Ukraine military claims it struck major Russian refinery, electronics factory
Ukraine's military said Saturday it had struck oil facilities inside Russia, including a major refinery, a military airfield for drones and an electronics factory.
In a statement on Telegram, Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces said they had hit the oil refinery in Ryazan, about 180 kilometres southeast of Moscow, causing a fire on its premises.
Also hit, the USF said, was the Annanefteprodukt oil storage facility in the Voronezh region that borders on northeastern Ukraine.
The statement did not specify how the facilities were hit, but the USF specializes in drone warfare, including long-range strikes.
There was no immediate comment from Russia on the reported attacks on its infrastructure sites, but the Defence Ministry said air defences intercepted or destroyed 112 drones across eight Russian regions and the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula.
A drone attack on the Rostov region, on the border with Ukraine, killed one person, said the acting governor, Yuri Slyusar.
Further from the front line, a woman was killed and two other people wounded in a drone strike on business premises in the Penza region, according to regional governor Oleg Melnichenko. In the Samara region, falling drone debris sparked a fire that killed an elderly resident, regional governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev said.
Russia's Defence Ministry said in its daily report Saturday that its defence units had downed a total of 338 Ukrainian drones overnight. Its reports did not say how many Ukrainian drones were launched at any given time. Ukraine's air force said it had downed 45 of 53 Russian drones launched at its territory overnight.
Dozens of Russian drones launched, Ukraine says
According to the Ukrainian air force, Russia launched 53 drones and decoys at Ukraine overnight into Saturday. It said air defences shot down or jammed 45 drones.
Eleven people were wounded in an overnight drone strike on the Kharkiv region, Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said Saturday.
WATCH | Rescuers pull people out of rubble after Russian attack hits Kyiv apartment block:
'I was in shock,' Kyiv resident says after deadly Russian strikes
2 days ago
Rescuers rushed to the scene of a deadly Russian attack on Thursday after a volley of drones and missiles hit an apartment block.
The reciprocal drone strikes followed a day of mourning in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on Friday, after a Russian drone and missile attack killed 31 people, including five children, and wounded more than 150.
Ukraine's SBU intelligence agency said its drones had hit Russia's Primorsko-Akhtarsk military airfield, which has been used to launch waves of long-range drones at targets in Ukraine.
The SBU said it also hit a factory in Penza that it said supplies Russia's military-industrial complex with electronics.
At the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine had no response to Moscow's vast long-range strike capacity but it has since built up a fleet of long-range kamikaze drones able to carry explosive warheads for many hundreds of kilometres.
On Ukraine's eastern battlefront, Russia's Defence Ministry said, Russian forces had captured the village of Oleksandro-Kalynove in the Donetsk region on Saturday.
Reuters could not immediately verify the battlefield report.
Continuing attacks come despite comments Monday from U.S. President Donald Trump about giving Russian President Vladimir Putin until Aug. 8, a shorter deadline than the 50 days Trump initially cited, to make peace with Ukraine.
Trump said Thursday that special envoy Steve Witkoff is heading to Russia to push Moscow to agree to a ceasefire, and has threatened new economic sanctions if progress is not made.
Russian forces reportedly now control almost 20 per cent of Ukraine in its east and south 3½ years into the war.
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CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
Trump could soon meet with Putin in bid to push for end to Ukraine war, official says
Social Sharing U.S. President Donald Trump could meet in person with Russian President Vladimir Putin as soon as next week as he seeks to broker an end to the Russia-Ukraine war, a White House official said Wednesday. The official cautioned that a meeting has not been scheduled and no location has been determined. The official was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss internal plans. The White House said Trump was also open to a meeting with both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. A meeting between Putin and Trump would be their first since Trump returned to office this year. It would be a significant milestone in the three-year-old war, though there's no promise such a meeting would lead to the end of the fighting since Russia and Ukraine remain far apart on their demands. Trump, appearing before reporters later at the White House, didn't answer questions about a potential location for a meeting but when asked about a summit with Putin and Zelenskyy, said "there's a very good prospect that they will" meet. He declined to predict how close he was to reaching a deal to end the fighting, saying, "I've been disappointed before with this one." 'Still many impediments' U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was asked in an interview on Fox Business about a potential Trump-Putin meeting, said "a lot has to happen before that can occur." Rubio said the U.S. would be having talks with its European allies and the Ukrainians over the next few days. He said Trump meeting directly with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine would help close an agreement, but said, "We've got to get close enough to that point so that a meeting like that will be productive and worth doing." "Today was a good day, but we've got a lot of work ahead," he said. "There's still many impediments to overcome." News of a potential meeting with Putin, which was first reported by The New York Times, came hours after Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Putin in Moscow. Trump had posted earlier on Truth Social that Witkoff "had a highly productive meeting" with Putin in which "great progress was made." WATCH | What next after Witkoff's Moscow visit?: What to expect following U.S. envoy, Putin ceasefire talks in Moscow 5 hours ago Marcus Kolga, a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, says 'it's only with significant pressure' that the U.S. and Russia will 'arrive at a meaningful ceasefire.' This comes after U.S. special envoy Steve Wtikoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine. Zelenskyy has been willing to meet face-to-face with Putin to end the conflict, but Russia has repeatedly rejected the idea. Trump has met with Zelenskyy several times this year, including a contentious February meeting in Washington. Though he has not yet met with Putin this year, Trump met with him five times during his first term. Trump said earlier Wednesday that he had updated America's allies in Europe and that they would work toward an end to the war "in the days and weeks to come." White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that the "Russians had expressed their desire" to meet with Trump. The Kremlin has not yet commented on any potential meetings with Trump. Witkoff met with Putin days before the White House's deadline for Russia to reach a peace deal with Ukraine or potentially face severe economic penalties that could also hit countries buying its oil. The meeting between Putin and Witkoff lasted about three hours, the Kremlin said. Putin's foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said Putin and Witkoff had a "useful and constructive conversation" that focused on the Ukrainian crisis and, in a nod toward improving relations between Washington and Moscow, "prospects for possible development of strategic co-operation" between the United States and Russia. Earlier on Wednesday, the same White House official said the U.S. was still expected to impose secondary sanctions against Russia on Friday, after a 10-day deadline that Trump imposed is to expire. The White House has not yet released details about the sanctions. Washington has threatened "severe tariffs" and other economic penalties if the killing doesn't stop. Tariff threats Trump also has threatened to slap tariffs on nations that buy Russian oil, which could increase import taxes dramatically on China and India. He said Tuesday he hadn't publicly committed to any particular tariff rate, and indicated that his decision could depend on an outcome of the meeting with Putin. Trump has expressed increasing frustration with Putin over Russia's escalating strikes on civilian areas of Ukraine, intended to erode morale and public appetite for the war. The intensified attacks have occurred even as Trump has urged the Russian leader in recent months to relent. Zelenskyy said Wednesday evening that he and Trump spoke on the phone after Witkoff met with Putin. He said "European leaders also participated in the conversation," and "we discussed what was said in Moscow." "It seems that Russia is now more inclined to agree to a ceasefire," Zelenskyy said, adding that the pressure on Moscow "is working," without elaborating. Zelenskyy stressed it was important to make sure Russia does not "deceive us or the United States" when it comes to "the details" of a potential agreement. 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A Russian offensive that started in the spring and is expected to continue through the fall is advancing faster than last year's push but is making only slow and costly gains and has been unable to take any major cities. The situation on the front line is critical for Ukrainian forces but defences are not about to collapse, analysts say.
National Post
5 hours ago
- National Post
Five soldiers wounded as sergeant opens fire on U.S. army base in Georgia, officials say
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CTV News
5 hours ago
- CTV News
Trump says he intends to meet Putin and Zelenskyy as early as next week, following Witkoff trip to Moscow
In this combination of file photos, President Donald Trump, left, and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center, are seen at the Elysee Palace, Dec. 7, 2024 in Paris, and President Vladimir Putin, right, addresses a Technology Forum in Moscow, Feb. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard, left and center, Pavel Bednyakov, right, File) New sanctions against Russia will still kick in on Friday, the White House said, even as U.S. President Donald Trump praised a meeting between U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Vladimir Putin as 'highly productive' – and said he was open to meeting the Russian leader as early as next week. Trump wrote on social media that 'great progress was made' in the Wednesday meeting, adding that he has already updated some of America's European allies. Trump told European leaders in a phone call that he intended to meet soon with Putin – potentially as early as next week – followed by a trilateral meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to two sources familiar with the call. A European government source also confirmed the contents of the call. One White House official noted that while Trump said he intended to meet with Putin as early as next week, it would likely be difficult to execute a meeting on that timeline given the negotiating that would have to be done, as well as the logistical hurdles. 'The Russians expressed their desire to meet with President Trump, and the president is open to meeting with both President Putin and President Zelenskyy. President Trump wants this brutal war to end,' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. A White House official said earlier on Wednesday that 'the secondary sanctions are still expected to be implemented on Friday.' The Putin-Witkoff meeting, which Russian state media said lasted around three hours, took place after a frustrated Trump imposed a deadline on Moscow to agree to a ceasefire or face tough secondary sanctions, hitting countries that buy Russian oil with a 100 per cent tariff. Oil and gas revenues are a key source of cash for the Kremlin, making up roughly a quarter of Russia's government budget, so losing customers would be painful – and could hurt Moscow's ability to finance the its war on Ukraine. The Kremlin had earlier described the meeting between Witkoff and Putin as 'constructive and useful,' according to Russian state media TASS. 'Putin conveyed some signals to the United States on the Ukrainian issue. Corresponding signals were also received from President Trump,' state media outlet RIA Novosti reported, citing the Kremlin. The Kremlin said it would release more information on what was discussed after Witkoff reports back to Trump, RIA said in a post on social media. Zelenskyy, who spoke to Trump following the Witkoff-Putin meeting, said 'it seems that Russia is now more inclined toward (a) ceasefire).' 'The pressure on Russia is working. But the main thing is that they do not deceive us in the details. Neither us, nor the United States,' the Ukrainian leader said during his nightly video address to the nation. Trump also spoke with Zelenskyy on Tuesday, ahead of Witkoff's trip, to discuss potential U.S. sanctions against Russia. Trump growing impatient with Putin Earlier in the day, the U.S. envoy was greeted at the airport in Moscow by Russia's investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev. Video later posted by the Kremlin showed Witkoff shaking hands with Putin ahead of their meeting. Trump has grown increasingly impatient with Russia's resistance to his peace efforts. Since the last meeting between Witkoff and Putin in April, Russia has ramped up its assault on Ukraine, attacking cities with an onslaught of missiles and drones. Trump has called Russia's attacks 'disgusting' and has accused Putin of peddling 'bullsh*t' in their tense phone conversations. Prior to Wednesday's meeting, Trump said that he would wait for the outcome of the talks to decide whether or not to impose new sanctions on Russia. 'We're going to see what happens,' the president said at the White House. 'We'll make that determination at that time.' Hours after the meeting in Moscow, Trump imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on India as punishment for its imports of Russian oil, according to a document posted on the White House website. Trump earlier this week threatened India with the new tariffs, saying they were helping Russia wage war in Ukraine. 'India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian Oil, they are then, for much of the oil purchased, selling it on the open market for big profits. They don't care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine,' he wrote on social media. 'Cruelty aimed at instilling fear' As diplomacy was underway in the Kremlin, Ukraine was once again left reeling following a spate of Russian attacks across the country overnight into Wednesday. At least six people were killed in strikes carried out by Moscow in the 24 hours before Wednesday morning, including the deadly bombing of a recreation centre in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attack on the centre, where two people died and four children were among the 12 wounded, as having 'zero military sense,' calling it 'just cruelty aimed at instilling fear.' A gas compressor station that helps Ukraine receive U.S. and Azerbaijani energy imports was also attacked overnight, according to the country's energy ministry. The gas transmission facility in the town of Novosilske, which is close to the border with Romania in Ukraine's southern Odesa region, was targeted by dozens of strike drones, the ministry said. 'Hundreds of families were left without gas,' Zelenskyy said in a statement. 'This was a deliberate blow to our preparations for the heating season – absolutely cynical, like every Russian strike on our energy infrastructure.' Meanwhile, Ukraine also said Wednesday morning that the U.S. State Department has signed off on a US$200 million deal which will allow its partners to purchase military supplies on its behalf, including technical support for heavy artillery. The U.S. has not yet commented. On Tuesday, Zelenskyy welcomed pledges from NATO members worth more than $1 billion, through an initiative in which four of Ukraine's European allies – the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and Sweden – will purchase US-made weapons for Kyiv.
