Zelenskyj singled out some countries for significant praise

Zelensky’s presidential chief offers insights into Ukrainian domestic politics. Ukraine says Russia is carrying out heavy attacks. All information on news blog.

3:37 am: According to the Ukrainian military, several people were wounded in Russian airstrikes in the northeastern region of Kharkiv. Two people were taken to the hospital after the city of Kharkiv was hit by precision-guided munitions and several residential buildings were damaged, Mayor Ihor Terekov writes on the Telegram texting service. There were further attacks on the city, in which many buildings were damaged.

According to Governor Oleh Synyehubov, four people were wounded in subsequent attacks in the region. A residential building was damaged in Chuhuiv. Russia denies targeting civilians.

3:06 am: Russia said it intercepted 109 Ukrainian drones within its territory on Sunday. The Ministry of Defense announced on Monday that 45 drones were intercepted in the Bryansk region on the border between Belarus and Ukraine. 26 drones were intercepted over Belgorod and 18 drones were further intercepted in Tambo, 400 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. In Kursk, where the Ukrainian army launched a ground offensive, five drones were shot down, the ministry said.

In the city of Voronezh, one person was slightly injured when a drone crashed into an industrial building and caught fire, regional authorities said. According to the Defense Ministry, the military also intercepted drones in other regions.

Russia reports almost daily that it has intercepted Ukrainian drones, although usually in small numbers. Kiev has said the attacks, which have often targeted Russia’s energy infrastructure, are retaliation for Russian attacks.

9:28 pm: Ahead of a trip to the Nordic Council, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stressed the importance of support from countries in Northern Europe. “You all equally understand how important it is to act decisively,” the president said in a video message in Kiev. “They understand that they have to create problems for the aggressor, so that Russia loses the opportunity to disrupt life in the world.”

Zelenskiy is expected to attend a meeting of the Nordic Council in the Icelandic capital Reykjavik next Tuesday (October 29), the council said. The president says he wants to talk with Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Iceland about how to increase military and diplomatic pressure on Russia. Zelenskyy’s open insistence on the support of the Nordic countries could be seen as a pointer to other allies who are more reluctant to act, according to military experts. This includes the United States, but also Germany, which has so far refused to allow Ukraine to use long-range weapons on the Russian border. Read more about Putin’s threats here

Denmark, Finland and Sweden and the Baltic countries support Ukraine more with their economic power than Germany, according to data from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW). The Nordic countries also show less political concern for Moscow than for Berlin. Denmark invests directly in Ukrainian defense companies. Norway is also providing substantial aid. However, there are debates in the country as to whether this should be more, as Norway makes additional profits in the energy business due to a decline in Russian oil and gas exports.

4:42 PM: Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine’s presidential office, has announced that presidential elections will be held “immediately” after Russia’s war against Ukraine ends. It aims to make it possible for all soldiers and refugees to participate in the vote, he explains to the Italian newspaper “Corrie della Sera”. According to Yermak, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a clear statement: “He wants all soldiers and refugees abroad to vote. But now resources must go to war.”