Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on October 2nd, 2025, that Michael Gloss, an American citizen, died fighting for the Russian Federation and will be posthumously awarded the Order of Courage. Putin revealed he learned of Gloss's service, described as "fighting with dignity on the front edge," upon receiving a draft decree for the award, according to Kremlinpool_RIA. Over the past hour, intelligence suggests Russia may be planning a combined drone and ballistic missile strike in the coming days, potentially including Iskander-K cruise missiles. Little movement has been observed from TU-95MS aircraft, typically used in recent strikes. Iskander-M missile locations in Bryansk, Voronezh, and other regions are reportedly being reloaded with Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles, according to a source monitoring military movements. In separate remarks also on October 2nd, 2025, President Putin stated he would cease sending drones to Denmark, France, and Copenhagen, in response to a question about the number of drones sent to Denmark. Earlier today, Russian air defense claimed to have downed 11 Ukrainian drones over the Black Sea between 6:00 PM and 8:00 PM UTC on October 2nd, 2025, as reported by the Russian Ministry of Defense via the "ЧП / Севастополь" channel. This follows earlier reports of explosions in Volgograd between approximately 4:40 PM and 5:07 PM UTC on October 2nd, 2025, attributed to air defense activity against drones targeting Saratov. An incident also occurred at the Philial "Azot" of OAO "Uralkhim" in Berezniki, Perm Krai, between 5:38 PM and 6:07 PM UTC on October 2nd, 2025. Russian President Vladimir Putin had also commented on the name "Department of War" on October 2nd, 2025, describing it as "quite well, a bit aggressive," and contrasting it with Russia's "Ministry of Defense."
