KOSTIANTYNIVKA, UKRAINE – NOVEMBER 1: A man rides a bicycle along a road covered with an anti-drone net on November 1, 2025 in Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. Russian army shelling Kostiantynivka with guided bombs and drones. (Photo by Yan Dobronosov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images
Dispatches from Ukraine. Day 1,350.
Russian Attacks on Ukraine
Russia launched more missiles on Ukraine in October than during any month since 2023. According to an analysis of Ukraine air force data by Agence France Presse, Russia fired 270 missiles last month, a 46% increase compared to September. Consecutive overnight strikes have already resulted in widespread power outages across Ukraine, including in Kyiv.
In parallel, Moscow continued to rely heavily on drones. The Kremlin launched more than 5,000 units last month, slightly fewer than in September. In response, Kyiv attempted to reduce Russia’s oil revenues by targeting refineries in the European part of Russia, the country’s economic and industrial heart.
Between Oct. 31 and Nov. 3, Russian strikes killed at least 36 Ukrainians and injured 130 others. Eastern Donetsk oblast, or province, recorded the highest death toll, with 16 people killed and 23 more injured; adjacent Dnipropetrovsk saw seven civilians killed and 12 wounded. In southern Kherson oblast, five civilians were killed, while 39 others were injured; in neighboring Zaporizhzhia province, four people were killed and 40 wounded. Kharkiv and Sumy regions each saw one fatality, with a combined total of 16 residents wounded.
Donetsk region. On Nov. 3, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters that from “26% to 30% of all clashes” and half of Russian glide bomb strikes are concentrated in Ukraine’s eastern city of Pokrovsk. Russia has attempted to seize the frontline city for over a year — and now appears closer than ever to achieving that goal.
Independent and Ukrainian observers report Russian advances inside the city. Zelenskyy, in unison with other Ukrainian officials who deny that the situation in Pokrovsk is critical, meanwhile said that Russian troops have had no major success, but acknowledged the presence of up to 300 enemy soldiers within the city.
No Tomahawks for Ukraine
President Donald Trump has ruled out the possibility of sending long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine. When asked if Washington was considering such deliveries, Trump answered, “No, not really,” speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Nov. 2. He added, however, that his position “could change.”
Trump also dismissed the idea that there was a “final straw” that would convince him that Russian President Vladimir Putin is unwilling to end the war. Trump’s comments came amid recent media reports that the Pentagon had told the White House that Tomahawk transfers wouldn’t strain U.S. stockpiles before Trump met with President Zelenskyy in mid-October.
Despite the negative verdict from the U.S., Britain has continued to supply Ukraine with Storm Shadow cruise missiles, which have a range of 155 miles. London has quietly resupplied Kyiv to reinforce Ukraine’s long-range strike capabilities and to allow the country to prepare for a renewed wave of Russian attacks on its civilian infrastructure.
The U.K. has not disclosed how many missiles it has supplied to Kyiv since the start of the war; officials in London rarely even confirm such transfers. Ukrainian forces first launched Storm Shadows into Russian territory in November 2024. Around the same time, Ukraine also began deploying American ATACMS ballistic missiles, after receiving a green light from the White House in the final days of the Biden administration. Prior to that, Ukraine was limited to striking Russian troops in its own occupied territories.
Interview with Ukraine’s Former President
In a lengthy interview published by the BBC, former President Leonid Kuchma, 87, offered his assessment of Ukraine’s war with Russia. Kuchma, who instituted market reforms while in office from 1994 to 2005, a period that was also marked by democratic backsliding and corruption, believes that the war is likely nearing its end, but that Ukrainian politicians have begun preparing for elections somewhat prematurely.
Reflecting on which scenario is more likely, the end of the current war or the beginning of a World War III, Kuchma said: “As a Ukrainian, I believe in the strength of our army, and as a missile engineer, I know the power of nuclear deterrence. Therefore, our war will certainly end someday, but a Third World War, which could only be nuclear, is unlikely ever to begin.”
The only President of Ukraine to win a second term, Kuchma, who was also accused of authoritarian tendencies during his presidency, acknowledged that Ukraine’s parliamentary-presidential system, enshrined in the nation’s constitution, doesn’t function. President Zelenskyy has more power than the law formally prescribes him.
Nonetheless, Kuchma believes that Zelenskyy’s sweeping presidential authority is justified during wartime. In his view, Ukraine faces in Putin “a dictator who can make decisions alone and instantly,” so under this constellation of factors, Zelenskyy must have more freedom of action. “I consider that among all Ukrainian presidents, only [Victor] Yanukovych was authoritarian,” he added. Ukraine’s fourth president, Yanukovych fled to Russia during Kyiv’s Maidan Revolution in February 2014.
Kuchma refrained from advising Zelenskyy, who promised not to run for a second term during his 2019 campaign, on seeking reelection. Even so, many observers believe that Zelenskyy plans to run in post-war elections. Kuchma, however, leans toward optimism, saying that “Ukraine will need his world-class authority even after the war.” He believes in a great future for Zelenskyy, but warns in closing that “peace will not be easier than war.”
By Danylo Nosov, Karina L. Tahiliani