- Oct 30
Oleshky truce ends after six days, US First Lady says nearly 800 evacuated
Russia resumed attacks in the Kherson region after the six-day humanitarian ceasefire in Oleshky expired on 1 November. Neither Ukraine nor Russia has published a total evacuation figure.
- Oct 26
Four Lithuanians and a Belarusian remanded over cigarette smuggling by balloon into Poland
Border Guards in Warmia and Masuria seized nearly 660,000 cigarettes that were flown in from Belarus by meteorological balloons on 20 October. A court ordered all five detained men held in custody.
- Oct 26
Świątek climbs to 8th in WTA rankings, Kawa hits career-high 106th
Iga Świątek rose from ninth to eighth in the latest WTA ranking despite ending her season early for health reasons. Katarzyna Kawa climbed to a career-high 106th after reaching the quarterfinals in Ningbo.
- Oct 23
Russia and Ukraine swap 270 prisoners each, five once presumed dead
Ukraine says five freed people had been listed as dead after the 2022 Olenivka strike, while Moscow received 270 soldiers now staying in Belarus.
- Oct 13
Lukashenko says trade with Poland could help avoid war as Poles spurn pellets
Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said on 12 October 2026 that economic cooperation with Poland, Lithuania and Latvia could help avoid war, while complaining that Polish buyers are not taking Belarusian firewood and pellets. Poland's competition regulator, UOKiK, has warned the energy ministry about the pellet market three times this year.
- Oct 13
Archbishop blesses AI-generated icon of Carlo Acutis in Belarus, drawing believers' criticism
Former archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz blessed the image on Sunday, 11 October, in Novolukoml. Believers criticised it online, saying a picture generated by artificial intelligence cannot be considered an icon.
- Oct 13
'Black Rus' group claims armed escort of 20 migrants on Latvia-Belarus border
The group said it organised the armed escort during the night of 5 to 6 October and promised further sabotage against Belarus's neighbours. Latvia's interior minister described the incident as a demonstrative and aggressive provocation directed from the Belarusian side.
- Oct 12
Pegasus commission refers 11 former officials, including Ziobro, to prosecutors over possible offences
The Sejm commission investigating Pegasus says the spyware ran without the required security accreditation and that data left Polish territory. Notifications of possible offences were sent to prosecutors concerning 11 people, including former justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro.
- Oct 7
Armed smugglers clash with Latvian border guards before sabotaging surveillance cameras
Masked gunmen escorted at least 20 migrants toward the Latvian border and sabotaged monitoring equipment, prompting neighboring Lithuania to deploy troops along its Kaliningrad frontier.
- Oct 6
EU and NATO leaders urge joint action following surge in Russian hybrid attacks and airspace incursions
European officials have demanded a unified strategy against escalating Russian sabotage and airspace violations following drone incursions across several European states.
- Oct 6
European Union to reset clocks on 25 October as seasonal time change reform remains stalled
Clocks across European Union member states will turn back one hour at 3:00 on Sunday, 25 October 2026, marking the return to standard time while broader legislative efforts to abolish the switch remain blocked.
- Oct 4
Donald Trump nominates Belarus envoy John Coale as special presidential envoy for hostage affairs
John Coale, who negotiated the release of hundreds of prisoners in Eastern Europe, replaces Adam Boehler in a post requiring Senate confirmation.
- Oct 3
Lithuania lifts air alert and reopens Vilnius airport after suspected drone detection
Lithuanian authorities lifted a yellow air alert and reopened Vilnius airport on Saturday morning after NATO fighter jets scrambled to investigate an unidentified flying object suspected to have crossed from Belarus.
- Oct 3
Putin observes CSTO Interaction-2026 drills with 47,000 troops in southern Urals
Russian President Vladimir Putin attended joint CSTO drills involving over 47,000 soldiers from nine nations across 11 ranges and the Caspian Sea.
- Oct 3
Latvian Prime Minister Kulbergs wins parliamentary election as United List takes 41 seats
Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs won the parliamentary election after his centrist United List alliance secured 35.3% of the vote and 41 seats in the Saeima, positioning him to lead a majority coalition.
- Oct 1
US removes Syria from arms export ban to review sales case by case
The United States has removed Syria from its ITAR arms export blacklist, allowing future defense sales to Damascus on a case-by-case basis as bilateral diplomatic relations continue to normalize.
- Oct 1
Estonia bans Russian and Belarusian grain transit through Baltic ports
The Estonian government enacted national sanctions on 1 October prohibiting the transit of grain from Russia and Belarus, closing off potential alternative routes for Moscow.
- Oct 1
Russia launches 107 drones at Ukraine as ground forces stall around Lyman
Ukrainian air defenses intercepted or jammed 87 incoming drones by 08:00, while overnight strikes injured two people across Kyiv and Odesa and killed a 50-year-old man in Mykolaiv.
- Oct 1
Romanian prosecutors detain USR official in €1.75 million military machinery export to Belarus
Romanian anti-organized crime prosecutors detained Alexandru Munteanu, vice president of USR Dâmbovița, over the alleged transfer of a €1.75 million dual-use lathe to a sanctioned Belarusian military manufacturer via front companies in Germany and Kazakhstan.
- Oct 1
United States exits Council of Europe anti-corruption watchdog GRECO
The United States has formally withdrawn from the Council of Europe's anti-corruption watchdog GRECO, citing annual membership costs and a policy pivot toward unilateral enforcement tools.
