, Kursk, Novgorod, Oryol, Rostov, Ryazan, Smolensk, Tver, Tula, Yaroslavl and Moscow, as well as in the Republic of Crimea (annexed by the Russian Federation in 2014) and over the Black Sea. This was reported on Telegram by the Russian Ministry of Defence. Earlier, the Mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, had reported that 493 Ukrainian drones heading towards the capital had been intercepted during the night between Monday and Tuesday.

The death toll from yesterday’s Russian air strikes on a humanitarian centre in Komyshuvakha, a village in the Zaporizhzhia region, “has risen to 29 dead and 5 injured”. Search and rescue operations “are currently underway at the scene, as a further 48 people are still missing”. This was announced by Mykhailo Semikin, head of the Zaporizhzhia regional administration. “The scale of the tragedy is terrible. Behind every number there is a human life, a family that has lost loved ones or is still waiting for news of their loved ones,” he emphasised.

Emergency power cuts are currently taking place in Kyiv and in the regions of Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk. This has been reported by the RBC-Ukraine news agency, citing the energy company Dtek, which states that the blackouts were ordered on the instructions of the national operator Ukrenergo. During emergency power cuts, the normal scheduled power cuts do not apply. Meanwhile, according to the Russian news agency TASS, the Ministry of Defence in Moscow has stated that it carried out a massive attack on energy infrastructure in the regions of Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv, which, according to the Russian authorities, supply enterprises in the Ukrainian defence industry.

Russian air defences intercepted 493 Ukrainian drones heading towards Moscow during the night between Monday and Tuesday. This was reported by the mayor of the Russian capital, Sergei Sobyanin, who wrote on Telegram: ‘Between 8.30 pm on 2 November and 7.30 am on 3 November, 493 drones flew towards the Moscow region. Most were destroyed by the Ministry of Defence’s air defence system in the outlying areas. 187 drones were neutralised as they approached Moscow.”

A hospital was hit overnight by a Russian attack on Kharkiv, in Ukraine. This was reported by the RBC-Ukraine news agency, quoting the mayor Igor Terekhov, who reported a combined attack on the city involving ballistic missiles and guided aerial bombs. According to the Kyiv Independent, which cites local authorities, the number of injured has risen to 62. Around 200 patients will need to be evacuated to other healthcare facilities, whilst rescue workers are on the scene. A bomb struck a passageway between the buildings of the healthcare facility in the Nemyshlianskyi district. According to the mayor, the attack damaged over a thousand windows in the hospital and the surrounding residential buildings.

The Ukrainian armed forces have struck an oil refinery in the Russian city of Yaroslavl with drones. The facility in question is Slavneft-Yanos, one of Russia’s largest oil refineries, situated approximately 250 kilometres north-east of Moscow. According to the Kiev Independent, citing Ukrainian monitoring channels, the attack took place during the night, and residents reported at least three fires inside the plant.

Around 2,800 soldiers from ten European countries will take part this month in the first exercise involving a multinational force for Ukraine, which would be deployed following a ceasefire in the war triggered by the Russian invasion. This was announced in a statement by the defence ministries of the United Kingdom and France. The exercise will take place in south-eastern Poland and will run from 9 to 22 November, to assess how quickly and effectively the Multinational Force for Ukraine (MNF-U) is able to deploy.

The US will act as mediators in the negotiations at a technical level between Ukraine and Russia on 10–11 November in Abu Dhabi, pursuing President Donald Trump’s ‘to end the war’. This was stated in a post on X by the US correspondent Steve Witkoff, who added that ‘the discussions will focus on post-war security arrangements, de-escalation, humanitarian aid and the next steps towards peace. Furthermore, this week in Brussels, US negotiators will meet with representatives from France, Germany, the UK, the EU and NATO to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine’. Furthermore, during the talks with representatives from France, Germany, the UK, the EU and NATO, the topic of ‘the post-war European security architecture and economic opportunities to support the country’s reconstruction’ will also be discussed. ‘Our hope is to consolidate the progress already made in Kyiv, Oslo and St Petersburg, aiming for a comprehensive and lasting peace agreement that guarantees stable security for generations to come,’ concludes Witkoff. The post by Trump’s special envoy came in the wake of a report in the Wall Street Journal stating that the United States supports a rapid resumption of Russian natural gas sales to Europe via pipelines crossing Ukraine as part of negotiations to secure an energy truce for the winter. Witkoff and Jared Kushner raised the possibility during their trip to Russia and Ukraine in September. Furthermore, the sale of natural gas would be carried out via an American intermediary in order to circumvent sanctions.