Russia has knocked out power to swathes of Ukraine after launching mass strikes on the country’s energy infrastructure on Tuesday.
The latest attacks come after at least 33 people were killed when Russia bombed a school being used for aid distribution in the village of Komyshuvakha on Monday.
Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko described the situation with power in the capital as “extremely difficult” and said the attacks “create a threat not only to Ukraine but also to nuclear safety throughout Europe.”
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had launched 289 drones, 17 ballistic missiles and 59 cruise missiles overnight, hitting power plants and substations from the Black Sea port of Odesa in the south to Rivne in the west.
It comes a week before US-brokered peace talks are due to resume in Abu Dhabi.
First lady Melania Trump will also host officials from Moscow and Kyiv in the White House on Thursday, where she will deliver remarks on the ceasefire in the Ukrainian town of Oleshky, which she was involved in brokering.
The White House said the event represented “an extraordinary moment in American history”.
Over the weekend, the Kremlin invited President Zelensky to Moscow - not for the first time - in a move the Ukrainian president branded “destructive”.
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Key Points
- Russia knocks out power to swathes of Ukraine in energy grid bombardment
- UK and European forces ‘will shoot back at Russians if provoked’
- British troops join training exercises preparing for Ukraine peace
- Death toll rises to 31 after Russian attack on aid centre
- Hacked alert apps blast fake nuclear and chemical warnings across Ukraine and Russia
Crimea orders power cuts after 'accident'
03:00 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarCrimea has enforced power cuts after an accident outside the region, Oleg Kryuchkov, an adviser to its Russia-installed governor, said on Telegram.
The cause of the incident in the peninsula Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014 was not immediately clear.
A drone attack in the nearby Adygeya Republic, close to the city of Krasnodar in Russia's south, set fire to a logistics hub of Russian retailer Ozon, the company said.
Russian strike on school kills at least 31 in Ukraine village
02:30 , Jane Dalton
Russian strike on school kills at least 31 in Ukraine village
Europe must grow as US shrinks, Zelensky says
02:00 , Jane DaltonPresident Zelensky has thanked Germany for its support, and warned that as the United States’ role in the world shrinks, Europe’s role must become even greater.
In an address at the Berlin Security Conference, he said: “Without America, thousands and thousands more Ukrainians would have been killed by Russian strikes. And millions more would have become refugees. That’s why we always thank America. And we mean it.”
In an apparent reference to Donald Trump, who once accused Mr Zelensky of not being grateful enough, he added: “Even when we say thank you many times in one speech. Just to make sure those who sometimes feel we haven’t thanked them enough can hear us.”
He went on: “But we also know that without Europe, Ukraine would not have survived. Without Germany and other European countries, without the EU. The Russians would have burned down far more of our cities and villages if it were not for your help.
“The United States’ role in the world may become even smaller. So Europe’s role in the world must become even greater. And without Germany, this is impossible.Without you, freedom will surely lose.
“Freedom and security in Europe have no alternative to your commitment and your strength. Europe has no alternative to Germany. Please remember that.”
Without America, thousands and thousands more Ukrainians would have been killed by Russian strikes. And millions more would have become refugees. That’s why we always thank America. And we mean it. Even when we say thank you many times in one speech. Just to make sure those who… pic.twitter.com/rg6cOnJbse
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 3, 2026
Poland thwarts Russian ‘provocation’ on border, says Tusk
01:00 , Jane Dalton
Poland thwarts Russian ‘provocation’ on border, says Tusk
Displaced Ukrainian pupils in UK to be offered GCSE in their language
00:01 , Jane DaltonPupils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will soon be able to study a Ukrainian GCSE, the UK’s Department of Education has announced.
Aimed at young people displaced by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the new qualification, from 2028, hopes to help pupils preserve their cultural heritage.
The decision follows reports that the number of people taking Russian GCSEs had spiked in recent years, potentially because Ukrainian pupils were encouraged to take it, in the absence of a Ukrainian qualification.
It was reported last year that Ukrainian officials were “deeply concerned” at potentially retraumatising displaced teenagers by pushing them to learn Russian.
Education secretary Lucy Powell said it was right for Ukrainians and their children to have every opportunity to maintain a connection to their heritage.
Russia knocks out power to swathes of Ukraine
Tuesday 3 November 2026 23:30 , Harriette BoucherRussia pounded Ukraine’s energy infrastructure with dozens of missiles and hundreds of drones on Tuesday.
It follows a deadly strike on a school being used for aid distribution in the village of Komyshuvakha on Monday, which killed at least 33 people.
The latest attacks have knocked out power to swathes of the country and DTEK, Ukraine's largest private generating company, said three of its five thermal power plants had been knocked offline as a result.
Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko described the situation with power in the city as “extremely difficult.”
He said the attacks “create a threat not only to Ukraine but also to nuclear safety throughout Europe.”
Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had launched 289 drones, 17 ballistic missiles and 59 cruise missiles overnight, hitting power plants and substations from the Black Sea port of Odesa in the south to Rivne in the west.
Nuclear plant worker killed by Ukrainian drone, says Russia
Tuesday 3 November 2026 23:00 , Jane DaltonBosses at Ukraine's Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant say a Ukrainian drone has killed two people in a car, including a female employee.
A statement said the employee was the third killed in the past two weeks and the 13th since April.
"Attacks on civilian cars, killing `of peaceful people - this is targeted terrorism. People must not become targets," the statement said. Ukraine did not comment.
Russian forces seized the plant, Europe's largest with six reactors, in the first weeks of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. Each side has since regularly accused the other of military actions that compromise nuclear safety.
The UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said last week that an employee at the plant had been killed.
Investigation launched into clashes at military dormitory
Tuesday 3 November 2026 22:00 , Jane DaltonUkraine is investigating clashes that erupted late on Monday between protesters and authorities at a military dormitory near Kyiv, officials say.
They said they believed the clashes had been engineered to discredit Ukraine's war effort.
A crowd of around 100 people reportedly gathered at a National Guard base housing nearly two dozen new draftees and soldiers brought back from unauthorised leave, following social media reports of alleged torture and violence against recruits there.
Some members of the crowd attacked service personnel and police who had arrived at the scene, authorities said.
The National Guard commander and President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff visited the site.
State investigators and the military ombudsman's office said they were trying to determine how the 22 men, four of whom required medical attention, had been drafted or detained after taking the unauthorised leave.
Ukraine's draft has been marred by reports of abuse and corruption — frequently amplified by Russian social media and state outlets. Conscription officers and centres have also been attacked.
The deputy head of Ukraine's domestic security service said the incident had been engineered to free one of the men and spark a public outcry, news agency Interfax Ukraine reported.
Investigators have opened a criminal case on charges of mass riots and impeding the work of the military, Ukraine's national police chief said.
At the same briefing, Ukraine's interior minister said the allegations of torture at the military dormitory were fake, Interfax reported.
Russia must be serious about peace, Merz says
Tuesday 3 November 2026 21:00 , Jane DaltonRussia must show it is serious about a ceasefire and peace agreement with Ukraine at talks scheduled for next week in Abu Dhabi, German chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Tuesday as he hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Berlin.
Mr Merz said a new round of talks between negotiators from Ukraine, the United States and Russia was the right step to help bring fighting to an end and that it was essential that Europe be part of the process.
"But I would also say it is important for Russia to finally engage in serious negotiations on a ceasefire and a subsequent peace agreement. I have not seen any sign of this so far," he said.
The meeting in Abu Dhabi, on November 10 and 11 — the first direct Ukraine-Russia talks since February — is expected to discuss security guarantees, an "energy ceasefire" and a truce in the Black Sea to guarantee food exports, Mr Zelensky said.
Watch: Death toll rises to 26 after Russian strike on Ukraine humanitarian aid centre
Tuesday 3 November 2026 20:01 , Maira ButtRussia bombards Ukraine power grid, day after killing 33 people
Tuesday 3 November 2026 19:00 , Jane DaltonRussia has bombarded Ukraine's energy infrastructure in waves, knocking out power to swathes of the country with dozens of missiles and hundreds of drones, a week before US-brokered peace talks are due to resume.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said at least 33 people had been killed on Monday when Russia twice bombed a school now being used for aid distribution in the village of Komyshuvakha, near the front line in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region. About 50 people were still believed to be buried under the rubble, he said.
Russian officials said Ukraine, for its part, had set fire overnight to a major oil refinery in the city of Yaroslavl.
The attacks, less than two days after the end of a brief humanitarian truce in the Russian-controlled town of Oleshky agreed with the help of US first lady Melania Trump, did not bode well for the talks that the US has scheduled for Abu Dhabi on November 10-11.
Moscow said its forces had targeted Ukrainian military units in areas around Komyshuvakha and two other settlements in the Zaporizhzhia region.
It said that up to 25 Ukrainian servicemen had been killed, while 15 vehicles and an electronic warfare station were also destroyed.
Mr Zelensky said the attack showed Moscow was intent on killing people instead of building on the humanitarian ceasefire in Oleshky.
In pictures: Zelensky and his team in Berlin
Tuesday 3 November 2026 18:00 , Alex Croft
Full story: Russian strike on school kills at least 31 in Ukraine village
Tuesday 3 November 2026 17:00 , Maira ButtRussian forces struck a school being used as an aid distribution point in Ukraine, killing at least 31 people in the village, according to a regional official.
Russia bombed the village, located near the frontline in Ukraine’s southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia on Monday.
Acting head of the Regional Military Administration of Zaporizhzhia, Mykhailo Semikin said that five people were injured in the strikes and almost 50 people were still to be found in the village of Komyshuvakha.
Russian strike on school kills at least 31 in Ukraine village
Watch: Zelensky warns Russia is banking on US midterms to launch major attack on Ukraine
Tuesday 3 November 2026 16:30 , Maira ButtRussia must show it is serious about ceasefire in Abu Dhabi, says Merz
Tuesday 3 November 2026 16:01 , Alex CroftRussia must show it is serious about a ceasefire and peace agreement at talks in Abu Dhabi next week, Friedrich Merz said in Berlin on Tuesday.
The German chancellor was speaking during a joint press conference with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, who he was hosting.
EU to host talks on Ukraine with United States and others on Wednesday
Tuesday 3 November 2026 15:00 , Maira ButtThe European Commission is to host a meeting on Ukraine with representatives from the United States, Ukraine and its key European allies on Wednesday, Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho said on Tuesday.
“So tomorrow the European Commission will host a meeting with representatives from Ukraine, from the United States, France, Germany, the UK, Nato and the World Bank and this meeting will build on earlier talks that took place in Miami,” Pinho told reporters in Brussels.
A source familiar with the plan told Reuters that representatives of Ukraine, US and European allies will discuss a prosperity plan and security guarantees.
American special envoy Steve Witkoff had earlier said that the meeting was to take place in Brussels.
The United States will then bring together delegations from Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11 to discuss ending Moscow's war against Ukraine, post-war security agreements and de-escalation, Witkoff added.
Russia has no current advantage on the frontline in its war in Ukraine, says Zelensky
Tuesday 3 November 2026 14:28 , Alex CroftAs we’ve been reporting, Volodymyr Zelensky has just finished speaking in a press conference alongside German chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Mr Zelensky said that the situation on the front lines was complicated but under control.
He reiterated his call for more air defence supplies to protect Ukrainian cities far from the front lines.
Melania Trump to host officials from Moscow and Kyiv at White House
Tuesday 3 November 2026 14:10 , Maira ButtMelania Trump is to bring together Russian and Ukrainian representatives in order to initiate “engagement between the two warring nations”, according to the White House.
“First Lady Melania Trump will personally bring representatives of Russia and Ukraine, two nations actively at war, together at the White House,” read a statement on the White House website on Tuesday.
“This event represents an extraordinary moment in American history.
“Mrs. Trump independently initiated engagement between the two warring nations and successfully secured a ceasefire in Oleshky and the surrounding Kherson region. This achievement marks an unprecedented diplomatic initiative by an American First Lady.
“First Lady Melania Trump will deliver remarks on the ceasefire in Oleshky at 11:00 am ET on Thursday, November 5, 2026, at the White House.”
Ukraine-Russia-US talks to be held on 10 and 11 November
Tuesday 3 November 2026 14:13 , Alex CroftNegotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the US will meet in Abu Dhabi on November 10 and 11,
President Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed that negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the US will meet in Abu Dhabi on 10 and 11 November.
Security guarantees, an "energy ceasefire" and a truce in the Black Sea to guarantee food exports will be discussed, Mr Zelensky told a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin.
The meeting in Abu Dhabi will be the first direct, three-way talks since February.
Norway to invest $107 million in Ukraine
Tuesday 3 November 2026 13:00 , Maira ButtNorway's government said on Tuesday that it is setting aside 1 billion Norwegian crowns ($107,60 million) for investments in Ukraine to be made in partnership with the Nordic country's business sector.
Russian foreign minister Lavrov meets with OSCE secretary general
Tuesday 3 November 2026 12:30 , Maira ButtRussia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov held a meeting with the secretary general of the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe), according to Russia’s TASS news agency.
The meeting with Feridun Sinirlioglu on Tuesday happened on the sidelines of a security conference in the Belarusian capital of Minsk, TASS said, without providing further details.
Talks ongoing for first ever Trump, Putin and Xi meeting later this month – report
Tuesday 3 November 2026 11:55 , Adam Withnall
Trump, Putin and Xi ‘could hold first ever trilateral meeting this month’
