Ukrainian forces attack oil depot in Russia's Rostov region
The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said the military's special operations units, in conjunction with rocket forces and artillery, had hit the Atlas plant in the Rostov region, not far from Ukraine's eastern border.
"A strike by our forces in the area of the target has been confirmed," the General Staff said in a statement on Telegram. "A fire has been observed. The results of the strike are being clarified."
The statement said the facility was used to provide fuel and lubricants to Russian units operating in Russian-occupied parts of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions on the war's eastern front.
Ukrainian forces have been engaged in cross-border attacks, including energy industry targets, which the General Staff said was aimed at curbing Russia's economic potential to proceed with the more than three-year-old war in Ukraine.
Ukrainian military bloggers had earlier reported on the raid on the oil depot, saying fuel tanks had been engulfed in a blaze in the incident. — Reuters
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
GMA Network
4 hours ago
- GMA Network
Israel's Smotrich announces settlement plan to ‘bury' idea of Palestinian state
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich gestures, on the day of a press conference regarding settlements expansion for the long-frozen E1 settlement that would split East Jerusalem from the occupied West Bank, near the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, August 14, 2025. REUTERS/ Ronen Zvulun MAALE ADUMIM, West Bank/TEL AVIV — Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced work would start on a long-delayed settlement that would divide the West Bank and cut it off from East Jerusalem, a move his office said would "bury" the idea of a Palestinian state. The Palestinian government, allies and campaign groups condemned the scheme, calling it illegal and saying the fragmentation of territory would rip up any internationally backed peace plans for the region. Standing at the site of the planned settlement in Maale Adumim on Thursday, Smotrich said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump had agreed to the revival of the E1 development, though there was no immediate confirmation from either. 'Whoever in the world is trying to recognize a Palestinian state today will receive our answer on the ground. Not with documents nor with decisions or statements, but with facts. Facts of houses, facts of neighborhoods," Smotrich said. Israel froze construction plans at Maale Adumim in 2012, and again after a revival in 2020, because of objections from the US, European allies and other powers who considered the project a threat to any future peace deal with the Palestinians. The move could further isolate Israel, which has watched some of its Western allies condemn its military offensive in Gaza and announce they will recognize a Palestinian state. Palestinians fear the settlement building in the West Bank—which has sharply intensified since the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that led to the Gaza war—will rob them of any chance to build a state of their own in the area. In a statement headlined "Burying the idea of a Palestinian state," Smotrich's spokesperson said the minister had approved the plan to build 3,401 houses for Israeli settlers between an existing settlement in the West Bank and Jerusalem. In Maale Adumim, Smotrich told Reuters the plan would go into effect on Wednesday, without specifying what would happen on that day. Breaking the Silence, an Israeli rights group established by former Israeli soldiers, criticized Smotrich, accusing him of encouraging West Bank settlement activity while the world's attention was on the Gaza war. "This land grab and settlement expansion will not only further fragment the Palestinian territory, but will further entrench apartheid," it said. Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the Palestinian president's spokesperson, called on the United States to pressure Israel to stop settlement building. Qatar, which has mediated between Hamas and Israel in efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza, condemned Smotrich's actions as a "blatant violation of international law." Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said the move showed that Israel "seeks to appropriate land owned by Palestinians in order to prevent a two-state solution." House building 'in a year' Peace Now, which tracks settlement activity in the West Bank, said there were still steps needed before construction, including the approval of Israel's High Planning Council. But if all went through, infrastructure work could begin within a few months, and house building in about a year. 'The E1 plan is deadly for the future of Israel and for any chance of achieving a peaceful two-state solution. We are standing at the edge of an abyss, and the government is driving us forward at full speed," Peace Now said in a statement. Palestinians were already demoralized by the Israeli military campaign which has killed more than 61,000 people in Gaza, according to local health authorities, and fear Israel will ultimately push them out of that territory. About 700,000 Israeli settlers live among 2.7 million Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Israel annexed East Jerusalem in a move not recognized by most countries but has not formally extended sovereignty over the West Bank. The UN and most world powers say settlement expansion has eroded the viability of a two-state solution by fragmenting Palestinian territory. The two-state plan envisages a Palestinian state in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, existing side by side with Israel. Israel cites historical and biblical ties to the area, which it calls Judea and Samaria, and says the settlements provide strategic depth and security. Most of the global community considers all settlements illegal under international law, a position backed by numerous UN Security Council resolutions, including one which called on Israel to halt all settlement activity. Israel rejects this interpretation, saying the West Bank is "disputed" rather than "occupied" territory. Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand imposed sanctions in June on Smotrich and another far-right minister who advocates for settlement expansion, accusing both of them of repeatedly inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. Smotrich's popularity has fallen in recent months with polls showing his party would not win a single seat if parliamentary elections were held today. His party largely draws its support from settlers. — Reuters
GMA Network
a day ago
- GMA Network
Europe and Kyiv lay out Ukraine ceasefire terms to Trump on call
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz attend a video conference of European and world leaders on the Ukraine war, ahead of the summit between US President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, in Berlin, Germany, August 13, 2025. John MacDougall/ Pool via REUTERS BERLIN — German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said European leaders had laid out terms for a ceasefire in Ukraine that would protect their security interests in a call on Wednesday with US President Donald Trump. European leaders including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy held the call with Trump in a bid to influence his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, the first US-Russia summit since 2021. "We have made it clear that Ukraine must be at the table as soon as follow-up meetings take place," Merz said in at the joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. "We want negotiations to proceed in the right order, with a ceasefire at the outset." Merz, who initiated the meeting with Trump, said that Ukraine was prepared to negotiate on territorial issues, but "legal recognition of Russian occupation is not up for debate". The country would need "robust security guarantees", he said, although he did not detail what kind. If there was no movement on the Russian side in Alaska, however, "then the United States and we Europeans should and must increase the pressure." "President Trump is aware of this position and largely shares it," Merz said. The chancellor noted that all conversations held with Putin since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine three and a half years ago had each time been accompanied by an even Russian harsher military response. If the same occurred this time, it would show conversations with Putin were neither credible nor successful. "If the United States of America now work towards peace in Ukraine that safeguards European and Ukrainian interests, he can count on our full support in this endeavor," said Merz. — Reuters
GMA Network
2 days ago
- GMA Network
UN chief puts Israel, Russia 'on notice' over conflict-related sexual violence accusations
UNITED NATIONS —United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Israel and Russia on Tuesday that he has significant concerns about patterns of certain forms of sexual violence by their armed and security forces, according to a report seen by Reuters. The alleged crimes included incidents of genital violence, prolonged forced nudity of captives, and abusive and degrading strip searches aimed at humiliation and interrogation. In his annual report to the Security Council on conflict-related sexual violence, Guterres put Israel and Russia "on notice" that they could be listed next year among parties "credibly suspected of committing or being responsible for patterns of rape or other forms of sexual violence." The warning resulted from "significant concerns regarding patterns of certain forms of sexual violence that have been consistently documented by the United Nations," he wrote. Israel's U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon described the concerns as baseless accusations. "The U.N. must focus on the shocking war crimes and sexual violence of Hamas and the release of all hostages. Israel will not shy away from protecting its citizens and will continue to act in accordance with international law," Danon said in a statement. Palestinian militants Hamas - whose Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel triggered the current war in Gaza - were listed in Guterres' report on Tuesday as a group "credibly suspected of committing or being responsible for patterns of rape or other forms of sexual violence" in armed conflict. 'We categorically reject all these allegations," senior Hamas official Basem Naim told Reuters, adding in reference to Israeli remarks: 'These are certainly new attempts to use lies to divert attention from the ongoing brutal crimes committed by this fascist government and its army against our people in Gaza." 'Credible information' In his warning to Israel, Guterres said he was "gravely concerned about credible information of violations by Israeli armed and security forces" against Palestinians in several prisons, a detention center and a military base. "Cases documented by the United Nations indicate patterns of sexual violence such as genital violence, prolonged forced nudity and repeated strip searches conducted in an abusive and degrading manner," he wrote in the report. While Israeli authorities had engaged with his special envoy on sexual violence in conflict over the past year, Guterres said "limited information has been provided on accountability measures undertaken in relation to alleged incidents of sexual violence, despite witness testimony and digital evidence of Israeli soldiers committing such violations." Russia's mission to the U.N. in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report. Guterres said Russian authorities have not engaged with his special envoy. Guterres wrote that he was "gravely concerned about credible information of violations by Russian armed and security forces and affiliated armed groups" primarily against Ukrainian prisoners of war, in 50 official and 22 unofficial detention facilities in Ukraine and Russia. "These cases comprised a significant number of documented incidents of genital violence, including electrocution, beatings and burns to the genitals, and forced stripping and prolonged nudity, used to humiliate and elicit confessions or information," he said. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February 2022. —Reuters
