Ukraine-Russia war latest: Massive fires seen in Russian port town after Ukrainian drone strike

Ukrainian drones set fire to Russian port and oil tanker, Moscow says

In pictures: Ukraine’s drone attack sets Russian oil port ablazeRead more

Russian forces intensifying Pokrovsk infiltration in poor weather: report

Moscow’s troops are reportedly intensifying infiltration efforts into Pokrovsk during poor weather conditions, as precipitation inhibits both Russian and Ukrainian drone operations.

While dozens of Russian personnel can infiltrate into Pokrovsk when rainy or foggy weather inhibits Ukrainian drone operations, no more than 10 of Moscow’s soldiers do so during fair weather when Kyiv is able to operate all its drones, Ukraine’s Hromadske reported, citing a military official.

Troops on both sides in the key Ukrainian city are fighting for control over multi-storey buildings from which to conduct drone operations, the Institute for the Study of War reported.

Vishwam Sankaran2 November 2025 07:00

Ukraine planning widespread blackouts across Russia

Kyiv is preparing for new drone and long-range strikes on Russian energy infrastructure that could lead to widespread blackouts in Russia, Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s drone systems forces, said yesterday.

The attacks would force Russian regions to adapt to disruptions in power supply, Brovdi wrote on Facebook.

“Blackouts are not scary. They’re just a bit inconvenient… The birds of the drone systems forces, together with other components of Ukraine’s deep strike capabilities, promise you a rapid, if somewhat forced, adaptation,” he said, referring to drones as “free Ukrainian birds”.

The drone force commander said Russia would increasingly face fuel shortages as gas and oil reserves were “burning fast”.

Vishwam Sankaran2 November 2025 06:30

Key Ukrainian town holding out against ‘multi-thousand-strong’ enemy

Ukraine’s top commander Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi said Kyiv’s forces are holding out against a “multi-thousand-strong” Russian group infiltrating the key town of Pokrovsk.

“Our soldiers have to restrain the pressure of a multi-thousand-strong enemy group, which continues to try to infiltrate residential areas and cut off our supply routes,” Syrskyi said in a statement yesterday.

Ukraine has dispatched its Special Operations Forces, security service, and other units such as the intelligence directorate in the city, he said.

“I emphasise once again that in the current difficult conditions, effective interaction between units and coordinated implementation of the assigned tasks are extremely important,” the military commander said.

Vishwam Sankaran2 November 2025 06:10

Moscow cracks down on Russians ‘doxing’ Kremlin authorities

Russian authorities are cracking down on Telegram channels and users for alleged “doxxing and extortion” of Kremlin officials and Russian security service agents.

The social media platform is reportedly removing channels considered “irritants” by Russian law enforcement.

Last week, Russian forces detained the head of a Telegram channel in St Petersburg who had leaked insights into Kremlin factional dynamics, according to the Institute for the Study of War.

The crackdown is seen as part of a wider effort to remove sources that publish information that the Kremlin deems threatening to its regime.

Vishwam Sankaran2 November 2025 06:00

Watch: Kyiv says its troops are holding out in key cityUkraine says army holding out in Pokrovsk amid intensifying Russian offensive

Vishwam Sankaran2 November 2025 05:30

Russia intensifies operations to surround key Ukrainian town

Russian troops are making advances in central and southeastern Pokrovsk, dubbed the “gateway to Donetsk”.

Since 2024, Moscow has attempted to gain full control of Donetsk, but Kyiv still holds a section of the region.

Capturing the eastern town of Pokrovsk would help disrupt Ukrainian supply lines and open up more territory for Russia to advance into Donetsk.

Russian troops have reportedly entered Rodynske to the north of Pokrovsk, and Myrnohrad to the town’s east.

But Ukrainian forces seem to have maintained positions or recently advanced in central Rodynske, the Institute for the Study of War reported, citing geolocated footage.

Vishwam Sankaran2 November 2025 04:30

Drone spotted over Belgium air base for second time in 24 hours

An unidentified drone was spotted over the Kleine Brogel Air Base in Belgium yesterday, the second such sighting in the last 24 hours.

The incident came just hours after several drones were spotted over the air base on Friday, according to the Belgian defence minister Theo Francken.

These reports come amid a sudden rise in mysterious drone sightings across Europe in recent months, causing air traffic disruptions in France, Czechia, Germany, Lithuania, Norway and Denmark, among other European countries.

Some of these incidents were preceded by Russian aircraft and drones violating Nato airspace on several occasions.

Poland shot down Russian drones entering its airspace in September, and days later, another of Moscow’s drones breached Romanian territory.

In the latest case in Belgium, no specific details on the incident have emerged, and the type of drone involved also remains unclear.

Vishwam Sankaran2 November 2025 04:00

Watch: How Ukraine and Russia are playing out a deadly cat and mouse drone war from underground bunkersHow Ukraine and Russia are playing out a deadly cat and mouse drone war from underground bunkers

Rebecca Whittaker2 November 2025 03:30