Balloon-launched Drones Disrupt Russian Airports in Ukraine Strike
WHO:
The Sun - UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband confronted Russia’s foreign minister at a G20 summit, saying: “We all know you are the aggressor” and “you are not winning this war.”
The Sun - The article says Ukraine launched kamikaze drones and identifies Volodymyr Zelensky as Ukraine’s president.
The Sun - Ukrainian national security commentator Andriy Kovalenko commented on disruptions at Sheremetyevo airport.
The Sun - The article reports that Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed to have downed 2,690 Ukrainian drones in two-and-a-half days.
Euronews.com - Nizhny Novgorod regional governor Gleb Nikitin reported a “massive UAV attack” and damage to an industrial facility.
Euronews.com - Lukoil said the Kstovo refinery produces diesel and aviation fuel, among other products.
WHAT:
Defense Express - Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched 433 attack drones beginning the evening of October 31; 64 were jet-powered.
Defense Express - Ukrainian air defenses intercepted or suppressed 371 Russian drones, including 47 jet-powered UAVs.
Euronews.com - The article reported a fire at another oil refinery in Russia’s Samara region following a drone attack, with social-media footage showing columns of black smoke.
The Sun - The article reported that drones launched from weather balloons targeted Moscow’s aviation hub, disrupting air travel; nearly 1,000 flights were grounded nationwide.
The Sun - Vnukovo Airport had 119 delays and 10 cancellations; St Petersburg’s Pulkovo reported 138 delays or cancellations; Novosibirsk airport had around 100 disrupted aircraft.
The Sun - The article said some passengers had reportedly waited days for flights, and passengers in Moscow complained of receiving little information from authorities.
The Sun - A passenger on a Pobeda Airlines flight said: “There are children on board. There is no food, only water.”
Euronews.com - Russian authorities said more than 100 drones had been destroyed and that an industrial facility in the Kstovsky district had sustained “significant damage.” Early information indicated no casualties.
Euronews.com - Telegram war-monitoring channels said the Kstovo oil refinery, also called Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez, was targeted.
Euronews.com - Zelenskyy said about 280,000 Ukrainian households lost power after Russian strikes: around 200,000 in Dnipro and the wider region, and at least 80,000 in the Kyiv region.
The Sun - The article reported that a Russian bombing of a railway station in Dnipro killed 15 people.
WHERE:
The Sun - Reported disruptions affected Moscow’s Sheremetyevo and Vnukovo airports, St Petersburg’s Pulkovo airport, and Novosibirsk airport.
Euronews.com - The reported industrial facility attack occurred in the Kstovsky district of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia.
Euronews.com - Zelenskyy said Russian strikes hit a combined heat and power plant in Kyiv and four electrical substations in the eastern Dnipro region.
WHY:
Defense Express - Serhii Beskrestnov, callsign Flash, said widespread cloud cover likely led Russia to rely mostly on conventional gasoline-powered Shahed drones, because overcast skies make incoming targets harder for Ukrainian interceptor-drone crews to detect.
The Sun - Pro-Kremlin war channels described the balloon-launched drones as an attempt to disrupt Moscow’s aviation hub.
The Sun - The article said some airport disruption also resulted from regular drones launched from Ukraine.
Euronews.com - The article said Ukraine had targeted Russian energy infrastructure, including refineries, terminals, and depots, to damage a key economic sector and weaken the Kremlin’s war effort.
HOW:
Defense Express - The article said jet-powered Shahed drones are generally faster than conventional variants and more difficult to intercept.
The Sun - The article reported that high-altitude weather balloons carried drones toward target areas before the drones were released.
Euronews.com - Nikitin said emergency crews were working at the damaged facility and warned of possible temporary power cuts and reduced hot-water and heating supplies in some residential utility networks.
(UPDATED November 1, 2026 19:01 UTC)
Russia launched 433 drones at Ukraine, whose air defenses intercepted or suppressed 371. Russian strikes killed 15 in Dnipro and left about 280,000 households without power.
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(UPDATED November 1, 2026 16:24 UTC)
Ukrainian drones disrupted Russian airports, grounding nearly 1,000 flights nationwide, and damaged an industrial facility in the Nizhny Novgorod region. Russian strikes killed 15 people in Dnipro and left roughly 280,000 Ukrainian households without power.