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The Kyiv Independent [unofficial]
Russia’s war against Ukraine
Flame engulfs the city administration building partially destroyed by a Russian airstrike on Nov. 1, 2026 in Kramatorsk, Ukraine. (Alex Nikitenko/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Ukraine’s air raid alert system hacked, Air Force says as false nuclear, chemical warnings sound. Ukraine’s air raid alert system was hacked late on Nov. 1, the Air Force said as sirens sounded across the country, falsely notifying people of nuclear, chemical, and street fighting threats.
Ukrainian forces evacuate civilians around Kherson Oblast during Oleshky ceasefire. 167 Kherson Oblast residents trapped on the right bank of the Dnipro River were evacuated to safer areas in the region. 22 children and 21 people with limited mobility were among the evacuated, the General Staff said.
Zelensky confirms attack on Russian rocket fuel factory, missile launcher system. “A ‘Pantsir-S2’ system and a command and control vehicle belonging to the S-400 ‘Triumph’ system were also struck,” Zelensky said, causing an estimated $70 million in damage.
Ukrainian forces reportedly strike oil facility in Russia’s Samara Oblast in overnight attack. Ukrainian monitoring channels reported that Ukrainian drones had struck the Samara Linear Production and Dispatch Station in the city of Prosvet, around 835 kilometers (520 miles) northeast of Ukraine’s border.
‘Suspicious object’ enters Latvian airspace near Belarus, Russia border. Less than an hour after the initial announcement, the Latvian military declared that the incursion had ended and the threat had left.
Read our exclusives
‘Life simply returned’ – Oleshky ceasefire gives Kherson short respite amid years of Russian terror.
From the initial eight months of brutal Russian occupation in 2022 — with all of the associated torture, looting and deportation — to Russia’s man-made flood caused by the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam, to the systematic “human safari” attacks targeting civilians by Russian drones that have gone on since 2024, Kherson has lived from horror to horror without a break until now.
Photo: Daria Litovchenko / The Kyiv Independent
Human costs of war
Russia suffers record troop losses in October, its worst month since full-scale invasion, Ukraine says. According to the data from the General Staff, Russia’s estimated losses reached 54,400 soldiers in October.
Russian attacks kill 1, injure 47 over past day, leaving hundreds of thousands without electricity. Russia continued its campaign against Ukraine’s energy grid ahead of winter, targeting infrastructure in at least four regions overnight and injuring three workers from the Ukrainian energy company DTEK.
Russian drone strike near school dormitory housing displaced people kills 13-year-old in Vinnytsia Oblast, injures more children. A Russian drone strike on the grounds of a vocational school dormitory in Vinnytsia Oblast killed two people, including a 13-year-old girl, on Nov. 1, the State Emergency Service reported.
International response
EU Commission backs Poland government over constitutional court crisis. “The appointment of eight new members of the Constitutional Tribunal lies within the constitutional power of the Sejm (Poland’s parliament),” a European Commission spokesperson told the Kyiv Independent.
U.S. National Cathedral holds special prayer for Ukrainian children. “Today it is something special because it is about Ukrainian children,” Denys Sienik, acting ambassador of Ukraine to the U.S., said. “Those children who are no longer with us, those children who have been kidnapped by Russia. And it is so important to draw attention, to raise public attention to the matter, and to send a message to all Ukrainian children that no one is forgotten.”
Tears and joy as Oleshky residents reunite with relatives in Ukraine
In other news
Foreign Minister Sybiha calls for Russian athlete travel ban as Moscow’s ice hockey return risks forcing Ukraine out. “I call on governments that have not lost their moral compass to deny Russian players entry to their territory,” said Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
’Tis the season to shop Ukrainian: Kyiv Independent launches 2026 Holiday Gift Guide
Our second annual Holiday Gift Guide is packed with hand-picked, Ukrainian-made finds for every taste and budget. Every purchase supports local designers, artisans, and entrepreneurs — so let your good taste do some good.
“You can’t tell Ukraine’s story without showcasing the country’s creativity and creators. As a huge fan (and shopper!) of Ukrainian brands, I couldn’t be more excited to put these names in front of the world.”
— Liliane Bivings,
Kyiv Independent business editor
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