Zelensky said three ballistic missiles with cluster munitions were used in overnight attacks on Kyiv, one landing near the Kyiv Cave Monastery, and that Russia has carried out more than 170 attacks on energy infrastructure since 11 October.
Federal prosecutors in Karlsruhe say a Ukrainian citizen accused of intelligence agent activity gathered findings on armoured vehicles, ammunition and explosives, and Chancellor Friedrich Merz called the arrest a success.
Rheinmetall's Skyranger deliveries are late, so the Bundeswehr is opting for an interim solution, while Diehl is reportedly preparing 48 GARMR systems according to Handelsblatt, with the unit to be rebuilt by 2028.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda says Ukraine must be included, while Moscow seeks a Putin, Trump and Xi meeting on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Shenzhen in November.
According to Ukrainian information, Russia used three ballistic missiles carrying cluster munitions in overnight attacks on Kyiv reported on 22 October. President Volodymyr Zelensky said the missiles were built to explode in the air and cause damage within a radius of 400 metres. One of them came down near the Kyiv Cave Monastery. Zelensky also said Russia has carried out more than 170 attacks on critical energy infrastructure in Ukraine since 11 October.
Russia now controls about a fifth of Ukraine, and the front has barely moved for months. The last Ukrainian defensive positions in Donetsk region are under fierce fighting. Ukraine's army evacuated a wounded soldier from the front line by drone, and the 49-year-old man had spent almost 491 days in the combat zone. Czech President Petr Pavel told Paul Ronzheimer's podcast that Putin has an almost obsessive fear of being killed and trusts few people, so the small circle around him can filter what he hears. Pavel believes Putin still thinks the operation is going well, probably partly because of reports from his military leadership, and that he is misinformed in several respects.
Federal prosecutors in Karlsruhe said a Ukrainian citizen had been arrested in Brandenburg on suspicion of passing militarily relevant information to Russia. He is accused of intelligence agent activity, and prosecutors say he allegedly gathered findings on the production of armoured vehicles, ammunition and explosives. Chancellor Friedrich Merz, speaking in Montenegro on the sidelines of the Western Balkans summit in Budva, called the arrest a success. He warned that such cases will probably become more frequent in the coming months and years, adding that Germany is exposed to intensive espionage.
“But let us not deceive ourselves, the activities of the Russian intelligence service in Germany remain unchanged at a high level.”
The Bundeswehr is rebuilding its army air defence, a unit dissolved in 2012, and delivery delays for Rheinmetall's Skyranger system have forced an interim solution. According to Handelsblatt, citing company circles, rival Diehl is preparing to supply 48 systems for drone defence based on its GARMR system. The GARMR detects drones with radar and counters them with interceptor drones or a machine cannon. The Bundeswehr decided in 2024 to build a new air defence unit, to be rebuilt step by step by 2028.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, speaking in Vilnius, warned against excluding Ukraine from negotiations to end the war.
“Ukraine itself must absolutely be included in the negotiations.”
Nauseda said proposed formats such as a China-USA-Russia one raise suspicion of a scenario similar to the Second World War, leading to a division into spheres of influence. His remarks followed reports of a possible three-way summit between Putin, Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. Moscow wants that meeting on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Shenzhen, China, in November. Whether a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine can come about remains unclear, and military expert Ralph Thiele says any agreement would be followed by a highly complicated process. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will host his counterparts from Germany, France, Britain, Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in Istanbul on Friday, 23 October. Turkish diplomatic circles say it is the first time these seven states meet in this format on Turkey's initiative, against the backdrop of wars involving Iran, Yemen and Ukraine that threaten shipping routes and regional security. Belarus's state news agency Belta reports that Russia and Ukraine have again exchanged the bodies of soldiers killed in the war.
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According to Ukrainian information, Russia used three ballistic missiles with cluster munitions in overnight attacks on Kyiv. Lithuania's president meanwhile warned against talks that leave Ukraine out.
AI text based on reports by N-tv, Handelsblatt and newsORF.at. Published .