War in Ukraine timeline
Russia's war in Ukraine: the strikes on both sides, the sanctions and arms deliveries, the dispute over Starlink, and the talks towards a ceasefire.
33 timelines from the outlets of our US edition, 4 October to 9 November 2026, oldest first. Each one gathers the articles about one development, day by day.
Latest timeline: Russia and Ukraine batter each other with long-range strikes a day before US-brokered talks
- Germany's Merz visits Kyiv as Russia steps up attacks on Ukrainian cities
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Kyiv on Sunday 4 October to show support. His visit came as Russia was intensifying its attacks on Ukrainian cities, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer and ABC News.
- Ukraine claims attacks have knocked out over half of Russia's oil refining capacity
Ukraine claims its long-range strikes have taken out more than half of Russia's oil refining capacity, which it says affects the supply of troops and equipment in the war. Fortune reports that Vladimir Putin acknowledged the strikes had partly achieved their goal.
- Russia claims nearly 900 Ukrainian drones downed, fuel depot burns in Moscow region
Russia's Defense Ministry said its air defenses intercepted nearly 900 Ukrainian drones over multiple regions overnight, and a fuel depot in the Moscow region was reported to be burning.
- Russian strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities kill at least 25 civilians
Russian missiles and drones pounded Kyiv and a dozen other Ukrainian regions overnight into Wednesday in a major attack that Kyiv saw coming. The toll rose through the day, from two dead in the capital in early reports to at least 25 civilians killed, including five children, and about 100 injured in the latest report.
- Ukraine claws back land in the Donbas, thwarting a Russian push
Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said that the fall of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine is inevitable and will happen faster than Ukraine thinks, but recent trends paint a different picture. Ukraine has clawed back land in the Donbas, and Kyiv has so far stymied Russian efforts to encircle Ukrainian 'fortress belt' cities.
- Senators push the Trump administration to act swiftly on Russian sanctions to help Ukraine
Bipartisan leadership in the Senate is urging the Trump administration to act swiftly on Russian sanctions to help Ukraine. The push comes nearly a month after President Donald Trump signed a sweeping Russian sanctions bill named after Lindsey Graham.
- South Korea to recall its ambassador to Ukraine over a North Korean POW dispute
South Korea says it will recall its ambassador to Ukraine, stepping up its protest of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's recent revelation of a supposedly secret transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea.
- Russian strikes kill 3 in Ukraine as Kyiv struggles to counter escalating attacks
Russian strikes killed two people and wounded five more across Ukraine, officials said on Friday 9 October, and The Philadelphia Inquirer later reported three people killed and at least eight wounded. Ukraine is struggling to counter escalating Russian bombardments that have killed more than 50 people over the past three days, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
- Trump's Russian diesel deal: New Jersey's governor warns ports against accepting the shipments
President Donald Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin would 'immediately' release hundreds of thousands of tons of diesel fuel onto the global market, NBC News reported on October 9, the Treasury Department easing restrictions on Russian diesel shipments for six months, according to Fortune. Trump then blamed Zelenskyy for high U.S. diesel prices and claimed on October 11 that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to an 'energy ceasefire', while Zelenskyy said Russia had continued to strike Ukraine's energy facilities, and on October 13 the deal drew criticism from Republicans and Democrats in a frustrated Congress, a bipartisan group of senators calling it a 'betrayal' of Ukraine, according to CBS News. Ukraine resumed strikes on Russian oil refineries, NBC News reported on October 15, and CNBC reported on October 21 that the drone strikes had crippled the world's second largest diesel supplier. On October 23 the Kremlin said a first tanker carrying Russian diesel to the United States had set sail under a new import agreement, The Philadelphia Inquirer and ABC News reported, NBC News calling it the first shipment since Trump agreed the deal with Putin. On November 3 New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill warned port and terminal operators against accepting Russian diesel shipments authorized by the Trump administration, arguing that such imports would violate federal law, Bloomberg reported, CBS News saying that they could face criminal penalties.
- Russian strikes kill at least 17, including three children, in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region
Russian aerial bombs hit residential buildings in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region, killing seven people, including three children, and wounding at least 10, officials said on Saturday 10 October, according to ABC News and The Philadelphia Inquirer. The toll rose through the day to 11 killed, according to CBS News and The Philadelphia Inquirer, and then to 12 killed and at least 14 wounded, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, according to the Inquirer. The Inquirer later reported that Russian strikes had killed at least 15 people in the region, including three children, and then at least 17. The strikes came a day after President Trump announced a deal to buy Russian diesel that Kyiv warned would help bankroll Moscow's war in Ukraine, CBS News reported.
- Ukrainian drone attack shuts down a Yandex data center, the third strike in four days
A Ukrainian drone attack shut down a data center run by Russian technology giant Yandex, the company said on Sunday 11 October, the third strike on its facilities in four days, according to ABC News. Ukraine is stepping up its strikes on Russia's tech infrastructure as Kyiv widens its campaign against infrastructure inside Russia, ABC News reported.
- Starlink speed limits lifted, Ukraine disputes Elon Musk's claim that its military violated Starlink's terms
Ukrainian drones lost some of their fighting capacity after restrictions were suddenly imposed on the battlefield use of the country's U.S.-made Starlink terminals, officials said on October 14, PBS NewsHour reported, NBC News saying Ukraine accused Elon Musk's SpaceX of disrupting its military operations. On October 22 and 23 The Philadelphia Inquirer, ABC News, PBS NewsHour and Fortune reported mixed messages from the Trump administration on what led to the limits on Ukraine's Starshield access, and on October 24 ABC News and the Inquirer reported that Ukraine's military has regained full use of Starlink satellite links for its drones, according to the defense minister. On October 25 NBC News reported that Musk said SpaceX imposed limits on the use of Starlink in Ukraine the previous week, and Ukraine disputed Musk's claim that its military violated Starlink's terms by using it for offensive drone strikes, the Inquirer, PBS NewsHour, ABC News and CNBC reported. On October 26 Business Insider reported that Musk added that were Starlink to be turned off, the Ukrainian front line would collapse immediately, while two prominent Ukrainian drone figures said it was technically impossible for any of Kyiv's troops to have independently used Starlink in drone strikes. The Inquirer later reported that the Pentagon's watchdog is refusing a bipartisan request to investigate the recent disruptions to Starlink and Starshield service to Ukraine.
- German court rejects bid to end Ukrainian ex-officer's trial over Nord Stream pipeline blasts
A former Ukrainian army officer went on trial in Germany over the undersea explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines between Russia and Germany four years ago, The Philadelphia Inquirer and ABC News reported on 14 October. On 27 October, both outlets reported that a German court had rejected a defense request to end the trial of the former officer, who is accused of damaging the pipelines, built to carry Russian gas to Western Europe, in blasts four years ago.
- Russia strikes nine Ukrainian regions, wounding at least 15, as strain grows between Zelenskyy and Trump
Russian attacks on nine regions of Ukraine have caused emergency power outages and damaged homes, wounding at least 15 people, The Philadelphia Inquirer and ABC News reported on Friday 16 October, The Philadelphia Inquirer later saying the attacks knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of households as a new report shows a spike in civilian casualties. The latest aerial strikes on civilian targets came as fears mount that a sharp deterioration in relations between Ukraine and the United States this week could leave Ukraine further exposed to Russia's escalating aerial assaults as the bitter winter approaches, the LA Times and PBS NewsHour reported. The Philadelphia Inquirer said the tension between the U.S. and Ukrainian presidents raised the specter of further reductions in U.S. support for Ukraine's war effort.
- Trump's waiver of new Russia sanctions passed by Congress draws outrage from lawmakers of both parties
President Donald Trump signed an executive order putting on hold a sweeping new sanctions package targeting the Russian economy, telling Congress the pause was in the national interest, ABC News and The Philadelphia Inquirer reported, NBC News saying the order followed a deal to purchase diesel and Bloomberg that Trump waived massive tariffs linked to Russian energy exports mandated in a law Trump signed last month. The sanctions were part of legislation named after Senator Lindsey Graham, who died in July, The NY Times reported, and Fortune said Trump put the bill, passed by Congress with bipartisan support, on hold a month after signing it. Lawmakers from both parties blasted the order, PBS NewsHour reported, and Bloomberg said Republican members of Congress argued the move will help Moscow wage its war on Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged supporters to defend the sanctions, the Inquirer and ABC News reported, and Senator Darline Graham broke with Trump over the law championed by Lindsey Graham, the senator's late brother, The NY Times and the Inquirer reported. On 18 October NBC News reported that Trump faces new criticism, including from some in the Republican Party, for ordering sanctions relief for Russia, and on 19 October Bloomberg reported that Republican lawmakers blasted Trump for waiving new tariffs and sanctions on Russia, prompting the president to mount a defence against some of Trump's strongest allies on Capitol Hill.
- Russian missiles and drones hit Kyiv overnight, killing one person and injuring eight
The Philadelphia Inquirer and ABC News reported on Monday 19 October that Russian missiles and drones hit Kyiv overnight, killing one person and injuring eight others. Russia attacked Kyiv with ballistic missiles and drones, according to the two outlets.
- Pope Leo XIV urges humanitarian cooperation between Ukraine and Russia in a call with Zelenskyy
Pope Leo XIV has spoken by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, urging humanitarian cooperation between Ukraine and Russia, The Philadelphia Inquirer, the LA Times and ABC News reported on Monday 19 October. According to a Vatican statement cited by the LA Times, Leo recalled the 'grave situation' in Oleshky, in Ukraine's Kherson region, and told Zelenskyy about the Pope's request to Russian President Vladimir Putin for a humanitarian ceasefire.
- South Korea to withdraw some Kyiv embassy staff as the row over a POW transfer deepens
South Korea says it will withdraw some staff from its embassy in Kyiv, The Philadelphia Inquirer and ABC News reported on Tuesday 20 October. The move deepens a diplomatic row over Ukraine's announcement last month of a transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war that Seoul says was meant to be secret, according to the two outlets.
- Russian aerial blitz kills 9 in Ukraine as Zelenskyy meets U.S. and European officials in Norway
Russia unleashed another missile and drone blitz of civilian areas in Ukraine, killing at least nine people, PBS NewsHour and the LA Times reported on Tuesday 20 October, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met U.S. and European officials in Norway. Citing officials, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Russia had launched another missile and drone attack on Ukraine, with at least four, then at least seven and at least nine people killed, as Zelenskyy sought help in Norway. According to the LA Times, Zelenskyy said that for at least a week the country's military had not received early warnings about ballistic missiles aimed at the capital, and that such intelligence saves lives by allowing alerts to the public and giving military units time to try to intercept the missiles.
- Russia frees American Stephen Hubbard during a visit by US envoy Witkoff
Russia released American Stephen Hubbard, who was jailed for over four years on charges of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine, during a visit by US envoy Witkoff, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported on Wednesday 21 October, the Inquirer and the LA Times describing a retired American teacher. The Inquirer reported that Witkoff, on a visit to St. Petersburg, said Russia had released the imprisoned American man, and NBC News said state news agencies reported the release of Stephen Hubbard, 74, as the Trump envoy met with Putin, the latest sign of warmer ties with the Kremlin as Washington pressures Kyiv to agree to a deal that ends Moscow's war. Prosecutors said Hubbard had signed a contract with the Ukrainian military after Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022 and had fought alongside them until being captured two months later, according to the Inquirer.
- Putin agrees to resume trilateral talks with Kyiv and Washington next month, Kremlin says
President Vladimir Putin agreed on Wednesday 21 October to resume trilateral negotiations with Washington and Kyiv on ending the war in Ukraine, a Kremlin official said, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer, PBS NewsHour and the LA Times. The talks are to resume next month, according to the Inquirer and PBS NewsHour, and Fortune reported that Putin agreed 'in principle' but still isn't 'fully satisfied' with proposals, Putin's foreign affairs advisor Yuri Ushakov saying the talks will focus on 'building a security system for Russia and Ukraine after the conflict ends'. The Inquirer wrote that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has insisted that only a summit of leaders can break the impasse, the two armies remaining locked on the battlefield.
- Ukraine's strikes on Russian data centers disrupt key services and derail AI research
Ukraine's strikes on Russian data centers are disrupting key services and derailing AI research in a country that prides itself on its digital advances, from an extensive e-commerce services sector to ambitious plans for developing artificial intelligence, The Philadelphia Inquirer and ABC News reported on Thursday 22 October. Fortune reported that data centers are the latest targets of Ukraine and Russia's aerial campaigns against each other's vital infrastructure, its headline saying Ukraine is wiping out data centers across the border and quoting the words 'This effectively sets Russia far behind in the AI race'.
- Russia pounds Kyiv after agreeing to peace talks as Moscow says over 800 Ukrainian drones downed
Russia pounded Ukraine's capital Kyiv with missiles and drones hours after agreeing to peace talks, The Philadelphia Inquirer and ABC News reported on Thursday 22 October. Ukrainian authorities said the Russian attacks on Kyiv with ballistic missiles and drones killed one person and injured 22, according to the two outlets. Later that day, The Philadelphia Inquirer and PBS NewsHour reported that the Russian military said it intercepted more than 800 Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow and other Russian cities, PBS NewsHour describing Russia's bombardment of Kyiv with ballistic missiles as an hourslong nighttime barrage.
- Melania Trump hosts Russian and Ukrainian officials at the White House to mark the Oleshky ceasefire
First lady Melania Trump brokered a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the war-ravaged, Russian-occupied city of Oleshky to allow for humanitarian aid and the evacuation of civilians, the White House announced on Friday 23 October, The Philadelphia Inquirer and PBS NewsHour reported. The localized truce took effect on Tuesday 27 October and was due to last through Sunday, and on Friday 30 October Russian and Ukrainian officials entered the city on a humanitarian mission as evacuations began, according to the Inquirer, the LA Times, PBS NewsHour and NBC News. Evacuees who traveled by bus and plane through Russia and Belarus reached Ukraine, PBS NewsHour and CBS News reported on Saturday 31 October, and on Sunday 1 November civilians in the Kherson region prepared for the return of war as the ceasefire ended, according to the Inquirer and ABC News. On Thursday 5 November Melania Trump hosted delegations from Russia and Ukraine at the White House, praising the countries for choosing 'humanity over war', NBC News reported, Vladimir Putin's special envoy Kirill Dmitriev thanking the first lady for a 'distinguished humanitarian role', according to the LA Times. President Donald Trump met with Dmitriev at the White House but not with the Ukrainian officials who were also visiting, Trump said, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Bloomberg and PBS NewsHour.
- U.N.-backed inquiry says Russia committed war crimes in Ukraine by attacking its energy grid
A U.N.-backed inquiry is reporting that Russia committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine by intentionally attacking energy infrastructure, which left millions of people without electricity and heat in freezing temperatures, ABC News reported on Tuesday 27 October. The inquiry also found evidence that Russia recruited men from 29 countries into its armed forces 'through deception or coercion' to fight in Ukraine in violation of international law, the LA Times reported.
- US approves a $2.1 billion sale of 500 Patriot interceptors to Ukraine after an alleged holdup
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to sign deals ordering the transfer of Patriot air-defense missiles from third countries to Kyiv before winter, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday 28 October. On Friday 30 October the Trump administration approved a $2.1 billion sale of Patriot missiles to Ukraine after Zelenskyy accused the US of delaying shipments of the interceptors, Bloomberg reported, NBC News citing a State Department statement, ABC News calling it a proposed sale and The Philadelphia Inquirer and the LA Times a proposed sale approved after an alleged holdup. The State Department said 500 Patriot missiles are being purchased for Ukraine with donations from Canada, Germany and Norway through a U.S. program and that no American funds were involved, the LA Times reported, and CBS News wrote on 31 October that Zelenskyy urged allies to speed up deliveries of the munition.
- Ukraine and Russia report cyberattacks on their emergency alert apps, Zelenskyy confirms Ukraine hacked back
Official alert apps in Ukraine and Russia sent out false nuclear-threat warnings to millions of users on Sunday 1 November, as both sides said their systems were compromised, Business Insider reported, NBC News writing that Ukrainians received a wave of messages warning of nuclear danger, radiation threat and street combat, and CBS News that the two countries' apps were hacked just hours apart. Authorities in Ukraine and Russia have reported cyberattacks on their emergency alert apps, The Philadelphia Inquirer and ABC News reported on Monday 2 November, Bloomberg writing that the two countries said they faced cyberattacks on emergency and air raid alert systems, and the LA Times reported that Russian authorities said hackers had sent fake emergency alerts after gaining access to the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry's mobile app. PBS NewsHour reported that it was not clear if the attacks on Russia and Ukraine late Sunday were related, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy then confirmed in an interview with PBS News that Ukraine hacked Russia's emergency alert system after Russia seemingly attacked Ukraine's alert system overnight.
- Death toll hits 31 after Russian strike on Ukrainian aid site, with dozens still missing
Russian bomb attacks on an aid distribution center and a neighboring shelter in southern Ukraine killed 18 people, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday 2 November, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported, and Bloomberg reported that the Russian air strike on a humanitarian aid center killed at least 24 people, according to the authorities, adding to a pattern of recent attacks that have caused mounting civilian casualties. The strike in the Zaporizhzhia region came a day after a brief humanitarian truce ended in neighboring Kherson, The NY Times reported, headlining that it killed dozens. On Tuesday 3 November the death toll from the Russian attack rose to 29, with 48 people still missing, the Inquirer and ABC News reported, and then to 31, with dozens still missing, according to the Inquirer.
- Russian strikes on critical infrastructure disrupt water and power in Kyiv
Russian attacks on critical infrastructure have caused power and water outages in Kyiv and surrounding areas, ABC News reported on Wednesday 4 November, the outages having lasted hours. ABC News headlined that the Russian strikes disrupt water and power in Kyiv as rescuers still search for survivors in the south.
- Russia and Ukraine trade airstrikes as reconstruction and security talks resume in Brussels
Ukraine and its European allies discussed the war-ravaged country's economic recovery during talks with US officials in Brussels on Wednesday 4 November, Bloomberg reported, headlining that the US and allies talk Ukraine recovery ahead of a Russia meeting. On Thursday 5 November Russia and Ukraine traded damaging airstrikes as talks resumed in Brussels to discuss Ukraine's post-war reconstruction and security guarantees, The Philadelphia Inquirer and ABC News reported, the LA Times writing that Ukraine launched hundreds of drones at Russian targets and that the Russian Defense Ministry said its forces shot down nearly 500 drones overnight. On Friday 6 November, the LA Times reported that Ukraine's president says the Ukrainian government is seeking specific security guarantees from Western allies for post-war support, PBS NewsHour headlining that Zelenskyy pushes for 'clear' postwar security guarantees and writing that Zelenskyy emphasized the need for clear, tangible results on paper.
- Drone and missile attacks wound 9 as Ukraine prepares for talks with Russia and the US
Missile explosions struck Kyiv on Saturday 7 November, injuring at least five people, as Ukraine prepares for new talks with Russia and the United States, The Philadelphia Inquirer and ABC News reported, the two outlets headlining that missiles target Kyiv and injure 5. Drone and missile explosions wounded at least nine people across Ukraine that day, as Kyiv and Moscow prepared for new talks next week with the United States, the Inquirer and the LA Times later reported, the Inquirer headlining that the attacks wound 9. Zelenskyy says Russia is stepping up attacks ahead of the talks, CBS News reported, negotiators from Russia, Ukraine and the U.S. being due to meet on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi for talks aimed at ending the war.
- Russia targets emergency crews in southern Ukraine as more than 600,000 are left without power
A Russian drone struck emergency workers on rescue missions in southern Ukraine, The Philadelphia Inquirer and ABC News reported on Sunday 8 November, the two outlets headlining that Russia targets emergency crews at the site of a deadly strike. President Volodymyr Zelensky called the attack on emergency crews in Komyshuvakha 'absolute cynicism and brutality' in a post on X, the Inquirer later reported. More than 600,000 were left with no power in Ukraine after strikes, authorities said, CBS News reported, Ukraine having been bracing for Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure ahead of winter.
- Russia and Ukraine batter each other with long-range strikes a day before US-brokered talks
Russia and Ukraine battered each other with long-range strikes a day before US-brokered talks, The Philadelphia Inquirer and ABC News reported on Monday 9 November. Russia has hit Ukraine's power grid again, while Ukrainian forces targeted a major Russian oil refinery, the two outlets reported. PBS NewsHour, headlining that Russia and Ukraine exchange strikes a day before U.S.-brokered talks are scheduled to begin, wrote that President Donald Trump mentioned in a '60 Minutes' interview that the two sides are 'very close' to a deal.
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