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European shares advanced for a fourth day, set for their longest winning streak since July, fueled by hopes

Extensive mines and explosives in Ukraine have killed more than 260 civilians and injured another 571 during Russia’s 20-month-old invasion, Kyiv’s military officials have said. Around 174,000sq km of Ukraine, making up about a third of its territory, has been potentially strewn with mines or dangerous war detritus, estimates from Kyiv officials showed. The 571 injuries have occurred in more than 560 incidents that involve mines or explosive objects left behind in the fighting between Russian and Ukrainian troops, the country’s General Staff of the Armed Forces said on its official Telegram channel on Wednesday. Almost a quarter of these incidents have happened in fields, the military official said. Mines planted by Vladimir Putin’s forces have heavily damaged war-stricken Ukraine and played a significant role in stalling Ukraine’s counteroffensive. Russian soldiers in the eastern and southern parts of the battlefield, where the counteroffensive has continued, have mined vast swathes of land. In July, Ukraine said an area the size of Arizona needs to be cleared of mines. The explosives will pose a threat long after the fighting stops. The latest mine-related injuries occurred on Wednesday in the southern Mykolaiv region after two farmers attempted to resume their occupation in an area considered to be contaminated with mines. Their tractor struck an unidentified explosive and injured both the men, the interior ministry said. “One of them had two legs amputated, the other refused to be taken to hospital after being examined,” the ministry said. The war-hit nation has also highlighted a critical need of sappers or combat engineers. The country now has about 3,000 specialists, but needs 7,000 more to fully clear all the mines, Ukrainian prime minister Denys Shmyhal was quoted as saying by Suspilne media. This would need $37bn (£30.3bn) in funding to de-mine territories – a sum Kyiv seeks from its international allies. Read More Italian PM tells pranksters posing as diplomats of ‘fatigue’ over Ukraine More than 900 of Putin’s soldiers killed in past 24 hours, claim Ukraine officials Ukraine suffers most intense bombardment of Russian shelling this year, Kyiv says

Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni told Russian pranksters posing as African diplomats that there is "a lot of fatigue" over the war in Ukraine. In a 13-minute recording released by pranksters “Vova and Lexus”, Ms Meloni claimed that Kyiv’s counteroffensive “didn’t change the destiny of the conflict” and that the time is approaching when Europe will “need a way out". The Italian PM believed she was speaking to senior African Union officials in the call on 18 September, a day before the United Nations General Assembly in New York, but her office later admitted that she “had been deceived”. They also confirmed the authenticity of the audio published by Vova and Lexus, whose real names are Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexei Stolyarov, on Wednesday. During the interview, Ms Meloni said: “Everybody understands that [the war in Ukraine] really could last many years if we don’t try to find some solutions.” Speaking in English, she added: “I see that there is a lot of fatigue, I have to say the truth, from all the sides. “We (are) near the moment in which everybody understands that we need a way out. “The problem is to find a way out which can be acceptable for both without destroying the international law. “I have got some ideas about how to manage this situation, but I am waiting for the right moment to put on the table these ideas that I have got.” Mr Kuznetsov and Mr Stolyarov are prominent in Russia and have pranked numerous world leaders, including Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau in 2020. Sir Elton John, Ben Wallace and the Duke of Sussex have also been tricked into giving up controversial opinions in phone conversations. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, without mentioning the audio clip of Ms Meloni, said in his nightly address on Wednesday that Europe was a continent of “cooperation, not disagreements”. “We value our Europe, the Europe of cooperation, not confrontation, the Europe of people, not ideologies, because only in this way can our continent protect and defend human lives both in European countries and in the world,” he said. “I am confident that Ukraine will make our Europe stronger than ever, and we are working actively to remove any obstacles to our accession to the European Union. “I am also confident that no matter how events unfold in the world, among our partners in the United States and elsewhere, unity will prevail. Unity, not division. Unity, not calls for isolation.” Mikhail Podolyak, an advisor to Mr Zelensky, suggested in a statement to X, formerly Twitter, that European fatigue, and its apparent resultant willingness to negotiate a ceasefire, was “absolute propaganda fiction promoted only by authoritarian regimes similar to the Russian one”. Read More More than 900 of Putin’s soldiers killed in past 24 hours, claim Ukraine officials Ukraine says more than 260 civilians killed after stepping on mines and explosives Ukraine suffers most intense bombardment of Russian shelling this year, Kyiv says North Korea has likely sent missiles as well as ammunition and shells to Russia, Seoul says Putin’s troops ‘trying to regroup’ for attacks on besieged town - live Putin is expected to seek reelection in Russia, but who would run if he doesn't?

At least 930 Russian soldiers have been killed in Ukraine in the past 24 hours, Kyiv’s officials claimed. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in its battlefield update on Thursday morning also claimed Vladimir Putin has lost approximately 302,420 military personnel since the invasion began on 24 February last year. The Independent has not been able to verify claims of the battlefield casualties. Kyiv claimed that in addition to the casualties, 43 armoured vehicles, 42 artillery systems, 18 of Russia’s tanks and one aircraft had also been damaged in the same period. Russia has not confirmed the total personnel losses it has suffered in Ukraine. Similarly, Ukraine has also not confirmed its own military personnel losses in the continuing war. This comes as Ukraine attacked Russian positions over the Black Sea and Crimea in an early morning attack on Thursday. The Russian ministry of defence said its air defence shot down six aircraft-type drones over the region, of which five were shot down over Crimea. The fighting has intensified on five fronts of the battlefield in the past day, Ukrainian military officials said. Russian forces have attacked Ukrainian positions on the Kupiansk, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Marinka and Shakhtarsk fronts in Donetsk but failed to make any success, the General Staff said. It added that a total of 57 combat clashes took place on the war frontline, including 5 missiles and 75 air strikes. Russia also fired 56 rocket strikes using Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS) at the Ukrainian positions and other settlements. The Russian troops have also targeted residential buildings and civilian settlements, it said. Accounts from the Russian ministry of defence and its active military bloggers claimed its forces shot down two Su-27 aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force and also targeted two Leopard tanks. The war frontline, despite surges in fighting on multiple occasions on several fronts this year, has largely remained static. While the Ukrainian counteroffensive successfully restored some of Kyiv’s territory back from Russian control, the region has seen concentration of fighting along multiple axes with no major gains. The war is now “gradually moving into a positional form”, Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief General Valerii Zaluzhnyi told The Economist in an interview. He said there was a stalemate on the battlefield similar to that seen during the First World War, owing to technological and tactical parity between Russian and Ukrainian forces. To break this stalemate, Ukraine will need to gain air superiority, breach Russia’s mine barriers in depth, increase Kyiv’s effectiveness of counterbattery combat, create and train necessary reserves, and build up electronic warfare capabilities.

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North Korea has shipped more than a million artillery shells to Russia since August to aid Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine, according to a lawmaker in South Korea. The artillery shells were sent to Russia through ships and other transport means since early August, said lawmaker Yoo Sang-bum, citing an intelligence briefing. The short-range arms will last for about two months, he said. The South Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS), which held the briefing, also believes the Kim Jong-un regime is operating its munitions factories at full capacity to meet Moscow’s arms demands. The hermit kingdom is also mobilising its citizens to increase production, the South Korean lawmaker said. North Korea also likely dispatched weapons experts to Russia in October to counsel Moscow’s officials on how to use the weapons. The signs of increased partnership come shortly after Mr Putin and Mr Kim met in east Russia in September, igniting speculation that North Korea will soon assist Moscow in its continuing invasion of Ukraine. The US and South Korea have speculated that the two nations have entered an arms arrangement to provide Russia with badly needed munitions in exchange for advanced Russian technologies that can strengthen North Korea’s nuclear-armed military. Experts also pointed out that the two leaders’ much-publicised meeting at Russia’s Vostochny Cosmodrome, a major satellite launch facility, was a sign that Mr Kim seeks Russian technology assistance for its spy satellite programme. They said such a quid pro quo arrangement between the countries can help Russia rebuild its artillery stock without facing a lull on the battlefield in Ukraine. Pyongyang and Moscow have, however, rejected claims by the US and South Korea. Officials in South Korea are concerned the arrangement could benefit North Korea with sensitive Russian technologies and boost Mr Kim’s nuclear weapons and missiles programme. The NIS believes it is more likely that Russia’s help will be limited to conventional capabilities, possibly to help North Korea improve its ageing fighter aircraft fleet, Mr Yoo said. He said North Korea is possibly getting Russia’s technological help for a military reconnaissance satellite after consecutive launch failures. The North’s latest attempt at launching a spy satellite in October had failed to materialise. Mr Yoo said the South Korean spy agency believes North Korea is now in its final phase of preparations for the third launch of the spy satellite which is more likely to be successful. In a joint statement, the US, South Korea and Japan strongly condemned what they described as North Korea’s supply of munitions and military equipment to Russia, saying such weapons shipments sharply increase the human toll of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. It came days after Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov rejected US claims that his country received munitions from North Korea as he returned from a two-day trip to Pyongyang. Read More North Korea has likely sent missiles as well as ammunition and shells to Russia, Seoul says Putin’s warplanes ‘drop bombs’ on civilian shipping lanes as Kyiv advances - live Putin is expected to seek reelection in Russia, but who would run if he doesn't? Israeli envoy to Russia says Tel Aviv passengers hid from weekend airport riot in terminal South Korea's spy agency says North Korea shipped more than a million artillery shells to Russia If Putin dies, this is what would happen in Russia

Vladimir Putin’s warplanes have dropped “explosive objects” into the paths of civilian shipping lanes in the Black Sea, the region’s military command said. “The occupiers are continuing to terrorise the paths of civilian shipping in the Black Sea with tactical aviation, dropping explosive objects into the likely paths of civilian vessel traffic,” it said. “There were three such drops registered in the last 24 hours. However, the navigation corridor continues to function under the watch of the defence forces.” Ukraine is trying to build up a new shipping lane without Russian approval to revive its vital seaborne exports. But Russia said it would consider any vessel a potential military target after it quit UN-brokered deal allowing Ukrainian goods to pass through. It comes as Ukrainian troops have made confirmed advances against Russia on two fronts, according to the Institute for the Study of War. “Geolocated footage posted on 30 October shows that Ukrainian forces have advanced northeast of Kurdyumivka (10km southwest of Bakhmut),” it said. Ukrainian forces have also “marginally advanced” west of Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia, according to geolocated footage seen by the think tank. Read More Ukraine suffers most intense bombardment of Russian shelling in a single day this year, Kyiv says North Korea likely sent more than million artillery shells to Russia, says South Korea’s spy agency Putin is expected to seek reelection in Russia, but who would run if he doesn't?

In the Western Balkans, smuggler gangs are engaging in deadly shootouts as migrant numbers keep rising.

Ukraine has suffered its most intense bombardment of Russian shelling so far this year as Putin’s troops hit 118 settlements in just 24 hours, Ukraine’s interior minister has said. Moscow fired millions of shells on cities, towns and villages on Wednesday - more than in any single day so far this year, reducing several to rubble across the east and southern parts of the country, Ihor Klymenko said in a post on social media. “Over the last 24 hours, the enemy shelled 118 settlements in 10 regions. This is the highest number of cities and villages that have come under attack since the start of the year,” he wrote on Telegram. The bombardments came as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky lamented the world’s expectation of a speedy victory on the battlefield. In response to growing criticism over Kyiv’s counteroffensive, he said: “The modern world is set up in such a way that it becomes accustomed to success quickly. When the full-scale aggression began, many in the world did not think Ukraine would endure.” It comes as Kyiv reported a Russian attack on Black Sea shipping lanes, saying warplanes had dropped “explosive objects” in an area used by civilian vessels three times over the past 24 hours. “There were three such drops registered in the last 24 hours. However, the navigation corridor continues to function under the watch of the defence forces,” the southern military command said. Ukraine is trying to build a new shipping lane without Russian approval to revive its seaborne exports. But Russia said it would consider any vessel a potential military target after it quit a UN-brokered deal allowing Ukrainian goods to pass through. Elsewhere, Russian forces carried out attacks against 13 of Ukraine’s oblasts, killing at least three and injuring at least 15, according to local officials. In the east, in Donetsk, one person was killed and two were wounded during Russian attacks on the region, the local military administration said. In Kharkiv, a Russian strike killed a man in his 50s and injured a 52-year-old woman, while one person was killed and eight were injured in a blast in the southern city of Kherson, governor’s in the areas reported. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military reported that over 260 civilians have been killed after stepping on landmines or other explosives during the 20-month-old war with Russia. Kyiv estimates that 174,000 sq km of the country - about a third of its territory - is potentially strewn with mines or dangerous debris. At least 571 people have received injuries during more than 560 incidents involving mines or explosive objects left behind by the fighting, a military spokesperson said on Telegram. Whilst Ukraine recuperated from Russian shelling, Moscow failed to regain lost ground on two fronts. Putin’s forces failed to make gains near Klishchiivka and Andriivka south of Bakhmut and near Robotyne in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine’s Armed Forces general said, as Ukraine forces engaged in 68 clashes with Russian troops. The clashes come as Ukraine prepares for a new wave of attacks near the besieged town of Avdiivka in the eastern region of Donetsk. It comes as Ukrainian troops advanced against Russia on two fronts, according to the military think tank, the Institute for the Study of War. “Geolacted footage posted on 30 October shows that Ukrainian forces have advanced northeast of Kurdyumivka (10km southwest of Bakhmut),” it said. And in an overnight drone and missile attack, Russia struck a Ukrainian oil refinery in the city of Poltava, central Ukraine. The Kremenchuk oil refinery burst into flames after the strike which targeted military and criticial infrastructure, the head of the region’s military administration, Filip Pronin said. Pronin added the situation was under control and the fire had been extinguished via the Telegram messaging app. Read More BBC News Arabic launches emergency radio service for Gaza Mike Johnson’s Israel test – few allies and fewer options Israeli envoy to Russia says Tel Aviv passengers hid from weekend airport riot in terminal European Commission's chief tells Bosnia to unite in seeking EU membership South Korea's spy agency says North Korea shipped more than a million artillery shells to Russia Researchers hope tracking senior Myanmar army officers can ascertain blame for human rights abuses