Ukraine launches website to help Russian families find their relatives killed in combat.

In this report, the Kyiv Independent’s Asami Terajima and Nick Allard join a Ukrainian volunteer air defense team defending Kyiv as Russia intensifies its drone attacks on the capital.

The package was announced by President Volodymyr Zelensky and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at a joint press conference in Kyiv.

Overnight, Russia launched 135 attack drones of various types, including 52 jet-powered drones, the Air Force said.

From Oct. 1 to Oct. 3, Kyiv's Southern and Northern bridges were targeted in multiple Russian drone strikes amid an intensifying campaign against infrastructure in the capital.

The number includes 1,750 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

Merz was accompanied by Economy Minister Katherina Reiche and 10 executives from Germany's defense and energy sectors.

The Trump administration’s peace negotiations with the Kremlin have come to include discussions of a multi-billion dollar deal involving assets owned by Russian oil company Lukoil, the New York Times (NYT) reported on Oct. 3.

The UN Human Rights Office found that an average of more than 400 civilians were killed or injured every week in Ukraine during the first eight months of 2026, a 55% increase from the same period in 2025, High Commissioner Volker Turk told the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Oct. 2.

Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs’ centrist United List party is projected to win the greatest number of seats in the Latvian parliament with 35% support, exit polling commissioned by public broadcaster LSM showed on Oct. 3.

The attack comes amid an international call for Russia to halt attacks on civilian ships in the Black Sea and allow the passage of grain exports.

Zelensky said that Ukrainian intelligence obtained documents revealing that Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a "new doctrine" allowing Russian forces to launch broader strikes against Ukrainian civilian targets this upcoming winter.

A Ukrainian official said that the construction of pontoon crossings could take up to three months and would help traffic move through the capital, which remains heavily restricted after multiple bridge attacks.

The strikes damaged transformers considered vital for maintaining the ZNPP’s off-site power supply.

Ukrainian forces intercepted 131 drones. Hits were recorded at 12 locations, while falling debris was reported at five other sites.