Key developments on Oct. 27:
- Zelensky reports over 100 Russian troops 'eliminate' in Ukraine's underground pipeline operation
- Oleshky ceasefire 'expanded within Kherson Oblast,' Melania Trump says
- Deadly Russian ballistic missile attack hits Kyiv university, bridge, medical centers
- Ukrainian postal service forms private air defense force, shoots down Russian drones
- 302,000 Russian soldiers killed or wounded by Ukrainian drones since January, Defense Ministry says
Ukrainian forces "eliminated" more than 100 Russian soldiers and captured more than 30 others during an operation involving underground gas pipelines near Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Oct. 27.
"The Russians had already tried to use underground gas pipelines to move through our positions and launch assault operations. Ukrainian warriors have successfully transformed this tactic, modernized it, and made it much more sophisticated and technologically advanced," Zelensky said.
The operation, code-named "Veles," involved an underground advance of more than 15 kilometers (9 miles), according to Zelensky.
The operation was carried out by the National Guard's 2nd Khartiia Corps alongside other Ukrainian units.
Zelensky said he had received reports on the operation's initial results and progress from Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces Mykhailo Drapatyi, 2nd Khartiia Corps Commander Ihor Obolienskyi, and Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Pavlo Palisa.
The 2nd Khartiia Corps previously reported on Oct. 22 that Ukrainian troops had infiltrated Russian rear positions near Kupiansk through underground gas pipelines as part of Operation Veles.
The operation followed earlier Russian attempts to use the same tactic in the area. On Sept. 12, Ukrainian battlefield monitoring group DeepState reported that Russian troops had used a gas pipeline to cross the Oskil River and penetrate Ukrainian defenses near Kupiansk.
Oleshky ceasefire 'expanded within Kherson Oblast,' Melania Trump says
A localized ceasefire in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky has been "expanded… within Kherson (Oblast)," U.S. First Lady Melania Trump said in a post on social media on Oct. 27.
The ceasefire, which came into effect in the early hours of the morning, initially covered Oleshky and surrounding areas in Kherson Oblast and is meant to allow the safe evacuation of civilians and the delivery of humanitarian aid over the coming days.
Trump did not specify the extent of the expanded ceasefire but Tetiana Shelest, head of communications for Ukraine's human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, told reporters it now covered the entirety of Kherson Oblast.
According to a statement from Lubinets, the ceasefire was being "fully honored," with Ukraine and Russia adhering to the agreement as of 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 27.
"I hope that everything will continue in accordance with the agreed plan and that we will be able to help the civilians in Oleshky who are eagerly awaiting assistance," he added.
Oleshky has been under Russian occupation since the early days of the full-scale invasion. Located just across the Dnipro River from Kherson, it has been effectively blockaded by Russian forces, who prevent humanitarian aid from entering.
Residents face severe shortages of food, water, and electricity. Mined roads and constant drone attacks make safe evacuation virtually impossible, and civilians trying to flee on the only roads in and out of the city are frequently targeted by drones.
Trump added that the timing was accelerated by two days to protect civilians and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Earlier, Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, confirmed a "bilateral ceasefire" began in the embattled Oleshky, in a statement on Oct. 27.
The ceasefire will last until Nov. 1, David Arakhamia, the parliamentary leader of the president's Servant of the People party, said in a later post on social media. Lubinets added that the ceasefire will remain in effect until 10:59 p.m. Kyiv time on Nov. 1.
The agreements were reached in negotiations with Yana Lantratova, head of the Russian negotiating team.
Deadly Russian ballistic missile attack hits Kyiv university, bridge, medical centers
Russian ballistic missiles targeted Kyiv in a deadly attack overnight on Oct. 26-27, striking a university campus, a major bridge, an administrative building, and medical facilities.
Kyiv, a city of three million people, has been relentlessly assaulted by Russian ballistic missiles in recent months as Moscow exploits Ukraine's air defense shortage. While its battlefield offensive has slowed, Russia has chosen a strategy of mass aerial strikes against vulnerable civilians.
At least one person was killed, and 15 people have been injured in the latest Russian attack, Ukraine's State Emergency Service (DSNS) said. Those injured in the attack include a paramedic, a medical technician, and a 20-year-old university student.
The mayor later reported a strike on the city's Southern Bridge over the Dnipro River, one of Kyiv's major traffic arteries. The bridge connects the city's eastern and western sides and is crucial for the daily commutes of hundreds of thousands of residents.
The bridge and metro infrastructure were damaged overnight, Klitschko said. Train service on the bridge has been temporarily suspended.
Ihor, who lives on the east bank of the Dnipro River but works on the west bank, said his commute now takes around two hours, including about half an hour spent walking across the Southern Bridge.
"We’ll have to walk like this every morning now. Taking a detour would take too long," Ihor, who declined to give his surname, told the Kyiv Independent.
Iryna was also crossing the bridge while it remained closed to traffic, but she was using an electric scooter to get across. Following the overnight attack on Oct. 27, this was her first time commuting to work this way.
"This is an alternative means of transport, but I don’t know how long the journey will take," Iryna, who also declined to give a surname, said, expressing hope that the bridge would be repaired soon.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that a university campus in the city was struck by Russia alongside Kyiv's well-known Kyoto park and residential buildings.
Education minister Andriy Butenko later said that the Russian attack damaged buildings and dormitories of the State University of Trade and Economics. He said there were no deaths among university students or employees.
"This is once again a terrorist country attacking educational institutions. A university, a scientific institution, a college, a school, or a kindergarten - the enemy directs its missiles at children, teachers, and scientists without any pity or humanity. There is no excuse for Moscow's cynical actions," Butenko added.
Ukrainian postal service forms private air defense force, shoots down Russian drones
Ukrainian postal and courier company Nova Poshta has started its own private air defense force and shot down Russian attack drones targeting their facilities, Vyacheslav Klymov, co-owner of the Nova group of companies, revealed at the Kyiv International Economic Forum on Oct. 26.
"We are one of the few companies that has implemented this project. I don't want to disclose the numbers, but we have destroyed 'Shahed' drones," Klimov said.
Nova Poshta is the largest private postal and courier company in Ukraine, operating over 15,817 branches across the country, and employing over 34,000 people. Its post offices and distribution centers have frequently come under Russian attack.
Despite the ongoing war, business is going well for Nova Poshta. The company quadrupled its net profit compared with last year, according to financial reports published on April 27.
Klimov also emphasised the importance of companies having their own private firefighting capabilities, rather than just waiting for the response of state authorities.
Nova Poshta employees frequently put out significant fires on their premises before the arrival of state emergency service firefighters, Klimov said.
"Now big businesses are looking for fire engines in Europe in order to create their own services. This is our property… who can forbid me from putting out a fire on my own territory?" he said.
Since late summer, Russia has been attacking Ukraine with jet-powered drones, adding to the now-familiar threat posed by conventional Shahed-type drones and missiles. Between larger assaults, successive waves of jet-powered drones now arrive day and night.
Russia's jet-powered drones target civilian infrastructure such as supermarkets, schools, shopping malls, telecommunications infrastructure, data centers, gas stations, and medical facilities.
302,000 Russian soldiers killed or wounded by Ukrainian drones since January, Defense Ministry says
Units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces have killed or severley wounded 302,000 Russian servicemen by using drones since January 2026, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said on Oct. 27.
"Each defeat is recorded on video in the Delta combat system and verified by the Brave1 defense innovation cluster," the Defense Ministry said.
The Ukrainian military uses an incentive system in which the verified destruction of enemy personnel and military materiel awards combat units points that they can exchange for more drones, electronic warfare equipment, and other gear on an internal marketplace.
In September, 46,230 Russian soldiers were killed or irrecoverably wounded, according to figures published by the Ukrainian General Staff.
Of these, 32,739 were killed or wounded by drones, the figures show, amounting to about 70% of the total.
The highest number of casualties Ukrainian drones inflicted on the Russian military was recorded in March, with almost 34,000 soldiers killed or irrecoverably wounded.
Drones of various types now cause the vast majority of casualties on both sides. "The destruction of enemy manpower using UAVs helps preserve the lives of Ukrainian soldiers, making it difficult for the enemy to approach our positions," the ministry said.
The prevalence of drones from both sides has significantly changed assault tactics, making heavy equipment such as tanks a rare sight on the battlefield.
With the "kill zone" reaching 20 kilometers (12.4 miles), Russia has largely stopped using tanks or other heavy equipment for assault operations, Joint Forces Task Force spokesperson Viktor Trehubov said on Sept. 20. Drones have replaced many of the tanks' roles for both sides, since a tank driving close to the front would be easily spotted and hit by much cheaper drones.