Russia shells 7 communities in Sumy Oblast

A Ukrainian strike on a dam near Belgorod, Russia, has caused water to begin flowing uncontrollably, reportedly cutting off Russian units that had crossed the Siverskyi Donets River near the Ukrainian town of Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine’s 16th Army Corps said on Oct. 26.

"The Russian economy is a wartime economy. Growth is virtually zero," U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CBS News.

"Contraband" balloons launched from Belarus have disrupted air traffic four times in the last week. Lithuania has closed border crossings with Belarus for "an indefinite period" in response.

"It's a unique product that no one else in the world possesses," Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed.

Russian forces shot down 34 Ukrainian drones flying toward Moscow, Mayor Sergey Sobyanin claimed.

Ukraine's "Black Forest" brigade detected and struck a Russian Buk-M3 anti-aircraft missile system at an unspecified location.

By infiltrating Ukrainian positions in small infantry groups, Russia has accumulated around 200 troops within Pokrovsk, the General Staff reported. These personnel are engaging in "intense" small arms and drone clashes with Ukrainian troops in the city.

"We bring people together to learn... to educate themselves and to use their voices to speak to their elected officials to support Ukraine," Marianna Tretiak, Chair of the American Coalition for Ukraine (ACU) Board, told the Kyiv Independent.

While Ukraine also lacks Western-supplied weapons, soldiers and commanders say shortages of basics — cars, drones and people — make holding back Russia extremely difficult. Even as Kyiv seeks U.S. approval for Tomahawks, they say critical, rudimentary gear is the more pressing need.

Russia faces an increase in the arson and “spontaneous combustion” of electrical panels, railway relay cabinets, and other infrastructure helping Moscow wage its war against Ukraine over the past week, a source at Ukraine’s military intelligence told the Kyiv Independent.

The episode covers Russian war crimes in Pokrovsk and continued attacks on Ukrainian cities, including missile strikes on Kyiv and Kharkiv. While Moscow continues to reject a ceasefire with Ukraine, has President Trump finally shifted his approach to Russia?

Ukrainian forces liberated two villages in eastern Donetsk Oblast about 30 kilometers (19 miles) north of embattled Pokrovsk, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said on Oct. 26.

Russia launched a drone attack on Kyiv overnight on Oct. 26, killing at least three people, and injuring at least 32 others, including seven children.

At least nine civilians were killed and 44 others injured in Russian attacks across Ukraine over the past day, regional authorities reported on Oct. 26.