Ukrainian authorities have evacuated 167 people from the Kherson region, according to a liveblog report, as refugees from the ruined city of Oleshky arrived in Ukraine. The evacuation was described as almost complete. A ceasefire in and around Oleshky had held since Tuesday morning and was due to last through Sunday. Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner Lubinez said the Oleshky experience and joint work with Russian Human Rights Commissioner Yana Lantratova showed that such agreements can genuinely help people. Lantratova thanked Melania Trump for mediating the ceasefire and organizing the process, saying there had been no incidents or disruptions. She added that people who had not registered and decided at short notice were also allowed to leave, and that Russian and Ukrainian ombudsmen jointly monitored the process. Separate transport for pets was provided.
Reports on the evacuation gave varying numbers. There was no concrete figure for the previous day's evacuation from Oleshky; reportedly more than 200 people left the city in the Russian-annexed Kherson region toward Ukraine, while dozens chose to go to Russian-controlled areas. Residents had been given the choice to leave or remain in the ruined city. Dozens of refugees were temporarily housed in Simferopol on the annexed Crimean peninsula before continuing their journey, and more than 1,000 people could still be living in Oleshky, which was cut off from the outside world. Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia said a group including Oleshky residents had set off for the Russian Black Sea town of Anapa; from there they would fly to Belarus and then travel home by bus. Belarus reported that refugees from Oleshky had arrived, and Russia said Oleshky refugees had been flown out on their way to Ukraine.
Zelensky was ready to meet Putin in Turkey, according to the report. He thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for support in the energy sector. Erdogan called attacks on commercial ships in the Black Sea unacceptable regardless of who carried them out, and said he and Zelensky had discussed shipping security. Erdogan said he would continue talks on the issue with all sides.
Steinmeier said Xi Jinping showed irritation when asked about a possible Ukraine summit and indicated that no preparation was under way for a meeting involving the United States, Russia and China. Steinmeier said Xi had stressed that this was a European conflict in which Europeans must have a seat at the table. Steinmeier, who met Xi in Beijing on Friday and has since returned to Berlin, spoke of the irritation visible on Xi's face. The remarks followed reports of a possible three-way summit on the margins of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference in mid-November. Putin had proposed such a meeting to discuss nuclear disarmament, and Trump had shown openness to it, saying he would also raise other topics such as Ukraine.
Moscow reported a drone attack on industrial enterprises, while Ukrainian media reported an attack on the Kstovo oil refinery, described as one of Russia's largest refineries producing fuels and lubricants. Ukraine said a Russian factory producing rocket fuel in southern Russia had been damaged in an operation using drones and Ukrainian Neptune missile systems. The facility is important for Russia's war effort because it produces fuel for military rockets, according to the report. Russia said two people were killed in drone attacks.
Zelensky said Russian attacks had caused massive power outages. In the Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions, electricity supply was cut to around 280,000 households. He described the situation as difficult and said the world could see Russia deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure every day. He argued that anyone who wanted to prevent Russian escalation from spreading further into Europe had to help Ukraine. According to Zelensky, further Russian attacks repeatedly interrupted repair work and caused new outages; he said Russia had taken no step toward de-escalation in the energy sector.
The US State Department approved a Patriot delivery to Ukraine, but the missiles still have to be produced and delivery was expected only in the 2030s. A person familiar with the decision said Ukraine's defense ministry was pressing the Pentagon to bring the delivery forward. One option would be for Kyiv to receive missiles from the US arsenal, which would later be replenished with new interceptors. Zelensky said earlier in the week that his country had waited nearly a month for approval of missile deliveries amid intensified Russian attacks on infrastructure, and he repeatedly urged the United States to speed up deliveries before winter.
Zelensky also said Ukraine was expanding its long-range drone capabilities. He reported on Facebook that Russian facilities from the Yamal Peninsula deep into Western Siberia were now within reach of Ukrainian long-range drones. He announced an expansion of long-range units and called Ukrainian long-range capabilities one of the real guarantees of the country's independence in the war, adding that they would remain a long-term security guarantee after the war.
Sources: FAZ.