Russia has attacked Ukraine with 9M729 missile, development of which led Trump to scrap nuclear deal with Moscow

Russia has begun using the 9M729 cruise missile to attack Ukraine — the same missile whose secret development prompted U.S. President Donald Trump to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty in 2019, Reuters reported.

Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha confirmed to Reuters that Russia had employed the ground-launched 9M729 missile in its strikes on Ukraine — the first official acknowledgment of its use. A senior Ukrainian official said Russia has launched the weapon 23 times since August, in addition to two launches recorded in 2022.

According to a military source, one of the missiles fired on Oct. 5 traveled more than 1,200 kilometers before hitting a residential building in Lapaivka, Lviv Oblast, killing five people. Photos of debris reviewed by journalists showed components marked “9M729.”

“The use of the INF-banned 9M729 against Ukraine in recent months demonstrates Putin’s disrespect for the United States and President Trump’s diplomatic efforts to end Russia’s war,” Sybiha said.

The 9M729 missile, which can carry either a nuclear or conventional warhead, has an estimated range of up to 2,500 kilometers, according to the Missile Threat project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

Neither Russia’s Defense Ministry nor the White House responded to Reuters’ requests for comment. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry did not disclose additional details about the strikes.

A senior Ukrainian official told Reuters that the 9M729 attacks began on Aug. 21 — less than a week after the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska.

Russian drone attack on Sumy caused injuries to at least 11 people, including four children

Eleven people, including four children, were injured in a Russian drone attack on the city of Sumy overnight on October 30–31, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service (SES).

The strikes targeted residential areas and infrastructure facilities across the city. One drone hit a nine-story apartment building, igniting fires in five apartments and on seven balconies on the upper floors.

Rescue teams evacuated 12 residents from the burning building. Two outbuildings also caught fire, and a nearby single-storey, five-apartment residential block was damaged by the blast wave.

The most severe destruction occurred at an infrastructure facility, where large fires broke out but were later extinguished, the SES reported.

Orbán will explain Trump why Hungary is still buying Russian oil

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said he plans to explain Hungary’s dependence on Russian energy supplies when he meets with US President Donald Trump, according to Hungarian outlet Telex.

Orbán noted that Hungary, as a landlocked country, relies heavily on land routes for its energy imports.

“And if we do not adapt to this situation, we will have no energy,” he said.

The prime minister said he intends to clarify this to American officials as Budapest seeks an exemption from US sanctions targeting Russian energy companies Rosneft and Lukoil.

“Every state has the right to be protected at national level from such a system of sanctions,” Orbán added.

Orbán has repeatedly argued that Hungary cannot easily replace Russian energy and that cutting ties would lead to skyrocketing prices. “We are trying to find a way out, especially for Hungary,” he said earlier.