‘Entire Country, Not Just Oleshky’ – Zelensky Presses US Over Monthlong Delay of NATO-Funded Patriot Missiles

Russian strikes killed at least 20 people across Ukraine on Thursday, Oct. 29, as a US-brokered humanitarian ceasefire held in Russian-occupied Oleshky and President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Moscow was preparing new ballistic missile attacks. The deadliest strike hit a railway station in Dnipro, where a Russian jet-powered drone struck a platform beside a commuter train and a scheduled passenger train bound for Zaporizhzhia, killing 14 civilians and injuring 14.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Two 15-year-old girls were killed in Chernihiv, while three people died in strikes on residential buildings in Kremenchuk. A late-night attack in Kyiv killed another person. “Today, the Russians carried out extremely brutal strikes on Dnipro, Chernihiv, Kremenchuk. Against civilians – ordinary people,” Zelensky said in his evening address. Nationwide de-escalation, not just Oleshky The US-brokered ceasefire in Russian-occupied Oleshky, negotiated with the involvement of First Lady Melania Trump, continued without reported major violations, allowing humanitarian aid and preparations for civilian evacuations. Zelensky welcomed the initiative while urging Washington to address the continuing violence elsewhere in Ukraine. “It is also important that America not remain silent about the killings that continue unabated,” he said. “We must act and turn the situation around so that Russia moves toward de-escalation and so that this applies to our entire country, not just Oleshky.” Other Topics of Interest UN Warns of Freezing Winter as Russian Strikes Threaten Ukraine’s Power Temperatures in Ukraine could plunge to minus 20°C (minus 4°F), as UNHCR seeks $50 million to help vulnerable families across four war-affected countries. Russian, Ukrainian and US delegations arrived in the Oleshky area as preparations continued for aid deliveries and evacuations. An estimated 1,700 to 2,000 civilians remain trapped there, including about 50 children. A bipartisan group of US lawmakers welcomed Melania Trump’s initiative but warned against forcibly transferring residents to Russian-controlled territory. Patriot missiles await Pentagon approval Zelensky renewed his urgent appeal for Patriot interceptors, citing Ukrainian intelligence indicating that Russia was preparing further ballistic missile attacks. “We now have intel about the Russians preparing new ballistic missile attacks. We need the capabilities to shoot down this Russian evil and are awaiting the decisions,” he wrote on social media. Condemning the Dnipro railway station attack as “horrific,” Zelensky challenged Western governments over sanctions relief for Moscow while Russian forces continued killing civilians. “Just how many terrorist strikes has Russia carried out against our people since sanctions were lifted on certain Russian oligarchs and the Russian energy sector, rather than de-escalating?” he wrote. “It is time for new, stronger sanctions steps by the EU, the US, and the G7.” On Oct. 26, Zelensky said Ukraine had been waiting nearly a month for US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to authorize shipments of Patriot and NASAMS interceptors already paid for by NATO allies. The missiles were purchased through NATO’s Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), which allows European allies and other partners to finance US-made weapons for Ukraine. Despite the funding being secured, the shipments still require Washington’s approval. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged that some interceptors might not have arrived but denied that delays were politically motivated. Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that Ukraine had informally suspended strikes on Russian oil refineries following pressure from President Donald Trump over fuel prices ahead of the Nov. 3 US midterm elections. The reported US pressure comes as Russian attacks continue to kill Ukrainian civilians and damage energy infrastructure, while Kyiv awaits American approval for critical air defense supplies. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 90% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.