Overview
- Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov arrived in Istanbul saying he will work in Turkey and the Middle East to unblock prisoner exchanges and hold meetings in the coming days.
- The Kremlin said it has nothing to report on current contacts with Ukraine, and Turkey’s presidential administration reported no concrete process for resuming negotiations in Istanbul while reiterating readiness to host.
- Ukraine’s NABU and SAP ‘Midas’ probe into an alleged energy‑sector scheme advanced with searches at Energoatom, publication of recordings, and the suspension of Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko, as figures in Kyiv and a French party leader warned the scandal could jeopardize Western support.
- Russian regions have begun forming volunteer reserve units to guard critical infrastructure following a November 4 law enabling reservists to be called to special gatherings, with the first groups reported on duty.
- Parallel developments included an FT report that UK security adviser Jonathan Powell sought an informal channel with the Kremlin earlier this year, a Russian case in absentia against a Ukrainian serviceman over actions in Kursk region, an upgraded Russia–Kazakhstan partnership declaration, and Rosatom announcing Friday consultations with the IAEA in Kaliningrad.