Ukraine accuses Russia of "systematic energy terror" as the global atomic energy watchdog warns Moscow's latest strikes jeopardize nuclear plants' safety.

Russia mounted its second most-intense aerial assault overnight into Thursday, October 30, launching a salvo of 653 drones, decoys and missiles. Ukraine’s Air Force intercepted 592 drones and 31 missiles;

Russian strikes have damaged nuclear substations in Ukraine, leading the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to issue a "critical" warning. Power to three nuclear power plants has been affected after Russian strikes on Thursday.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov referred journalists to the Russian defence ministry on Friday when asked about a Reuters report that Russia had fired 9M729 missiles at Ukraine.

This marks the first time since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion that Ukraine has handed over a Russian prisoner of war to a foreign country for criminal prosecution.

Ukraine's Special Operations Forces (SOF) have reported on an operation in which they destroyed a Buk-M3, the latest version of the surface-to-air missile system, and disabled a Nebo-U radar station in Russia's Rostov Oblast.

Ukrainian soldiers told Business Insider the tactic is becoming increasingly frequent and a growing challenge.

A Russian bomb strike on a Ukrainian thermal power plant killed two people and injured others on Thursday in the eastern city of Sloviansk, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said.

The commander in chief of Ukraine's armed forces has warned Russian activity is increasing around the key frontline town of Pokrovsk, saying "the situation is difficult". General Oleksandr Syrskyi admitted Russian infantry was massing in the area and said he had visited the frontline himself for talks with key commanders.