Proxy leader says Russian-occupied parts of Luhansk Oblast may be annexed by Russia.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) on Oct. 21 searched the premises of Andriy Pyshnyi, head of the National Bank of Ukraine, a law enforcement source told the Kyiv Independent.

An air raid alert sounded in Kyiv at around 5:20 a.m. local time on Oct. 21 as drones approached the capital, which has faced an unrelenting barrage of Russian drone attacks this fall.

Witkoff's movements are taking place while Kyiv's ties with Washington are sharply deteriorating due to concerns that the U.S. could be withholding the delivery of Patriot air-defense missiles funded by Ukraine's allies.

An 81-year-old woman and an 83-year-old man were killed when Russian drones attacked the village of Korotych, Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported.

"Allies have or will send additional maritime patrol aircraft, radar systems, explosive exploitation teams, intelligence personnel, drones, and more to the Black Sea," U.S. Army Col. Martin O'Donnell, a NATO military spokesperson, said in a statement.

Ukrainian forces struck energy infrastructure in the city of Chystiakove in Donetsk Oblast, and blackouts were reported in Crimea amid drone fire, monitoring channels reported late on Oct. 20.

"This is very important for our people, as we can know when a Russian ballistic missile is incoming. Therefore, this morning began with positive signals from the American side," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi said Russia struck the operating room of the Strazheska Institute of the National Academy of Medical Sciences in Kyiv, injuring one patient.

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff will meet Russian officials in St. Petersburg on Oct. 21 to discuss European and U.S. proposals for peace in Ukraine, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said.

According to the SBU, Sharlai heads the department responsible for religious organizations within Russia's occupation administration in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. He also served as Russian President Vladimir Putin's trusted representative in occupied Melitopol during Russia's 2024 presidential election.

This year, the Kremlin has significantly increased its recruitment of foreigners into its army, with 16,168 individuals already identified in the first nine months of 2026, according to Ukraine.

From the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, Russian forces have inflicted countless atrocities against Ukraine.