Humanitarian operations have officially commenced in Olechky, located in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine, following a ceasefire that has been in effect for more than three days. Ukrainian MP David Arakhamia, a key negotiator close to President Volodymyr Zelensky, announced on Telegram that both evacuations and the distribution of food aid have begun. The Ukrainian delegation arrived safely in the city, where Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets is currently coordinating with residents to assess their needs. Russian Human Rights Commissioner Iana Lantratova also confirmed her presence in Olechky, stating that civilians wishing to travel to either Russia or Ukraine are boarding buses to leave the town.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky reported that 527 people from Olechky are currently returning to Ukrainian territory via a complex route through Belarus. These evacuees will undergo preliminary medical examinations in the Chernihiv and Kyiv regions before being distributed to various parts of the country, where reception facilities have been prepared. While exact figures for the total number of evacuees remain unavailable, Koretsky noted that rescue operations are ongoing and official data will be released once the process is complete. A total of 25 buses with a capacity of 750 seats, along with ambulances for people with reduced mobility, have been mobilized for the mission.
Amidst these humanitarian efforts, Russia launched a massive attack involving missiles and drones overnight against Kyiv and several other regions, including Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Poltava, Chernihiv, and Volhynia. The strikes primarily targeted energy infrastructure, causing significant power outages. In the Dnipropetrovsk region, over 200,000 households were left without electricity after attacks damaged the grid in the city of Dnipro. Mayor Borys Filatov reported that the entire city was plunged into darkness, halting all electric public transport. Although regional military administrator Oleksandr Hanja stated that power had been restored for the majority of consumers, the private utility provider DTEK confirmed that emergency outages continued due to severe damage to equipment.
The Ukrainian General Staff reported conducting multiple strikes against Russian military targets in Russia and occupied Ukrainian territories over Thursday and Friday. These operations included hitting an Iskander-M ballistic missile launcher near Fatej in the Kursk region of Russia, as well as ammunition depots and logistics hubs in the Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Luhansk regions. The Ukrainian military stated that destroying repair units complicates the restoration of damaged equipment for Russian forces, while losses at ammunition depots reduce their firepower.
Casualties were reported on both sides of the front lines. In Russia's Bryansk region, Governor Yegor Kovalchuk announced that a 19-year-old man was killed by a Ukrainian drone strike on a house in Navlia. He also claimed that drones deliberately targeted social infrastructure in the Bezhitsky district, dropping explosives near schools and kindergartens, though these reports could not be independently verified. In Ukraine, at least four people were killed and 14 injured in a Russian bombing of Izyum in the Kharkiv region, where a five-story building was partially destroyed by guided bombs. Additionally, a 43-year-old woman was killed and eight others wounded in Chystka, Sumy region, following a drone attack on a civilian enterprise.
Regarding territorial control, data from the Institute for the Study of War indicates that Russia has lost approximately 90 square kilometers of occupied Ukrainian territory since the beginning of October 2026. Russian forces currently control about 116,360 square kilometers, representing 19.28% of Ukraine's total area. Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed to have struck numerous targets supporting the Ukrainian military, including industrial facilities, logistics centers, and eleven cargo ships allegedly transporting arms and dual-use goods.
Sources: Le Monde.