Ukraine’s parliament approved a record wartime budget increase, adding 325 billion hryvnias (≈ $7.7 billion USD) to defence and security spending, News.az reports.
Total defence expenditures now account for nearly two-thirds of Ukraine’s national budget.
European partners, meanwhile, began circulating a 12-point peace framework reportedly calling for:
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An immediate ceasefire,
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Security guarantees for Ukraine, and
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Reconstruction support tied to territorial integrity.
Moscow dismissed the idea, claiming “peace talks are premature.”
On the ground, Russian airstrikes hit multiple energy facilities, particularly in Dnipropetrovsk and Poltava oblasts, targeting power substations ahead of winter. Ukrainian officials reported minor blackouts but said the grid was stable.
Ukraine also launched drone strikes deep inside Russian territory, including near Bryansk and Rostov, damaging fuel depots. Military analysts estimated Russia had gained around 33 square miles of territory in the past week — slower than previous months.
22 October 2025 – Storm Shadow Missiles Hit Russian Arms Plant
Ukraine reportedly used British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles to strike a gunpowder and munitions plant in Russia’s Bryansk region, setting off a major fire. Russian state media claimed several workers were killed or injured.
In retaliation, Russia conducted a nationwide missile and drone barrage, targeting civilian areas in Odesa, Kharkiv, and Kyiv, with at least five deaths and dozens injured. Schools and kindergartens were among the damaged sites.
Ukraine’s security service unveiled an upgraded Sea Baby naval drone — capable of traveling 1,500 km and carrying heavier explosives, marking a new phase in its long-range maritime capabilities.
At the front, heavy fighting persisted around Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast. Russian forces continued to push westward, attempting to sever Ukrainian logistics routes. Kyiv described the situation as “extremely tense but under control.”
23 October 2025 – Journalists Killed; Drone Strikes Deep Inside Russia
Tragedy struck the Ukrainian press corps when two journalists — Olena Hramova and Yevhen Karmazin — were killed by a Russian drone strike near Kramatorsk while filming a frontline report. A third crew member was injured.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the attack “a direct strike on truth and humanity.”
Ukraine’s drone campaign inside Russia continued, striking an arms-manufacturing plant in Chelyabinsk, hundreds of kilometers from the border. The attack reportedly killed several workers, highlighting Ukraine’s expanding deep-strike capability.
Moscow and Kyiv also exchanged the remains of roughly 1,000 fallen soldiers, one of the largest body-repatriation efforts since 2022 — a rare humanitarian gesture amid intensifying conflict.
24 October 2025 – Shelling in Kherson; Drone Strikes in Moscow Region
Russian artillery and drone attacks killed three civilians in Kherson and Nikopol, injuring several others. Local officials said the strikes targeted residential blocks and critical infrastructure.
Ukraine responded with drone raids on the Moscow Oblast, striking an apartment complex in Krasnogorsk and setting off fires in nearby industrial zones. Russian authorities blamed Kyiv for “terrorist tactics,” while Ukrainian officials maintained the strikes were against “military-linked infrastructure.”
The Pokrovsk sector remained one of the fiercest battle zones, with Russian troops claiming minor advances toward Ivanivka and Vilne. Satellite imagery showed heavy artillery exchanges and destroyed logistics depots on both sides.
25 October 2025 – Ukrainian Strikes Hit Volgograd Power Infrastructure
Ukraine conducted multiple long-range drone and missile strikes inside Russian territory overnight. A key target was an electrical substation in Volgograd Oblast, temporarily cutting power to parts of the region.
Separately, Ukrainian forces fired HIMARS rockets at the Belgorod Reservoir dam, prompting Russian concerns about potential flooding.
Russia retaliated with another wave of Shahed drone attacks, claiming to have shot down more than 80 Ukrainian drones. At least four civilians were killed in Kharkiv and Mykolaiv due to overnight shelling.
Military experts observed that both sides are increasingly using long-range strikes as psychological warfare, testing each other’s air defences and public resilience.
26 October 2025 – Russian Attack on Kyiv; Nuclear Missile Test
Kyiv endured one of its deadliest attacks in weeks when Russian drones and missiles struck residential buildings overnight.
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Three civilians, including two children, were killed, and 31 people were injured.
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Emergency services reported fires in two apartment complexes and partial collapse of a multi-storey building.
Hours later, the Kremlin announced the successful test of its Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile — known to NATO as SSC-X-9 “Skyfall.” President Vladimir Putin claimed the missile flew 14,000 kilometers and proved Russia’s “readiness for any threat.”
The test sparked strong reactions from the international community, with the U.S. and NATO warning it risked escalating nuclear tensions. Kyiv called it “an intimidation stunt meant to distract from battlefield losses.”
27 October 2025 – Pokrovsk Battles Intensify; Trump Rebukes Putin
The Pokrovsk front turned into a critical flashpoint as Russian troops pressed assaults on the city’s outskirts. Ukrainian General Staff said reinforcements had been deployed to stabilize the line.
Local reports described street-to-street fighting in surrounding villages, with significant artillery fire on both sides.
Russia claimed to have shot down 193 Ukrainian drones in a single night — one of the highest reported totals of the war — though independent verification was unavailable. A civilian was killed in Bryansk region by falling debris.
In Washington, U.S. President Donald Trump publicly rebuked Vladimir Putin for the previous day’s missile test, saying Russia should “end the war, not test weapons of mass destruction.” Trump also claimed the U.S. had “strategic assets positioned” near Russia’s northern coastline — a veiled deterrent message.
28 October 2025 – Ongoing Strikes, Peace Talks Revived
Fresh Russian missile and drone attacks hit Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk, damaging energy infrastructure. Ukrainian air defences reported shooting down more than 85 incoming drones, though several hit transformer stations, causing blackouts in Kyiv’s outskirts.
Ukraine launched retaliatory drone strikes targeting fuel depots in Belgorod and Kursk, part of its continuing strategy to degrade Russian logistics.
Diplomatically, European mediators renewed efforts to push forward the 12-point peace proposal, hoping to convene exploratory talks in Geneva or Ankara. However, Moscow maintained that “conditions for negotiation remain unfavourable.”
The UN warned of a worsening humanitarian outlook as temperatures dropped and energy shortages spread across war-torn regions.
Weekly Summary
Between 21 and 28 October, the war saw escalating aerial warfare, intensified ground battles near Pokrovsk, and a nuclear-capable missile test that reignited global alarm.
Ukraine continued expanding its defence industry and striking deeper into Russian territory, while Russia doubled down on energy and civilian infrastructure targets.
Diplomatic initiatives resurfaced but showed no concrete progress, leaving the conflict locked in a cycle of escalation as winter approaches.