In Russia and around the World

Khabarovsk’s new city charter lets local deputies choose the mayor from candidates named by the regional governor. Vedomosti had already reported that only two regional capitals had directly elected mayors after Sergei Kravchuk’s departure.

Ukrainian authorities say a Russian drone hit the central park in Nova Vodolaha on 19 October, killing women and children. Death tolls shifted through the evening.

A fire broke out at an enterprise in Russia’s Tambov region on 20 October after a drone attack, the governor said. He did not name the facility; Astra’s analysis linked it to a Druzhba pipeline station.

Moscow officials responded to France’s weekend of rioting with talk of crisis, civil war and Western double standards. BBC Russian found that Russia’s main federal television channels gave the unrest far more airtime than a mass drone attack on St Petersburg.

The US envoy was met by Kirill Dmitriev at Pulkovo, a day after talks with Zelensky and European leaders in Oslo. The Kremlin welcomed the visit, and a possible prisoner release is also reported to be on the agenda.