LSM reports drone finds, Ukraine talks and French protests

Latvia’s National Armed Forces found a foreign drone in the Liepna parish of Alūksne municipality, LSM reported. It may have fallen on October 18. No one was injured, and no homes, roads or other civilian infrastructure were damaged. The military said there was no ongoing threat to public safety.

A Russian drone that entered Moldova on Friday crashed near homes and an energy facility, President Maia Sandu said. No one was injured.

A ceasefire is due to take effect on the night of October 27 in the occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky, in the Kherson region, the Ukrainian and Russian military general staffs said. The plan is to deliver aid to civilians who remain in the city and evacuate them. Oleshky has been occupied since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 and has been heavily damaged by Russian shelling.

Ukraine has restored its Starlink satellite communications system and its military version, Starshield, Ukrainian Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara said. He said the systems now operate at speeds above 400 kilometres per hour. Starshield is used to guide drones in attacks on targets in territories occupied by Russia during the war. Ukraine does not use it for attacks on targets inside Russia, which is outside the satellite network’s coverage area.

Ukraine, the United States and Russia are planning talks in the first half of November, possibly in Abu Dhabi, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. He said a three-way meeting was needed to advance diplomacy and that Europe should also be involved. Zelenskyy said talks should begin at the leaders’ level, as key issues could be resolved only at the highest level.

Protests against the high cost of living took place in Paris and other French cities on Saturday. Clashes between demonstrators and police occurred in some places. Police used tear gas to disperse people in Paris and Marseille.