Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine's battlefield position is the strongest it has been in some time, after his forces recaptured territory through a series of offensives.
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forces → say → offensives
Zelensky revealed details of the previously secret Operation Veles, where Ukrainian troops used underground gas pipelines to outflank Russian positions near Kupiansk in the northeast.
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troops → reveal → northeast
He also referred to an air assault operation in eastern Ukraine and Operation Vivaldi further north, aimed at preventing Russian advances in key areas.
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He → refer → areas
His remarks came as Finland's president and the Norwegian prime minister held a rare direct phone call with Russian president Vladimir Putin.
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president → come → Putin
Finnish president Alexander Stubb and Norway's Jonas Gahr Stoere spoke to Putin for around 90 minutes on Tuesday before holding a separate conversation with Zelensky.
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Stubb → speak → Zelensky
While Kyiv says it was involved in planning for the phone call, it has drawn criticism from other European leaders, many of whom are opposed to direct engagement with the Russian leader.
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many → say → leader
The Kremlin showed no indication of any softening in its position during the call, insisting that any lasting peace must "unconditionally" take Russia's interests into account.
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peace → show → account
Ukraine drone attack damages industrial infrastructure in Russia's Novomoskovsk, governor says
Falling debris from Ukraine's drones has damaged industrial infrastructure in Novomoskovsk in Russia's Tula region along with apartment buildings and private homes, regional governor Dmitry Milyayev said on Telegram.
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Milyayev → damage → Telegram
Officials from laboratories and from the public health safety watchdog were dispatched to the city, Milyayev said, without providing further details.
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Milyayev → dispatch → details
Russian drone strike injures five in Ukraine's Kharkiv, emergency service says
A Russian drone strike has injured five people in Ukraine's second biggest city of Kharkiv, Ukraine's emergency service said on Telegram, adding that a major fire sparked by the attack was extinguished.
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fire → injure → attack
Those injured included a 4-year-old child.
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Those → injure → child
France temporarily sends maritime patrol plane to Black Sea after cargo ship attacks
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France → send → attacks
France has temporarily relocated a maritime patrol aircraft to Romania to help identify navigation dangers and bolster the protection of critical energy infrastructure in the Black Sea, Romania's defence ministry said on Tuesday.
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ministry → relocate → Tuesday
At least eight cargo ships have been hit near the coast of Nato members Romania and Bulgaria in the past three weeks, with some 34 sailors reported dead or missing.
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sailors → hit → weeks
Romanian F-16 fighter jet pilots shot down two of the latest generation of Russian drones over Romanian territorial waters earlier this month, and Nato said it will send more maritime patrol aircraft, radar systems and drones to the Black Sea.
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it → shoot → Sea
France relocated its Atlantique 2 maritime patrol aircraft to the Mihail Kogalniceanu air base in Romania on 18 October.
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France → relocate → October
It will conduct surveillance missions over the western part of the Black Sea until 6 November.
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It → conduct → November
The purpose is "to identify dangers to navigation and increase the ability to protect critical infrastructure in Romania's exclusive economic zone", the ministry said
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ministry → identify → zone
Romania's defence ministry said the response from Nato and the French Navy added to measures enforced by Romanian naval forces including increased maritime patrol missions with ships, helicopters and drones.
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response → say → ships
Romanian naval forces are also continuously updating navigators about dangers and recommended routes, the ministry said.
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ministry → update → dangers
Recap: Finnish and Norwegian leaders hold rare call with Putin to urge end to Ukraine war
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leaders → hold → war
The leaders of Finland and Norway have held rare direct calls with Russian president Vladimir Putin, urging him to end the war in Ukraine as diplomatic efforts gain momentum ahead of fresh peace negotiations.
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efforts → hold → negotiations
Finnish president Alexander Stubb and Norwegian prime minister Jonas Gahr Stoere spoke to Putin for around 90 minutes on Tuesday before holding a separate conversation with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.
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Stubb → speak → Zelensky
The call marked a significant departure from the approach taken by most Western European leaders, who have largely avoided direct contact with the Kremlin since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
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who → mark → February
The outcome of this war will have a direct impact on our and the broader European security.
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outcome → have → our
Ending the war requires direct discussions,” Stubb said.
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Stubb → end → discussions
Stoere said he and Stubb had "stressed the importance of de-escalation."
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he → say → escalation
Both voiced strong support for Ukraine.
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Both → voice → Ukraine
The two leaders said the initiative was linked to planned peace talks between Russian, Ukrainian and US officials in Abu Dhabi next month.
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initiative → say → Dhabi
However, the Kremlin showed no indication of softening its demands, insisting that any lasting peace must fully take Russia's interests into account.
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peace → show → account
The diplomatic outreach also exposed divisions among European leaders, with Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen warning against countries acting alone and Sweden's Ulf Kristersson expressing little hope of a breakthrough.
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Kristersson → expose → breakthrough
Ukraine welcomed the initiative, saying the talks had been coordinated with Kyiv.
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talks → welcome → Kyiv
Zelensky touts Ukraine's strong battlefield position after recapturing territory
President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Kyiv’s battlefield position is the strongest it has been in some time after his forces retook territory through a series of offensives.
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forces → tout → offensives
It includes one operation previously unannounced in which Kyiv's troops used gas pipelines to outflank Russian positions.
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troops → include → positions
Zelensky, speaking in his nightly video address, cited a report by senior commanders to say that, for the first time, the "Veles" operation used pipelines in Ukraine's northeast.
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operation → speak → northeast
He also referred to an air assault operation in eastern Ukraine and the "Vivaldi" operation further to the north, designed to prevent Russian advances in key areas.
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He → refer → areas
He said Operation Veles was conducted near Kupiansk, a city in northeastern Kharkiv region recaptured by Ukrainian forces in late 2022, but which has been under constant Russian pressure.
"It is a strong operation, well planned and technology-driven.
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It → say → pressure
The Russians tried to use underground gas pipelines to advance past our positions," Zelensky said.
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Zelensky → try → positions
"Our fighters turned this tactic against the Russians and used the underground infrastructure against the occupiers with extraordinary success," he said.
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he → turn → success
In the Vivaldi offensive, one senior commander reported last month that Ukraine's Third Army Corps had cleared an area of 75 square kms (29 square miles) of Russian infiltration groups and recaptured a further 10 square kilometres.
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Corps → report → kilometres
…and 14 more, not listed.
The Aporia
