Saturday, October 25. Russia’s War On Ukraine: News And Information From Ukraine

KHARKIV, UKRAINE – OCTOBER 22: Emergency workers rescue children after the Russian drone strike on a kindergarten in Kharkiv, Ukraine on October 22, 2025. (Photo by Ukranian Presidency / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Anadolu via Getty Images

Dispatches from Ukraine. Day 1,340.

Russian Attacks on Ukraine

Waves of Russian missiles and drones battered Ukraine overnight on October 22, killing six people, including two children, and wounding dozens more. The large-scale bombardment occurred just hours after reports that a planned meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump in Budapest, Hungary, had been canceled.

Russia’s barrage involved some 400 drones and 28 missiles, of which the Ukrainian Air Force intercepted and electronically jammed 349 projectiles; the rest pounded Kyiv and hit apartment blocks, hospitals and energy infrastructure in other major cities, triggering emergency power outages in most regions of Ukraine.

In the nation’s second biggest city, Kharkiv, three Russian Shahed drones slammed into a private kindergarten, killing one person and wounding seven others. Footage from the scene showed firefighters carrying children through thick smoke. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the strike, which destroyed the second floor of the building, writing on X: “There is no justification for a drone strike on a kindergarten, nor can there ever be.”

In addition, between October 21 and 23, Russian strikes killed at least nine people and wounded 94 others. The attacks occurred in the southern Kherson and eastern Donetsk provinces, and in the southeastern Zaporizhzhiacentral Dnipropetrovsk and northeastern Kharkiv regions.

New Sanctions against Russia

The U.S. imposed sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, on October 22. The new measures target Russia-based subsidiaries majority-owned by Rosneft and Lukoil, potentially barring them from conducting transactions in U.S. dollars. The Trump administration’s first direct targeting of Russia’s energy sector, a critical source of revenue for the Kremlin’s coffers, immediately reverberated through global energy markets: Brent crude rose 5% to $65.70 a barrel.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described the sanctioned oil firms as twin engines of “the Kremlin’s war machine” and called for an immediate ceasefire. He stated that the new sanctions were necessary in response to “President Putin’s refusal to end this senseless war” and added that the U.S. is prepared to take further action against Moscow if needed.

The sanctions will likely translate into revenue losses for Moscow: Rosneft and Lukoil have supplied roughly 60 percent of Russia’s crude sold to India, the largest buyer of discounted Russian seaborne crude oil since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Now, Indian refiners are poised to reduce imports to comply with the new sanctions. Reliance Industries, India’s top purchaser of Russian crude, plans to cut or halt purchases under its long-term Rosneft deal; meanwhile, other state refiners are reviewing trade documents to ensure that no supply comes directly from the sanctioned companies.

The timing of the sanctions follows a period of heightened tension between Trump and Putin. When the two leaders spoke on the phone before the summit plan was canceled, Trump expressed frustration over the war’s persistence. “Every time I speak with Vladimir, I have good conversations, and then they don’t go anywhere.” Speaking from the Oval Office, he described the sanctions as “tremendous,” but added, “We hope that they won’t be on for long.”

Putin, in turn, said that the canceled meeting with Trump is more likely “postponed” because it would have been a mistake to hold it without proper preparation. He also noted that the proposal to hold the summit in Budapest came from Trump and described the new U.S. sanctions as an attempt to put pressure on Russia.

In line with Washington, the EU announced its 19th package of sanctions. The measures complement Washington’s blow to Russia’s energy sector. They include a phased ban on Russian LNG, blacklisting more ships from Russia’s “shadow fleet” and blocking transactions with Rosneft and Gazprom Neft. EU officials say that the package shows unity with the U.S. and signals that Russia cannot exploit divisions between Europe and Washington for its gain.

Zelenskyy Backs Ceasefire, Freezing Lines

Although Trump and Putin now have no fixed plan for a meeting, Zelenskyy has announced that he supports Trump’s call for an immediate ceasefire with a freeze of military activity along the current front lines. Zelenskyy also expressed hope that a ceasefire might lead to direct negotiations between himself and Putin. Moscow so far has rejected a ceasefire.

Ukraine Action Summit in Washington, D.C.

On October 25, in Washington, D.C., the Seventh Ukraine Action Summithosted by the American Coalition for Ukraine (ACU), brought together policy experts, community leaders, and advocates to strengthen U.S. support for Ukraine.

The two-day conference, which drew over 700 registrants this year, features panels on security guarantees, the abduction of Ukrainian children by Russia, and other critical topics. With Advocacy Days scheduled this week on Capitol Hill to boost congressional support for Ukraine, the summit serves as a vital platform for mobilizing engagement and shaping U.S. policy toward Ukraine’s future.

Culture Front

Ukrainian and Latvian Artists Explore Art in Times of Turmoil in New Tribeca Show

Ukrainian-born, New York–based artist Zoya Frolova and Latvian-born artist Janis Jakobsons present an exploration of conflict and transformation through the lens of art at Mriya Gallery in Tribeca.

The featured works—created between 2012 and 2014 and exhibited together for the first time—resonate with today’s world, marked by turmoil and resilience. Frolova, who was born in Kharkiv and graduated from the Kharkiv State Academy of Art and Design, in some of her paintings replaces warships with paper boats, creating a striking symbolism of fragility and defiance.

A rare painting of Zaporizhstal—an industrial site and one of the largest steel plants in Eastern Europe, currently occupied by Russian forces—by renowned Kharkiv artist Vasyl Myronenko (1910–1964) is featured alongside paintings, installations, photography, and graphic works by Frolova and Jakobsons.

The exhibition, organized by Rukhartincludes artworks from Arthur K. Mann Sr.’s collection, which includes more than 20 of Myronenko’s color etchings, among others. The show is on view at Mriya Gallery, 101 Read Street, Tribeca, New York City, through November 5.

Zhadan’s Poetry Comes Alive in Bilingual Performance at Bowery Poetry Club

On October 21, the Bowery Poetry Club in New York City hosted a bilingual poetry evening presented by Yara Arts Group. The event spotlighted the work of renowned Ukrainian poet Serhiy Zhadan from Kharkiv, whose verses were performed in both Ukrainian and English.

New York poets Wanda Phipps, Alvin Eng, Pichchenda Bao, and Bob Holman shared original responses to Zhadan’s poetry, while Ukrainian poet Oksana Lutsyshyna offered her own poetic reflections. Ukrainian actress Svitlana Kosolapova gave voice to Zhadan’s Ukrainian texts.

Yara Arts and its founder, Virlyana Tkach, continue to bridge cultures and respond to the urgency of our times, bringing contemporary Ukrainian culture to a diverse audience in New York.

By Danylo Nosov, Alan Sacks