NetBlocks confirms an ongoing internet outage on the Island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea.

Gotlands Energi (GEAB), the local energy distributor on the Island of Gotland reports that the power outage was caused by a “disconnect” in cables which run between the island and the Swedish Mainland, with power having been restored in Visby and beginning to be slowly restored across the rest of Gotland.

Despite reports previously that U.S. President Donald J. Trump had asked and even urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to launch strikes against targets in Russia, the Wall Street Journal is now reporting that the Pentagon for months has been blocking Ukraine’s use of long-range missiles to strike targets inside Russia, limiting Kyiv from employing a powerful weapon in its fight against Moscow.

According to the report, Elbridge Colby, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, developed a previously unannounced “review mechanism” to decide on Kyiv’s requests to fire long-range rockets and missile provided by the United States, as well as those provided to Ukraine by European allies that rely on American intelligence and components, which includes the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS). The review gives Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth final say over whether Ukraine can employ the ATACMS, which have a range of nearly 190 miles, to strike military targets inside Russia.

In a Truth Social post made on Thursday, U.S. President Trump said Ukraine couldn’t defeat Russia unless it could “play offense” in the war, stating: “It is very hard, if not impossible, to win a war without attacking an invaders country. It’s like a great team in sports that has a fantastic defense, but is not allowed to play offensive. There is no chance of winning! It is like that with Ukraine and Russia. Crooked and grossly incompetent Joe Biden would not let Ukraine FIGHT BACK, only DEFEND defend — Interesting times ahead!!!”

The Trump Administration last week secretly approved the sale of 3,350 Extended-Range Attack Munitions (ERAM) to Ukraine, with initial deliveries expected to begin by the end of October. The ERAM is a low-cost precision-guided air-launched stand-off missile-bomb system developed by the U.S. Air Force for Ukraine, with a range of up to 250 miles and a roughly 250lb warhead, allowing the Ukrainian Air Force to carry out strikes against important military sites in Western Russia, but only with the approval of the U.S. Defense Department.

Fires are continuing to burn and spread for a third day at the Novoshakhtinsk Oil Refinery in the Rostov Oblast of Southwestern Russia, after it was targeted earlier this week in a drone attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Overnight, several drones launched by Ukraine struck the gas and oil export terminal at the Port of Ust-Luga in the Leningrad Oblast of Northwestern Russia, near the border with Estonia and on the Gulf of Finland. Several fires can be seen burning at the port, with the smoke reportedly being seen as far as the outskirts of Saint Petersburg.

Speaking earlier today with NBC News, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that no meeting has been planned between President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but claims that Putin is prepared to meet with Zelensky. Lavrov then claims that Zelensky is an “illegitimate leader” and cannot sign any ceasefire agreement or deal to end the ongoing invasion by Russia. Putin has ruled Russia since 1999 and has consistently changed the Russian Constitution to allow him to remain as either Prime Minister or President.

U.S. Vice-President JD Vance claimed during an interview earlier today with NBC News that “every major conflict in human history” has ended with some kind of negotiations, talking about peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. I guess he forgot about both World War ll and the Gulf War.

Vice-President JD Vance: “I think the Russians have made significant concessions to President Trump for the first time in three and a half years of this conflict. They’ve actually been willing to be flexible on some of their core demands.”

NBC News Kristen Welker: “You talk about concessions, and yet the Russians rejected the ceasefire proposal that President Trump put forward. There's no meeting planned between President Putin and President Zelensky. And this week, Russia targeted an American factory in Ukraine. What makes you think President Putin is serious about peace?”

Vice-President JD Vance: “Well, I didn't say they conceded on everything. But what they have conceded is the recognition that Ukraine will have territorial integrity after the war. They've recognized that they're not going to be able to install a puppet regime in Kyiv. That was, of course, a major demand at the beginning. And importantly, they've acknowledged that there is going to be some security guarantee to the territorial integrity of Ukraine.”