Ukraine Conflict Updates: Fighting Intensifies, Nuclear Plant Repairs Begin – Day 1,333
Here is how things stand on Sunday, October 19, 2025:
Fighting
* Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed its forces captured the village of Pleshchiivka in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. Ukraine has not yet commented on the claim.
* The Russian Defence Ministry previously announced the capture of one village in the Dnipropetrovsk region and two in the northeastern Kharkiv region, near the Russian border.
* A Ukrainian drone attack on a Russian-occupied part of the Kherson region in southern ukraine killed two internally-displaced people, according to Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-installed regional governor, via Telegram.
* An explosion at an industrial plant related to weapons production in Sterlitamak, southwest Russia, resulted in three deaths and five injuries, stated Radiy Khabirov, the governor of Bashkortostan, on Telegram.
Nuclear Safety
* Repairs have begun on damaged power lines at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant,announced Rafael Grossi,chief of the United Nations nuclear watchdog,on X. A four-week power outage at the plant had raised concerns about the safety of the Russian-controlled facility, which requires power to maintain reactor cooling and prevent a meltdown.
Politics and Diplomacy
* Austria’s Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs announced its support for new European Union sanctions against Russia, overcoming previous opposition that had stalled the unanimous vote required for implementation.
* Ukrainian officials expressed disappointment regarding reports that the United States may not provide Kyiv with long-range Tomahawk missiles, following a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald trump in Washington, DC, on Friday.
Regional Security
* Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya urged donald Trump to increase support for democracy in Belarus, arguing that a free belarus would align with US interests.
