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Ukraine and Russia exchange hundreds of drones before day 2 of Abu Dhabi peace talks

ABC News

Ukraine and Russia exchanged large cross-border drone strikes overnight into Wednesday, ahead of the second day of trilateral U.S.-Ukraine-Russia peace talks taking place in Abu Dhabi.

A significant Ukrainian drone attack was reported on the Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga -- a key hub for Russian energy and commodity exports located close to the second largest city of St. Petersburg.

Aleksandr Drozdenko, the governor of the Leningrad region in which Ust-Luga is located, said in a post to Telegram that 150 Ukrainian drones were shot down over the region overnight. "The target of the attack was the port area of Ust-Luga," he wrote.

"As a result of several drones hitting the area, a fire broke out, and three workers were injured. Their lives are not in danger," Drozdenko said.

Andriy Kovalenko, the head of the Counter-Disinformation Center operating as part of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, said in a post to Telegram, "Something is burning in the area near the port of Ust-Luga, near St. Petersburg."

The drones reported intercepted over Leningrad were among at least 627 craft downed by Russian forces overnight, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said in a statement. Ukrainian craft were shot down over 22 regions -- including Moscow -- occupied Crimea and the Sea of Azov, the ministry said.

Two people were killed in a drone attack in the western Russian region of Smolensk, the local governor said. One person was also wounded by a drone attack in the border region of Belgorod, local officials said.

Authorities in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia all issued warnings of potential drone incursions amid the overnight attacks, though did not specify the suspected origin of the craft. Ukrainian drones have previously strayed into all three countries on route to striking Russian targets.

Russia's federal air transport agency, Rosaviatsiya, issued temporary flight restrictions at more than 20 airports across the country amid the latest attacks. Among those put under restrictions included Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg and two of Moscow's four international airports -- Vnukovo and Domodedovo.

Ukraine's air force, meanwhile, said Russia launched 163 drones, of which 91 were jet-powered, into the country overnight, along with an unspecified number of Х-59/69 air-to-ground missiles and Banderol cruise missiles. Defenders intercepted or suppressed 130 drones, of which 72 were jet-powered, and 14 Bandrol missiles, the air force said.

Impacts were reported across 17 locations, the air force added.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a post to Telegram that at least one person was injured in an attack on the capital. Ukraine's State Emergency Service reported that Russian attacks also injured six people in the Zaporizhzhia region, one person in Kharkiv and five people in Zhytomyr.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyi, meanwhile, said in a statement that Russian attacks again targeted critical energy infrastructure sites across Ukraine. Among those hit were six "large power substations" in Vinnytsia, Kirovohrad, Zhytomyr and Cherkasy, he said.

The latest strikes come as American, Russian and Ukrainian peace talks delegations were gathered in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, for the first round of trilateral talks since February.

Rustem Umerov, the head of Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service and the leader of the Ukrainian delegation, said in a post to Telegram on Wednesday morning that the second day of talks had begun.

President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner are leading the U.S. delegation.

After Tuesday's talks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the meetings as "constructive and quite substantive."

In a post to X, Zelenskyy said negotiators spoke about potential humanitarian measures, prisoner of war exchanges, de-escalatory steps and future security guarantees for Ukraine -- guarantees Kyiv says are essential to preventing another future round of Russian aggression.

"Real tools are needed to block any recurrence of the war," Zelenskyy wrote. Earlier on Tuesday while on a visit to Denmark, Zelenskyy suggested to the country's national broadcaster that Russian President Vladimir Putin is not genuine in his professed desire for a deal.

"If Putin doesn't want a ceasefire and says, 'No, I want a long plan, with different questions, both difficult, sensitive, and not. And then, when we sign this long plan, we will stop the war,' it simply means he doesn't want to stop the war," Zelensky said.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that Moscow will not disclose any details of the Abu Dhabi talks until they conclude on Wednesday and the delegation has made its report to Putin.

European representatives from France, the U.K., Germany and Italy are also present in Abu Dhabi. On Tuesday, Witkoff issued a joint statement with Ukraine and its European partners saying that "any future arrangements must respect sovereignty, territorial integrity, independent decision-making and provide credible security guarantees for Ukraine."

ABC News' Patrick Reevell and Will Gretsky contributed to this report.

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What to know about 'unprecedented' cyberattacks on refrigerators in France

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Last month, hundreds of refrigerators shut down across grocery stores in France. French officials have now squarely blamed a series of cyberattacks they say were carried out by two units of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

A new report from France's cybersecurity agency says hackers from the two units -- Shahid Kaveh and Shahid Shoostari -- operated through several front groups posing as vigilante hackers, including "CyberAveng3rs" and "Cyber Isnaad Front."

On Monday, Paris chief prosecutor Laure Beccuau said the attacks affected 700 supermarkets across France and announced that her office had issued international arrest warrants for three Iranians "affiliated with the Electronic and Cyber Center of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps."

France's Cyber Crisis Coordination Centre called the attack "unprecedented in scale and aggressiveness" and identified the three men as Hamid Reza Lashgarian, leader of the IRGC’s Electronic and Cyber Center, and Mahdi Lashgarian and Reza Salarvand, whom she identified as commanders of the Shahid Kaveh unit.

In its report, the cybersecurity agency provided new details about the alleged cyberattacks.

"The systems were compromised overnight, between Sunday, October 11 and Monday, October 12," the report said. "The attackers changed the equipment's defrosting parameters to set high temperatures. This caused significant merchandise losses and at least 15 fires. The affected organizations were mostly in retail, notably the Casino, Leclerc, Coopérative U, Metro, Carrefour and Intermarché groups."

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said the Iranian ambassador had been summoned to the foreign ministry, and he threatened further EU sanctions against Iran.

Iran's Foreign Ministry responded Tuesday, calling the accusations "baseless and biased." The statement accused France of projecting its own governance failures, adding that the government was "unable even to control refrigerator temperatures" and was trying to shift the blame onto foreign actors.

A second wave of attacks hit more than 100 establishments across Europe this month. It even affected refrigerators at French blood banks, forcing staff to move some blood to other cold storage units, according to The Associated Press.

French cyber authorities say the attacks fit a pattern of operations by the same unit dating back to at least 2020. These include a cyberattack on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in 2023 and one on a French video display company in 2024, during preparations for the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Since the Iran war began in February 2026, security officials have blamed Iranian hackers for a string of cyberattacks, including hacks on US water treatment plants in July and on US-bound oil tankers in August.

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Russia-Ukraine talks: What's changed since the last round?

A kindergarten damaged by a Russian missile attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Nov. 7, 2026. (Oleksandr Gusev/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The two days of U.S.-mediated talks between Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi that began Tuesday are the first in nine months.

President Donald Trump has tried to project fresh optimism around them, suggesting that a major deal is close. Few experts share that optimism. The sides still seem far apart on many core issues, including on President Vladimir Putin's demand that Ukraine surrender its eastern Donbas region, with little sign the Russian leader is ready to end the war.

But some things are different about these talks.

A key change is that the Trump administration appears to be trying a new approach by shifting the focus onto the issue of NATO and Europe's larger security order. The idea reportedly reflects the old negotiating adage: "If you can't solve a problem, make it bigger."

For a year and a half, the fitful negotiations led by Trump's envoys, his son-in-law Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, have been stuck. Putin's demands are largely unchanged, including that Ukraine surrender its eastern territory, accept limits on its military and on support it can receive from European countries. U.S. attempts to entice Putin with the normalization of relations, easing sanctions and the promise of business deals have not moved him.

Hoping to move around the roadblock on territory, Witkoff and Kushner appear to be trying to broaden the talks beyond it, by opening discussions on Putin's long-standing demands on NATO in Europe.

Ahead of this week's talks, Kushner published lengthy posts saying they are exploring an "enduring framework for long-term European security" and for the first time key European countries are in Abu Dhabi taking part in the talks.

The new focus on European security will likely worry some European countries. Just before his invasion in 2022, Putin issued an ultimatum that called for NATO to be pulled back to its 1997 borders, meaning from Eastern European countries that the USSR dominated. It was a non-starter at the time, and it's unlikely the U.S. believes Europe would accept that now either.

Discussing European security arrangements is likely essential to any long-term peace deal. But the trouble with the new approach is that it risks substituting one difficult negotiation on Ukrainian territory for an even longer and more difficult one on NATO in Europe. The issue with making the problem bigger is that, in trying to solve it, sometimes you just make it bigger.

As Sam Charap, a senior political analyst at the RAND Corporation, told ABC News that, while Russia is likely happy the European security order is now on the table, it also knows any negotiation on it will probably be very lengthy.

"I think they're not blind to the reality that actually coming to agreement on these issues is going to take a long, long time," he said. "We're not going to have a new European security architecture agreement simultaneous to a ceasefire."

The nine-month break since the last round of talks means there also has not been the groundwork for significant progress, Charap said.

"They're not going to come to some radically more ambitious agreement given there hasn't been any conversation for the past nine months," he said.

In reality, Putin likely sees little reason to halt the war. Russia is now able to bomb Ukrainian cities with intensity not seen before, targeting civilian infrastructure and seeking to collapse the power and water supplies. Putin has again rejected a Ukrainian call for a ceasefire and is more likely to see if another winter of misery can force Ukraine to capitulate to his demands.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


Russia, Ukraine and US meet for Abu Dhabi talks as Trump says war can 'end soon'

President Donald Trump speaks during an event in the Oval Office of the White House, November 5, 2026 in Washington (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

American, Ukrainian and Russian representatives gathered in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday for their latest round of trilateral peace talks, with President Donald Trump's administration seeking a diplomatic breakthrough after 1,721 days of Moscow's full-scale invasion of its neighbor.

Trump -- who came to office vowing to end the war within 24 hours -- has thus far been unable to force a breakthrough. His chief negotiating envoys, Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, are leading the U.S. delegation in Abu Dhabi this week.

On Monday, Trump struck a positive tone when discussing the coming meeting. "They talk about wars, Ukraine and Russia. And by the way, we're having a very good conversation about that in Abu Dhabi," the president said.

"Ukraine and Russia are tired of fighting. They're tired of seeing dead young soldiers," Trump added.

A source in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office told ABC News that Kyiv's delegation is led by Rustem Umerov, the head of Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service and its lead representative in previous rounds of talks. Among those accompanying him are Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Zelenskyy's office, and Davyd Arakhamia, the head of Zelenskyy's party in the Ukrainian parliament.

The Russian delegation is led by Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said. Also attending are Kremlin official Yuri Ushakov, the head of Russia's foreign military intelligence agency, Igor Kostyukov, and Sergei Ryabkov, the deputy foreign minister, Peskov said.

The first U.S.-brokered trilateral meeting was held in Geneva in February 2026, but this year has seen little diplomatic progress, with both camps still far apart on key issues. The negotiations have secured some prisoner-of-war exchanges and short-lived, localized ceasefires.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday that this week's talks will put "security issues concerning Russia, Ukraine and the region as a whole" at the top of the agenda. The participants would also work toward "agreeing on principles that could be approved following consultations on a comprehensive settlement of the conflict in Ukraine," Lavrov said.

Zelenskyy said Monday that he had spoken with European Commission President Ursula von Der Leyen ahead of the talks. Both the French and German foreign ministers also said they would be participating in the Abu Dhabi meetings, though Peskov maintained that the talks would remain trilateral in format.

A statement posted to the Ukrainian presidential website said Kyiv "is doing everything to ensure that the trilateral format delivers results."

Delegation head Umerov, meanwhile, said in a post to Telegram on Tuesday morning that Kyiv's team is prioritizing "ending hostilities, reliable post-war security guarantees, economic recovery and development of Ukraine, and humanitarian measures."

With the war approaching its fifth anniversary, the two combatants appear far apart on a potential settlement. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly rejected U.S.-Ukrainian proposals for a ceasefire under which a final settlement could be negotiated.

Moscow is demanding that Ukraine withdraw from four contested regions -- Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson -- the Kremlin claimed to have annexed in September 2022, after referendums that the international community largely refused to recognize. Putin also wants Ukraine permanently barred from NATO and to face limits on the size and capabilities of its military.

Zelenskyy has said Ukraine cannot agree to any deal that does not include concrete security guarantees from the U.S. and other NATO allies to protect against renewed Russian aggression.

Kyiv, Zelenskyy said, must also retain the right to constitute its own armed forces and choose its own future security arrangements, including membership of NATO. The Ukrainian leader has refused Russian demands to cede territory not controlled by Moscow's forces.

Since Trump returned to office, U.S.-Ukrainian ties have at times been fraught. The president has repeatedly pressured Zelenskyy to make concessions to Moscow in pursuit of a peace deal. Trump has described Zelenskyy at times as a "dictator" and criticized Kyiv for delaying planned elections, which constitutionally cannot be held while the country is under martial law.

Trump has suspended U.S. financial and military aid to Ukraine, instead demanding that other NATO allies purchase American arms intended for Ukraine's use. Kyiv has repeatedly appealed to the U.S. to provide more ammunition for its Patriot surface-to-air missile systems in particular, the systems key to Ukrainian efforts to blunt escalating Russian drone and ballistic missile strikes.

In March, Trump threatened to expand sanctions and tariffs on Russia in a bid to push Moscow to the negotiating table. Ultimately Trump failed to do so, and in the lead-up to this month's midterm elections struck a deal with Putin to import cargoes of Russian diesel -- a move that prompted criticism from domestic opponents, foreign allies and Kyiv.

Trump told CBS News' "60 Minutes" program on Sunday that he still believes an agreement to end Russia's full-scale invasion is possible. "I believe that that war is going to end and it's going to end soon. And the only reason it's going to end is because of me," Trump said.

Trump also appeared to imply that he was open to changes in Ukraine's borders as part of a peace agreement, saying that the country will end up with "a little bit different shape Ukraine."

Trump said the enmity between Putin and Zelenskyy was the prime obstacle to a deal: "There's tremendous hatred," he said. Asked whether that sentiment is understandable coming from Zelenskyy, given that his country was invaded, Trump said it is, but also suggested that Ukraine had disrespected Russia during an initial meeting.

"Well, it is, but when they had their first meeting, there was great disrespect shown to Russia. So I'm not going to say," Trump said. Asked if he thought Putin was stringing him along, Trump replied, "Oh, I don't think so."

A U.S. official told ABC News during a briefing on Monday that negotiators were "cautiously optimistic" ahead of the talks in Abu Dhabi, though framed the meeting as a jumping off point for more complex negotiations to end the war.

"While both parties remain skeptical of the other party's intentions, we do see promising signs as the mediator, and we're going to work to keep pushing to build the areas of common ground so that we can work to a conclusion," the U.S. official said.

Trump's comments and conduct have deepened concerns in Ukraine that the president wants the victims of the war, rather than the aggressors, to pay the price for peace, Oleksandr Merezhko -- a member of the Ukrainian parliament and the chair of the body's foreign affairs committee -- told ABC News.

Merezhko said he has "absolutely no hopes" for this week's meetings in Abu Dhabi, beyond possible new deals to exchange prisoners of war. "There can't be any tangible result because Putin keeps insisting on his absurd demands which, in reality, mean surrender for Ukraine," he said.

"Putin's goal is to imitate negotiations to avoid sanctions from Trump. But he has absolutely no intent to negotiate with a goal to reach a concrete result," Merezhko suggested. "His ultimate goal is not a ceasefire or a compromise; his goal is subjection of Ukraine and installment in Kyiv of a Russian puppet regime."

Both Russian and American officials have said that the Abu Dhabi talks will include discussions on broader European security arrangements. That "seems to be new," said Samuel Charap, a senior political scientist at RAND who has advocated for talks.

Still, Charap told ABC News, "They‘re not going to come to some radically more ambitious agreement given there hasn’t been any conversation for the past nine months."

Putin launched the invasion in February 2022 with the intention of dismembering Ukraine and installing a pliant government in Kyiv. The "special military operation," as the Kremlin termed the assault, marked the latest chapter in Moscow's decades-long effort to retain influence over Kyiv and undermine Ukraine's relations with the European Union and NATO.

What the Kremlin intended as a short campaign has now lasted longer than either World War I or the Soviet Union's confrontation with Nazi Germany in World War II, known in Russia as Great Patriotic War.

Russian officials routinely describe the war with Ukraine as a direct contest with the NATO alliance, whose constituent nations rallied to support Ukraine military and financially, added two new members -- Sweden and Finland -- and sought to increase collective military spending to meet the Russian threat.

Fierce fighting continues all along the 745-mile frontline. The invasion quickly devolved into a bloody war of attrition, with Russian units edging forward -- at massive cost, according to figures published by the Ukrainian military and broadly supported by Western intelligence assessments -- along the contact line in parts of eastern and southeastern Ukraine.

This year has seen significant Ukrainian counterattacks in the contested Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions, liberating hundreds of miles of occupied territory, according to commanders in Kyiv.

Meanwhile, both Russia and Ukraine have expanded their long-range strike campaigns through the course of 2026. Each night, hundreds and sometimes thousands of drones and missiles cross the shared border heading in both directions, with Kyiv and Moscow both among the regular targets.

The number of civilian casualties is steadily creeping up as a result, particularly among Ukrainians.

Overnight into Tuesday, Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 162 drones, of which 96 were jet-powered, and one ballistic missile into the country. The air force said that 135 drones, of which 70 were jet-powered, were shot down or otherwise suppressed. Impacts were reported across 19 locations, the air force said.

Russia's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its forces downed at least 155 Ukrainian drones overnight.

ABC News' Victoria Beaule, Oleksiy Pshemyskyi, Natalia Kushnir, Tanya Stukalova, Anna Sergeeva, Shannon K. Kington and Michelle Stoddart contributed to this report.

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Deadly mass shooting in Poland investigated as terror act, prosecutor says

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BELGRADE and LONDON -- Prosecutors in Poland formally opened an investigation on Sunday and intended to treat an attack in Krakow that killed at least six people as a terrorist act, Prosecutor Tomasz Waszczuk told ABC News.

Asked about the motive, he said: "The findings so far point to exactly these motives behind the attack."

At least six people were killed after shots were fired in a market square in Krakow, Poland, on Saturday, according to regional police. The suspected shooter was shot and wounded by police, authorities said.

Three other people were found dead inside the home of the suspected shooter, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Saturday.

Polish police confirmed to ABC News that the three people found dead in the alleged attacker’s apartment in Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski were his 53-year-old father, 52-year-old mother and 21-year-old sister. Counterterrorism officers spent the night searching the apartment because they were worried he might have left explosives behind. The operation finished this morning.

Waszczuk said prosecutors are preparing six murder charges in connection with the people killed in Krakow. That number could rise to nine if investigators establish that the attacker was also responsible for the deaths of his parents and sister.

The victims killed in the Krakow attack ranged from a 69-year-old Polish woman to a 32-year-old British man, Krzysztof Jan Kleczar, the provincial governor of the region, said a news conference on Sunday.

Kleczar also confirmed that a 51-year-old Austrian woman was among those killed.

The alleged 24-year-old attacker survived the night but remains in critical condition in hospital, officials said. Police spokesperson Katarzyna Cislo told ABC News that he has undergone several operations and that despite everything doctors have done to save his life, his condition remains critical.

He was shot during the police chase and is under constant police guard, but has not yet been formally detained because of his medical condition, law enforcement said. Prosecutors are waiting for doctors to say when he is well enough to be questioned.

Another 15 people injured in the mass shooting, including two police officers who tried to stop the attack, survived the night and are being treated in hospitals, Kleczar said, adding that the condition of the two injured police officers remains serious, though both officers are no longer in comas. One of the officers remains in serious condition, but there is growing hope their recovery, he added.

The remaining injured victims, including five foreign nationals, are in stable condition, Kleczar said. Earlier, officials said the foreign nationals injured in the attack included one each from Austria, Portugal, Germany, Russia, and Britain.

Kleczar denied rumors that the suspect was a Polish Army service member. However, he confirmed the alleged gunman had been a legal gun owner and that his father also legally owned "over a dozen firearms." 

Asked whether anyone else was involved, Waszczuk, the prosecutor, said: "For now, the evidence collected does not indicate that other people were involved. Of course, we will continue to check this." Investigators are also looking into the attacker’s background and examining evidence from several locations.

One of the dead women has still not been identified, so police cannot yet say whether any other foreign nationals were killed.

Police have also appealed for AB Rh+ blood donations for Senior Constable Jakub Kulik, who was seriously wounded while confronting the attacker and is fighting for his life in hospital.

Preliminary findings suggest the gunman was allegedly "influenced by far-right ideology," Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said at a press briefing on Saturday.

Krakow’s main square has been closed again this morning as police continue their investigation at the scene. Cislo said she could not say how long it would remain closed.

Poland declared that it would enter a two-day period of mourning beginning on Sunday. Flags were to be flown at half-mast.

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Netanyahu challenger Eisenkot tasked with forming new Israeli government

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Gadi Eisenkot, the former chief of the Israel Defense Forces and the main challenger to incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was officially tasked on Sunday with forming a government in Israel, a week and a half after parliamentary elections resulted in no clear winner.

During a ceremony at the residence of Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem, Herzog formally tasked Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, with forming a government.

Herzog said he had concluded several days of in-depth talks with "all the factions elected to the Knesset," the Israeli parliament, before officially asking Eisenkot to form a new government.

During the consultations, factions totaling 67 members of the Knesset supported Eisenkot, and a bloc of 46 members supported Netanyahu, who leads the Likud party, according to the president's office.

"These conversations were conducted with openness, candor, and transparency, and they represented the essential nature of the democratic process," Herzog said. "They also brought to the surface the disputes, the painful points, and of course, the multitude of voices within Israeli society and politics. They were frank and pointed conversations, addressing the most important issues of this time."

Eisenkot will have 28 days to form a new government, with a possible 14-day extension.

Following the Oct. 27 parliamentary elections, the coalitions of both Netanyahu and Eisenkot failed to secure a majority of 61 seats in the Knesset.

"In light of this, and following talks I have held with various figures in recent days, it is therefore evident that Mr. Eisenkot has received the clear and unequivocal support of a majority of members of Knesset on the most central question: who has the better chance of forming the next government that will win the confidence of the Knesset," Herzog said.

Security issues and the ongoing conflict with Iran -- as well as questions over Netanyahu's management of the war in Gaza -- dominated the election campaign.

"All these immense challenges, and many more, stand before us. The State of Israel needs a stable government that can meet them over time," Herzog said. "This is the time to reach out a hand, to do everything for the unity of our people, and to strive for the best and most stable government possible for the people of Israel, which yearns for it."

Shortly after the announcement from the president's office, Eisenkot posted a photo on social media depicting him shaking hands with Herzog alongside a statement reading: "Now is the time to form a national emergency government. I will do everything to ensure we prove ourselves worthy."

Prior to the announcement from the president's office, Netanyahu posted a video on social media calling for the formation of a national unity government.

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Ukraine and Russia trade hundreds of drones overnight, as Moscow continues targeting energy infrastructure

ABC News

LONDON -- Ukraine and Russia exchanged hundreds of drone attacks on Tuesday night, with Russian strikes hitting power substations in northern Ukraine and a cargo ship carrying supplies for the Ukrainian military in the Black Sea, according to Russia’s Ministry of Defense. Ukrainian strikes hit a large logistics center and a data center in Russia.

Russia's strikes hit the Nalivaikovka power substation in the Kyiv region and the Chizhovka power substation in the Zhytomyr region, a Russian statement said. The "complex, massive" attacks are part of Moscow’s continued targeting of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy said Russia's overnight attacks damaged power generation facilities and substations in nine regions: Odesa, Cherkasy, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Chernivtsi, Chernihiv and Rivne. 

"In many cities and communities, emergency and unscheduled power outages are ongoing," wrote Zelenskyy in a social media post.

The strikes come after Russia's deadly attack on an aid distribution site on Monday in a village in southern Ukraine, which killed 31 people.

As of Wednesday morning, Ukraine’s Air Force said it had shot down 272 Russian drones using aviation, anti-aircraft missile forces, electronic warfare units, unmanned systems units and mobile fire groups. Combat operations were ongoing, with 20 drones still airborne.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said it intercepted 709 Ukrainian drones over 14 Russian regions, occupied Crimea and the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. 

Meanwhile, Ukrainian drones strikes hit a large logistics complex in Adygeysk, southern Russia, operated by Ozon, one of Russia’s largest e-commerce retailers, according to Murat Kumpilov, the head of the Republic of Adygea. The facility is one of the company’s largest in southern Russia.

On the Russia-Ukraine border, eight people, including four children, were injured when Ukrainian strikes hit apartment buildings and cars, regional Gov. Alexander Shuvaev said.

In Russian-occupied Crimea, power supply restrictions have been imposed because of an accident outside the region, according to Oleg Kryuchkov, an adviser to the Russian-installed regional head. While in Russian-occupied Donetsk, a telecommunications company and a data center were hit by strikes, Russian media reports. 

Temporary restrictions have been imposed at airports in cities across Russia: Krasnodar, Kaluga, Saratov, Nizhny Novgorod, Izhevsk, Bugulma, Kazan, Nizhnekamsk, Volgograd, Samara, Ulyanovsk, and Ufa, as well as at Moscow’s Vnukovo and Domodedovo.

The attacks came as Ukraine and Russia prepare for a new round of U.S. mediated peace talks in Abu Dhabi in mid-November, with Kyiv seeking an end to Russian strikes on energy and other critical infrastructure as winter approaches.

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US carries out defensive airstrikes on Iran's Qeshm Island: Officials

Large cargo and tanker ships at Shahid Rajai port from Qeshm island pier, Persian Gulf, Iran (Germã¡n Vogel/Getty Images)

The United States carried out defensive strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, two U.S. officials told ABC News.

The airstrikes do not signal the resumption of major combat operations against Iran, but were the latest limited strike carried out by U.S. forces in recent weeks, an official said. In recent weeks, Iran has increased the number of attacks directed at commercial ships transiting through the Strait of Hormuz.

Unlike previous strikes in response to such attacks, the U.S. airstrikes in recent weeks had not been publicized to prevent any signaling that the strikes were part of the resumption of major combat operations against Iran, according to the official.

First reported by the Wall Street Journal, the airstrikes were limited in scope and characterized as defensive strikes, the two U.S. officials said. The term defensive strikes has been used to describe the retaliatory strikes carried out by the U.S. in response to Iranian attacks on shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz.

Monday's U.S. airstrikes on Qeshm Island were in response to an Iranian attack on a U.S. aircraft, said one official.

Earlier in the day, Iran had claimed that it had shot down two RQ-170 reconnaissance drones, a claim that was said to be false by a U.S. official.

Iranian state media later reported several explosions being heard on Qeshm Island.

U.S. Central Command did not respond to ABC News' requests for comment about Monday's defensive strikes.

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European grocery chains' freezers, refrigerators targeted in apparent cyberattacks

Empty refrigerated shelves following a refrigeration outage at a Proxy Delhaize store in Maleizen, Overijse, Belgium, on Monday, Nov. 2, 2026. Supermarkets across Europe were hit by suspected cyberattacks that resulted in sudden changes in the temperatures of their fridges and freezers on Monday, echoing a more widespread problem in France last month. (Wiktor Dabkowski/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Grocery stores in several European countries are dealing with incidents affecting refrigerator and freezer systems that appear to be the results of cyberattacks.

Refrigeration systems have been malfunctioning Monday in Belgium, Sweden, Ireland, The Netherlands and Estonia, officials from affected companies told ABC News and local public broadcasters.

In each of the incidents, the reported cyberattacks altered the settings and functioning of refrigerator and freezer units, resulting in food spoilage.

The targets appear to have been smaller stores and have affected only a limited number of each chain's retail locations, according to statements obtained by ABC News.

Swedish grocery store chains ICA and Coop confirmed to ABC News that some of its stores had been affected, with ICA saying there was an "incident overnight affecting a small number of ICA stores operating outside ICA’s central network," and Coop saying the incident affected "seven out of more than 800 stores."

The situation was "contained and under control," according to a Coop spokesperson.

Coop added that the incident occurred ahead of a planned system upgrade, which had been in the works because of a similar issue affecting French grocery stores last month, in which hundreds of stores saw the fridges and freezers similarly hacked and temperatures set to 50 degrees Celsius, or 122 degrees Fahrenheit. Most of the systems targeted then were reportedly using outdated software.

One ICA grocery store in Sjöbo, Sweden, posted to social media that "overnight, our refrigerators and freezers were hacked, and the temperature was set to 50 degrees."

Belgian supermarket chains Delhaize and Carrefour were also affected, representatives for the companies told ABC News, with Delhaize referring to it as an "IT incident."

"[T]he impact at Carrefour is very limited: currently 15 of our 700 stores are affected," a spokesperson told ABC News, adding "all stores remain open because it only concerns a few refrigeration units, mainly freezers."

Musgrave, the company that owns Irish grocery chain SuperValu, told Irish broadcaster RTÉ that 13 stores had been affected by a suspected cyberattack that affected a specific refrigeration model.

Dutch refrigeration company Danfoss told public broadcaster NOS that seventeen facilities using its refrigeration systems, such as frozen product storage and butcher shops, were affected by a cyberattack of the kind that hit French stores last month. Danfoss systems were affected at the time in France as well.

Several military bases in the U.S. experienced similar cyberattacks in August, according to Reuters, which said at least six commissaries -- on-base grocery stores -- had been affected in ways similar to the recent European attacks, including the October incidents in France. The Pentagon is investigating the incidents, according to Reuters.

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Police investigate former Prince Andrew's time with Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell at Balmoral

Prince Andrew arrives at Westminster Cathedral on Sept. 16, 2025, in London, England. (Jordan Pettitt - Pool/Getty Images)

Authorities in Scotland are investigating information about time spent by Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein at Balmoral, the royal family's private estate in Scotland.

A Police Scotland spokesperson told ABC News in a statement Friday the investigation is "at a very early stage."

“We have received information and active enquiries are ongoing but these are at a very early stage,” the spokesperson said. “All enquiries are evidence led, with the needs of victim survivors at the heart of those enquiries. We would never confirm details of ongoing enquiries and it would be inappropriate to comment further.”

Police Scotland did not name Mountbatten-Windsor, Epstein or Maxwell in its statement. The force provided the statement in response to a direct request for comment about their time at Balmoral.

Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence in the U.S. following her 2021 conviction on five felony counts arising from her participation with Epstein in the sexual abuse of young girls over the course of a decade. 

Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, has previously denied wrongdoing with respect to Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking minor girls.

Two years ago, Mountbatten-Windsor -- a brother of King Charles III -- was stripped of his “prince” title and later moved out of his royal residence amid fallout from his interactions with Epstein.

In February, the former prince was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office stemming from his time as a U.K. trade envoy, a role in which he was responsible for promoting British business interests abroad.

The allegations against Mountbatten-Windsor came after his name appeared in the 3 million pages of documents related to Epstein released by the U.S. Department of Justice in January.

Mountbatten-Windsor was released under investigation on the evening of his arrest and was not charged.

Buckingham Palace told ABC News Friday the palace does not speak for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, and cannot comment on an ongoing police investigation.

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Death toll climbs to at least 69 as Spanish officials probe high-speed train crash

Security forces work at the scene of a train crash on Oct. 29, 2026, near Yebenes, in Toledo province, Spain. (Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images)

As the death toll rose to at least 69 in the second major high-speed train collision in Spain this year, investigators continued to focus on what they described as an "inexplicable" human error that led to Wednesday's catastrophe.

Spanish authorities said the deadliest train crash in Spain in 13 years occurred Wednesday morning when a train packed with passengers was going more than 120 mph when it rear-ended another passenger train that was stalled on the tracks.

The Spanish Interior Ministry said in a statement Thursday that six more victims were added to the death toll overnight, bringing the total number of people who perished in the crash to 74. The office of the president and the Transportation Ministry later revised that number downward to 69 dead.

The Interior Ministry further said that it had received 67 reports from families still looking for their loved ones and that officials are still in the process of identifying 52 bodies.

Emiliano Garcia-Page, leader of the Castilla-la Mancha region, said at a press conference Thursday that of the 110 injured survivors initially admitted to hospitals, 60 have been discharged. He said 50 victims remained hospitalized, including 15 in critical condition.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who declared three days of national mourning for the crash victims, also spoke at Thursday's press conference, saying the Spanish government is taking steps to ensure "this never happens again."

Sánchez's statements came after a night of unrest in the nation's capital of Madrid, when protesters clashed with police outside the Ministry of Transportation.

"The entire General State Administration – all the institutions that form part of the state, from the smallest local council to the Spanish Government – are working day and night not only to provide support to the victims' families, but also, of course, to get to the bottom of every last detail of this tragedy and, naturally, to strengthen security measures so that this never happens again," Sánchez said.

The prime minister said the government is "fully committed" to a three-pronged response to the crash, including "establishing and clarifying the causes that led to this terrible rail accident" and compensating the victims and their families.

On Thursday, large cranes continued to move parts of the twisted metal and other wreckage from the tracks as search-and-rescue crews combed through the debris for victims.

Some family members of those still unaccounted for in the crash expressed growing frustration with the the government.

"At least let them tell us about the people who are not identified. At least we can start ruling out hospitals because we don't know anything. This is chaos," César Vicente, who is awaiting word on the fate of his missing father, told the Associated Press. "I don't know where he is. I hope to find him, oh my lord. I don't want this to happen to anyone. This is unbearable. This is hell."

Carmen Bejarano told the Associated Press that she is searching for her missing husband, whom she said was on the train, operated by Spain's state-owned Renfe railway company.

"The problem is the uncertainty we have, that we don't know anything and that we're here," Bejarano said. "Renfe people can't tell us anything unless it's official. Do you understand? So that's the issue."

The collision occurred around 8:30 a.m. local time Wednesday on Spain's Madrid-Seville high-speed line near the town of Urda.

During a news conference Wednesday, Spain's Transport Minister Óscar Puente called the crash "truly unbelievable." He said the preliminary investigation indicates the crash was caused by an "inexplicable" order by the central rail command to allow one train to proceed at normal speed despite a safety failure that halted a train on the tracks further ahead.

According to Puente, a computer failure led to the initial halt of six moving trains, including the two trains that subsequently collided.

"In the event of a system failure, the control center takes over," Puente said, adding it was the control center that decided to allow the trains to move again without any speed restrictions. That decision, Puente said, resulted in the Renfe train crashing into the Iryo train, which was stationary on the tracks farther ahead.

One of the key questions investigators are working to answer is why the control center appeared to be unaware that a train remained stalled on the tracks ahead of a train moving at 120 mph.

The collision was the second major train crash in Spain this year on the same high-speed train line and involved trains from the same rail operators, Renfe and Iryo. In January, two high-speed Iryo and Renfe trains collided near Adamuz in the province of Cordoba, killing 46 people. Authorities said one of the trains derailed and another train collided with the derailed cars.

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Pentagon inspector general declines to investigate Starlink disruptions in Ukraine

Soldiers of the National Police of Ukraine in the Zaporizhzhia region take a camouflage case off a Starlink satellite communication terminal to be set up at a combat position in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, Oct. 16, 2026. (Dmytro Smolienko/ Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

The Pentagon's inspector general has declined to investigate disruptions of Starlink and Starshield in Ukraine, writing in a letter to lawmakers who had requested a probe that his office is not best suited to deliver answers.

Platte Moring, who leads the independent watchdog office at the Pentagon, told lawmakers that reported disruptions to Starlink and Starshield in recent weeks was a contractual matter that would be best addressed to the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force, according to a document seen by ABC News.

Both of those military services have jurisdiction over the U.S. military's contract with SpaceX for Starlink.

The disruptions drew widespread criticism as Ukraine came under fire from Russian attacks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the imposition of limits on the satellite networks was a U.S. government decision. U.S. and Ukrainian officials have since said the services have been restored to normal conditions. 

"The Office of Inspector General carefully considered the congressional request and determined that the matters raised were best addressed by the Department. Should new information come to light, we may reconsider," said Mollie Halpern, the spokesperson for the DOD Inspector General, in a statement provided to ABC News.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat who was a part of a bipartisan group of nine senators requesting the inquiry, said the inspector general's decision not to proceed was "concerning."

"The Trump Administration and SpaceX have provided conflicting accounts of what led to those disruptions, which weakened Ukraine's defenses and put American personnel in Ukraine at risk unnecessarily," Shaheen said in a statement to ABC News.

"There must be an independent accounting and review to determine responsibility and prevent this from happening in the future. I urge the Inspector General to conduct a full investigation," she added. 

Initially the Pentagon's inspector general had informed the senators that it recommended that their questions about service interruptions should be directed toward the Defense Department's under secretary for policy.  

In turn, that office informed the inspector general that the reported disruptions were a contractual matter better addressed by the two military services.

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Israel awaits election results as exit polls suggest close race for Netanyahu

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Votes from Israel's parliamentary election were still being counted on Wednesday morning, after exit polls suggested a tight race between the two coalition blocs led by incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his prime challenger Gadi Eisenkot, the former chief of the Israel Defense Forces.

Polls closed at 10 p.m. local time on Tuesday after high turnout across the country.

The counting of votes was ongoing as of Wednesday, with the Israel Central Elections Committee saying that final results were not expected until Thursday. 

Partial results released by the committee suggested that the coalitions of both Netanyahu and Eisenkot would fail to secure a majority of 61 seats in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset.

If the official results establish no clear winner, Israeli President Isaac Herzog will consult with party leaders and offer the chance to form a government to the leader he believes has the best chance of forming a government, usually the leader of the largest party. Netanyahu will remain caretaker prime minister while negotiations -- which can last for several weeks -- go on.

Netanyahu -- who leads the right-wing Likud party -- and Eisenkot -- who leads the centrist Yashar party -- both claimed a mandate from voters on Tuesday night.

"Two things have become clear. The first is unequivocal: the Likud is the largest party in Israel," Netanyahu said in his post-election speech. "We must form a right-wing, national, strong government. That is what must be done. We must not, just not, endanger Israel and establish a government that is backed by anti-Zionist Arab parties."

Security issues and the ongoing conflict with Iran -- as well as questions over Netanyahu's management of the war in Gaza -- dominated the election campaign.

"Israel faces a singular historical opportunity, together with our partner President [Donald] Trump, to remove the existential threat of Iran once and for all," Netanyahu said in his post-election speech.

Eisenkot, though, told supporters at his party election headquarters that the vote marked the end of the Netanyahu era. "We made history," he said. "The public decided in favor of change. The coalition of failure has lost the trust of the people. The Israeli public voted against the continuation of Netanyahu's tenure."

"Netanyahu is a transitional prime minister, without a mandate or trust," Eisenkot added. Addressing the prime minister directly, he continued, "Do not dare to use Israel's security for your political needs."

Party leaders will now hope to form a coalition capable of governing, but failure to do so may result in another election.

Between 2019 and 2022, Israeli voters went to the polls five times as parties tried and failed to form an adequate coalition in the Knesset. That period of deadlock ended with Netanyahu establishing what is widely considered to be the most right-wing government in Israeli history, with control of 64 of the Knesset's 120 seats.

Voter turnout nationwide was at 77.7% as of Tuesday night, according to Israel's Central Elections Committee -- the highest figure since the election of 1999.

The high turnout was reflected across Israel's demographic groups, with exit polls suggesting significant success for the country's Arab-Israeli parties.

If that outcome is reflected in the official results, the two coalitions led by Netanyahu and Eisenkot may need the backing of the Arab-Israeli parties to secure a majority for their bloc in the Knesset.

Both Netanyahu and Eisenkot have previously ruled out forming a coalition with the Arab parties. In his post-election speech, Netanyahu suggested that any government that included Arab parties would "endanger Israel."

ABC News' Jordana Miller, Matt Rivers and Joe Simonetti contributed to this report.

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At least 30 killed in train collision on high-speed line in Spain

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At least 30 people were killed after two trains collided on Spain’s Madrid-Seville high-speed line, and the death toll is expected to rise, a spokesperson for the Castilla-La Mancha region told ABC News.

The collision occurred at around 8:30 a.m. local time at kilometer marker 118 near Urda and involved a Renfe train and an Iryo train, both traveling from Madrid to Seville, the Spain's Transport Ministry told ABC News.

As part of the preliminary investigation, authorities said the Renfe train probably struck the Iryo train from behind, causing two coaches to derail.

The Iryo train was carrying 146 passengers, including one baby, while the Renfe train had 397 passengers, according to the Transport Ministry.

In a statement, Iryo said its service 6076, traveling from Madrid to Seville, was involved in the accident near Urda. The company said it had activated all emergency protocols and was working closely with authorities to manage the situation.

As a result of the crash, all Iryo services departing from Madrid-Puerta de Atocha and traveling along the Southern Corridor have been canceled. The company said it had no estimate for when service would resume.

Spain's Health Minister Monica Garcia said the government was mobilizing resources and coordinating with relevant institutions to respond to the crash.

“We are mobilizing all the resources at our disposal and coordinating with all the relevant institutions,” Garcia said. “I’m working with the regional government of Castilla-La Mancha to provide any resources it may need. My full support and gratitude go to the emergency personnel dispatched to the area.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
 

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Bolsonaro lands in US days after election defeat: Sources

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Former Brazilian presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro has landed in the U.S., according to two sources familiar with the matter.

Earlier Tuesday, amid reports Bolsonaro had left Brazil just two days after he lost his presidential bid, a senior State Department official told ABC News the department would allow Bolsonaro and his family to enter the U.S. and issue them visas.

Earlier Tuesday, Brazilian authorities said they were unaware of Flávio Bolsonaro's whereabouts and were investigating whether he fled to the U.S., according to authorities familiar with the investigation.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva defeated Bolsonaro in a runoff election Sunday.

Bolsonaro is under investigation over a sports betting case and for probe into the production of a movie about his father Jair Bolsonaro, according to Brazilian authorities.  

The Trump administration had been tracking Flavio Bolsonaro's plans and was expecting he would attempt to exit Brazil and head for the U.S., according to two U.S. officials familiar with the matter. 

President Donald Trump said Monday without evidence that Brazil's election, "looked like another rigged election, frankly."

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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US Marine indicted in alleged Okinawa robbery homicide

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A 20-year-old U.S. Marine stationed in Okinawa, Japan, has been indicted on charges stemming from the death last month of a woman found strangled in a hotel, authorities said on Sunday.

LCpl. Devin Jacob Ballard, who is stationed at the Futenma Air Base in Okinawa, was indicted on charges of robbery and murder, according to NHK, Japan's public broadcaster, citing the Naha District Public Prosecutors Office and other sources,

Ballard is accused of strangling a 39-year-old resident of Naha City by wrapping a telephone receiver cord around her neck at a hotel in Naha City on Oct. 3 and also allegedly stealing a backpack containing her wallet and other belongings, according to NHK.

The incident has ignited protests on Okinawa and on the mainland of Japan in Tokyo. It also prompted the Japanese government to lodge a protest with the United States.

"The occurrence of such an extremely brutal and heinous incident is a matter of profound regret, and as the Government of Japan, we have lodged a strong protest with the U.S. side," Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in a social media statement last month, in part.

Police identified the victim as  39-year-old Anna Yagi, according to NHK.

Ballard is assigned to the III Marine Expeditionary Force, a spokesperson previously told ABC News, adding that the force would not release further personal or administrative details "to protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation and adhere to privacy regulations."

Security footage allegedly places Ballard at the hotel around the time of the homicide. The security footage showed a person who "appeared to be foreign entering the hotel with a woman and later leaving with her belongings," investigators said, according to NHK.

The man seen in the security videos resembled Ballard, including having a similar hairstyle and tattoos, police said, according to NHK.

Some of the victim's belongings were found abandoned near the hotel, NHK further reported, citing local police.

The prosecution has not disclosed whether the suspect has made incriminating statements in the case.

According to the police, Ballard denied the allegations during questioning at the time of his arrest, allegedly saying, "I don't know anything about it," NHK has reported. During subsequent questioning, Ballard made statements that partially hinted at his involvement in the incident, investigators said, according to NHK.

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Ukraine must 'unblock' Patriot missile delivery, Zelenskyy says after deadly strikes

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told ABC News, Oct. 23, 2026, that the Starlink network is still not fully working, despite assurances from President Donald Trump. (ABC News)

Russian drone and missile attacks on multiple Ukrainian regions killed at least four people on Saturday night, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post to social media on Sunday.

Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 153 drones along with an unspecified number of cruise missiles into the country in its latest round of attacks. The air force said that 119 drones were shot down or otherwise suppressed, with impacts reported in 15 locations.

Four people were killed by a Russian attack in the southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region on Saturday evening, Zelenskyy said, with another 22 people injured.

Zelenskyy said it was "crucial" to bolster Ukrainian defenses alongside renewed U.S.-led peace negotiations. "We need to unblock the already agreed-upon deliveries of interceptors for Patriot systems," the Ukrainian leader wrote, referring to the U.S.-made air defense system that has been key to Ukrainian efforts to blunt Russian ballistic missile attacks.

The tightening supply of Patriot batteries and their interceptor missiles has become a fraught diplomatic issue. The problem has been exacerbated by the ongoing U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, which has seen American and allied forces across the Middle East expend large numbers of interceptors to defend against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks.

Zelenskyy has repeatedly criticized the U.S. for failing to ensure an adequate supply of missiles. The Ukrainian leader told ABC News during an interview in Kyiv last week that his country needs to be supplied with around 350 Patriot interceptors each month to defend against Moscow's attacks.

Over the last three months, Zelenskyy said, Kyiv had received only 24 interceptor missiles.

Ukraine's State Emergency Service reported Russian strikes in the Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Zhytomyr and Vinnytsia regions on Saturday night into Sunday morning. At least six people were injured in the attack on Vinnytsia, the SES said, with four people -- among them three emergency workers -- also injured in the attack in Kharkiv.

Among the targets of the overnight Russian strikes were residential buildings, a hypermarket, thermal power plants, substations, coal mines and grain storage facilities, Zelenskyy said in a post to Telegram, adding that damage was reported in nine regions of Ukraine.

"This is how Russia reacts to diplomacy and efforts to isolate it," Zelenskyy said.

Russia's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, reported the interception of at least 532 Ukrainian drones overnight, with craft shot down over 22 Russian regions -- including Moscow -- plus occupied Crimea and the Black Sea.

Last week saw President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff travel to meet with Zelenskyy in the Norwegian capital of Oslo, followed by a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg.

Witkoff described the talks as "constructive," but deadly strikes continued in the days after his meetings with the Ukrainian and Russian leaders.

Fresh trilateral U.S.-Ukraine-Russia talks are expected to be held in the United Arab Emirates in November. In an interview with Kremlin propagandist Pavel Zarubin published on Sunday, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said that a possible deal between Moscow and Kyiv "still needs work."

Discussing the planned trilateral meeting in November, Ushakov said, "Not much could be decided during the first meeting too, it will perhaps be observational."

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Zelenskyy tells ABC News Starlink network still isn't fully working

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told ABC News, Oct. 23, 2026, that the Starlink network is still not fully working, despite assurances from President Donald Trump. (ABC News)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told ABC News on Friday that the Starlink network, which is crucial for the country's military operations, is still not fully working, despite assurances from President Donald Trump.

"It works, but it's still limited," Zelenskyy said, telling ABC News that the network's range was narrow.

Trump was asked about possible ongoing problems with the network when he met reporters at the White House on Friday, responding that he hadn't spoken to Elon Musk -- whose company SpaceX runs Starlink -- about it yet.

"I've heard it was fixed, but if it's not, I'll speak to him," the president said. 

Zelenskyy also said Ukraine has received only 24 Patriot interceptor missiles from the U.S. in the last three months when it needs many more than that.

On Thursday night alone, 30 ballistic missiles hit Ukrainian capital Kyiv, he said. Ukraine would need 350 Patriot interceptors a month, on average, according to Zelenskyy.

The Trump administration has denied ordering a slowdown in Starshield and Starlink-supported networks, with administration officials pointing to Elon Musk's SpaceX -- which runs the network -- for the slowdown.

In a post on X last week, Musk addressed the government's relationship to Starlink and its missile-tracking Starshield program.

"Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS," he wrote. "Starlink is a commercial service owned and controlled by SpaceX. Usage of Starlink is limited to civilian or defensive activities and cannot be used for offensive military action, as doing so would be inappropriate for a commercial company."

Amid the heightened strain, Ukrainian officials have also reported Russian ballistic missile attacks without the kind of warning from partners that has been typical in the conflict. 

Zelenskyy previously said Ukrainian military officials were told by U.S. counterparts there would be consequences for not halting the long-range strikes on Russian oil refineries, including a suspension of intelligence sharing with Ukraine.

Following talks with U.S. officials, Zelenskyy said Tuesday the early warning system had resumed.

"Starlink service will be restored within the next 48 hours", Zelenskyy said on Tuesday at a press conference in Oslo. "As for the ballistic missile launch warning system, we are grateful to the Americans. It is working now. That is excellent."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday denied that the U.S. had ever paused or changed intelligence sharing with Ukraine. 

The White House has recently intensified pressure on Zelenskyy to make concessions to secure a peace deal with Moscow, with Trump repeatedly blaming Kyiv for the lack of progress in U.S.-sponsored peace talks.

Trump, who earlier this month lifted Russian oil sanctions to allow for diesel imports amid high fuel prices, has also pressed Zelenskyy to halt attacks on Russian energy infrastructure. Zelenskyy has criticized the move as playing into Russia's hands and allowing them to prolong the war in Ukraine.

Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on Wednesday for the latest round of U.S.-led peace talks to end Moscow's ongoing invasion, which the Kremlin launched in February 2022. The talks came a day after Witkoff met with Zelenskyy in the Norwegian capital of Oslo.

Putin said Thursday that Russia is ready to resume trilateral talks "to discuss ensuring the security of Ukraine and Russia once peace agreements have been reached -- in their final form."

Amid the diplomatic efforts, Russia and Ukraine have continued to trade massive strikes.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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5 injured in thwarted potential 'major attack' at Israeli checkpoint in West Bank: Israeli officials

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Five people were injured in a shooting at an Israeli military checkpoint in the West Bank, sparking Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to close off the entire area in what he described as a thwarted potential "major attack."

Two Palestinian gunmen were killed by Israeli security forces after the shooting in Hebron, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

The shooting left five people injured, including two who were in critical condition, according to Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency medical service.

Speaking at the scene, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said the attackers’ vehicle contained large quantities of ammunition and weapons, leading him to believe they may have been planning a larger attack.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the closure of the entire West Bank in response, according to a statement. The IDF also launched what it described as a counterterrorism operation in Hebron and surrounding villages.

Hamas stopped short of claiming responsibility for the shooting but praised the attack and called on its supporters to carry out further attacks against Israeli soldiers and settlers.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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Russia fires 3 waves of ballistic missiles at Kyiv after peace talks, Zelenskyy says

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Russia launched an intense missile and drone attack on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv overnight, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported on Thursday, hours after President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg for the latest round of U.S.-led peace talks.

Zelenskyy said in a post to Telegram that Russia launched 21 ballistic missiles toward the capital in three waves.

"Unfortunately, there have been numerous hits and damages in the city: residential buildings, energy infrastructure, infrastructure at one of the railway stations and the metro, shopping centers, and businesses," Zelenskyy wrote. "Even a monastery was among the damaged objects."

At least two people were killed and 34 people injured in Kyiv and the surrounding areas, Zelenskyy said.

Ukraine's air force said Russia used a mixture of ballistic and cruise missiles in its overnight attacks, none of which were intercepted. Russia also launched 210 drones, the air force said, of which 181 were shot down or otherwise suppressed. The air force reported impacts in 32 locations.

Kyiv was the main focus of the latest Russian strikes. But elsewhere, at least two people were killed and 17 people were injured by a Russian airstrike on a market in the northeastern Kharkiv region, local officials said.

The Russian attacks came on the heels of Witkoff's latest round of shuttle diplomacy, which saw Trump's envoy travel first to the Norwegian capital Oslo to meet with Zelenskyy and then to St. Petersburg to meet with Putin.

"These discussions were constructive, and will continue with trilateral talks between the United States, Russia and Ukraine at the technical level," Witkoff said in a post to X.

Zelenskyy said the Russian strikes were "demonstrative" and indicated "no real changes in its attitude towards everything that is happening." The Ukrainian leader also appeared to take a swipe at Witkoff's description -- made during his meeting with Putin in St. Petersburg -- of the Russian president as a "humanitarian."

"When Russian ballistic missiles are the response to negotiations, real pressure must be applied to Russia to encourage different actions," Zelenskyy wrote. "Strengthening air defense, the rapid supply of missiles, the ability to destroy ballistic missile launch systems and sanctions for the war -- all of this is necessary."

Ukraine, meanwhile, continued its own long-range strike campaign into Russia, with Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin reporting a major attack on the Russian capital consisting of at least 630 Ukrainian drones -- one of the largest such attacks of this year to date.

Several buildings, among them residential properties, were damaged in the attacks, Sobyanin said in posts to Telegram, with at least two people injured in the capital and two in other towns.

In total, Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces shot down at least 808 Ukrainian drones overnight, with interceptions reported over 17 Russian regions, occupied Crimea and the Black Sea.

Russia's federal air transport agency, Rosaviatsiya, reported temporary flight restrictions at all four of Moscow's international airports -- Vnukovo, Domodedovo, Zhukovsky and Sheremetyevo -- as well as airports in Pskov, Tambov, Sochi, Gelendzhik, Kaluga and Yaroslavl.

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