Russian attack hit energy facilities in central Ukraine, Ukrainian energy ministry says
KYIV - Ukraine's energy ministry said on Tuesday an overnight Russian attack hit energy facilities in the central Ukrainian region of Poltava, causing large fires.
The ministry said a gas transport facility was targeted by several dozen drones, which caused damage.
"Russian occupation forces launched another massive attack on energy infrastructure facilities in the Poltava region, using cruise missiles and strike drones simultaneously. The attack resulted in large-scale fires," the ministry said on Telegram.
The ministry did not specify what other facilities besides gas infrastructure were attacked.
Russia's Interfax news agency reported that the defence ministry had carried out a strike on an oil refinery that was supplying fuel to Ukrainian armed forces.
The Poltava region is home to Ukraine's only oil refinery, Kremenchuk, which has been repeatedly attacked by both drones and missiles.
Local media and Kremenchuk's mayor published videos of city neighbourhoods against a smoke-filled sky.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore What led to Changi Airport runway incident involving 2 China Eastern Airlines planes in Aug 2024
Singapore Fairprice apologises after woman finds worm in salmon bought from Bedok North outlet
Singapore CPIB nabs 9 suspects for alleged match-fixing in national basketball league
Singapore Live Singapore-raised seafood on sale at 3 Giant supermarkets from Aug 19
Singapore Singapore seals carbon credit deal with Thailand, its first South-east Asian partner
Asia Singaporean man sentenced to 72 years' jail in Malaysia for murdering wife and stepson
Singapore Court to assess if teen who advertised vapes for sale on WhatsApp can receive probation
Kyiv authorities have not reported whether the refinery is operational. The ministry noted on Tuesday that Russia attacked Ukrainian oil refining infrastructure twice in June.
Russia has launched massive attacks on Ukrainian oil depots and fuel storage facilities since the first days of the war. As a result, Ukraine's fuel needs were completely covered by imports, mainly from European countries.
The ministry said that Ukrainian energy facilities had been attacked 2,900 times since March 2025 alone.
Russia has repeatedly said it does not attack civilian infrastructure. REUTERS
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
28 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Turkey veteran urges accountability, unity as PKK disarms
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox ANKARA - A veteran of Turkey's decades-long conflict with Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) insurgents told lawmakers on Tuesday that national unity and legal accountability were required as part of a peace process with the militant group. Lokman Aylar, head of an association of families of dead and wounded soldiers, who himself lost an eye in battle, said he supported the PKK disarmament process now underway but said the group's members must face justice. Aylar and several families of those killed in the four-decade conflict were addressing a parliamentary commission overseeing the disarmament process. Some questioned the PKK's commitment to peace, underlining the tricky path ahead for President Tayyip Erdogan's government. "Without unity, terrorism cannot be defeated. This must be the shared cause of all 85 million citizens" of Turkey, Aylar told the commission. "Those who fired at our soldiers and police must be held accountable before the law. Their return (to Turkey) would deeply wound the families of martyrs and veterans." Aylar was wounded in 1996 in clashes with the PKK in the country's mostly Kurdish southeast. The outlawed PKK, which took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984, said in May it would disarm and dissolve. The parliamentary commission was launched this month to set a path towards lasting peace, which would also resonate in neighbouring Iraq and Syria. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the fighting over more than four decades. CAR SET ABLAZE In a grim reminder of the years of violence, a white Renault Toros was set ablaze near the parliament hours before the meeting began. A man detained for setting it alight suffered from psychological problems and had a prior criminal record, the interior ministry said, adding that he was protesting tax incentives for scrap vehicles. In the 1990s, during one of the bloodiest phases of the conflict, Renault Toros cars became notorious in the southeast, where they were linked to abductions and extrajudicial killings blamed on state-linked groups. The PKK is designated a terrorist group by Turkey and its Western allies. Its jailed leader, Abdullah Ocalan, urged it to end the insurgency and some militants burned their weapons last month in a ceremony in northern Iraq – where they are now based – marking a symbolic first step. REUTERS
Straits Times
28 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Argentina's Gualcamayo gold mine eyes $665 million investment under incentive program
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The Quebrada del Diablo Pit, the first open-pit productive sector of the Gualcamayo gold mine, in Jachal, Argentina August 6, 2025. REUTERS/Lucila Sigal JACHAL, Argentina - Argentina's Gualcamayo gold mine is aiming to build a new $665 million project it hopes will qualify for a new government incentive program, executives said in a recent press tour of the site. Only two mining projects, both in lithium, have so far been approved for Argentina's Large Investment Incentive Regime, or RIGI, which went into effect in October under President Javier Milei. Gualcamayo originally proposed a $1 billion investment under the scheme, but scaled back its application in June following government talks about how to best meet the RIGI requirements, Ricardo Martinez, executive director of project owner Minas Argentinas, said in an interview earlier this month. Minas Argentinas, a part of Aisa Group, bought the mine in 2023 when it was close to closing, but now produces 50,000 to 55,000 ounces of gold a year from secondary recovery, a process of leaching ore that has already gone through a first cycle of extraction. The plan includes construction of a new mine, a pressure oxidation plant, and a 50 megawatt solar park to feed the project. RIGI was designed to kick-start investments only through July 2026, with a possible one-year extension. It offers lengthy tax breaks and access to international dispute courts for investments exceeding $200 million. "It's important that we have the RIGI for legal security," Martinez said, adding that the main challenge is for current mining regulations to remain in place. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore NDP 2026 to be held at National Stadium to accommodate more Singaporeans Singapore Girl, 14, among 3 injured after minibus falls into Bukit Panjang canal Singapore Man to be charged after allegedly slashing another man with Swiss knife at City Plaza Singapore What led to Changi Airport runway incident involving 2 China Eastern Airlines planes in Aug 2024 Singapore FairPrice apologises after worm found in salmon bought from Bedok North outlet Singapore Married man who offered cash to 12-year-old girl for sexual acts gets 19 months' jail Singapore Recruits on Pulau Tekong to get six hours of drone training as part of new programme The new mine, called Carbonatos Profundos, will be located under the current one and will produce gold from sulfides rather than oxides. The company aims to produce 120,000 ounces of gold annually starting in 2029 with a 17-year lifespan, yielding about $400 million in exports a year, executives said. Gold production has dipped across Argentina as mines grow older and lose their high-quality ore. Still, the metal is Argentina's top mining export, accounting for 68% of the total. Gualcamayo aims to start construction of the new mine and processing plant in 2027, Martinez said, adding that the mine has 3 million ounces of economically viable gold reserves, part of 5 million ounces of certified resources found in 3% of the 40,000-hectare property. The rest has yet to be explored. Martinez said high global demand and prices for gold have made the company optimistic. "Today, the gold you produce is taken out of your hands," he said. REUTERS
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Trump says Putin may not want to make a deal on Ukraine
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox US President Donald Trump shakes hand with Russian President Vladimir Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on Aug 15, 2025. WASHINGTON/LONDON/KYIV - US President Donald Trump said on Aug 19 he hoped Russia's Vladimir Putin would move forward on ending the war in Ukraine but conceded that the Kremlin leader may not want to make a deal at all, adding this would create a 'rough situation' for Mr Putin. In an interview with the Fox News Fox & Friends programme, Mr Trump said he expected that Mr Putin's course of action would become clear in the next couple of weeks. Mr Trump also again ruled out American boots on the ground in Ukraine and gave no specifics about the security guarantees he has previously said Washington could offer Kyiv under any post-war settlement. 'I don't think it's going to be a problem (reaching a peace deal), to be honest with you. I think Putin is tired of it. I think they're all tired of it, but you never know,' Mr Trump said. 'We're going to find out about President Putin in the next couple of weeks ... It's possible that he doesn't want to make a deal,' said Mr Trump, who has previously threatened more sanctions on Russia and nations that buy its oil if Mr Putin does not make peace. Ukraine and its European allies have been buoyed by Mr Trump's promise of security guarantees to help end the war during an extraordinary summit on Aug 18 but face many unanswered questions, including how willing Russia will be to play ball. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy hailed the Aug 18 talks at the White House with the US president as a 'major step forward' towards ending Europe's deadliest conflict in 80 years and towards setting up a trilateral meeting with Mr Putin and Mr Trump in the coming weeks. Mr Zelenskiy was flanked by the leaders of allies including Germany, France and Britain at the summit and his warm rapport with Mr Trump contrasted sharply with their disastrous Oval Office meeting in February. But beyond the optics, the path to peace remains deeply uncertain and Mr Zelenskiy may be forced to make painful compromises to end the war , which began with Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. Analysts say more than one million people have been killed or wounded in the conflict. While the Washington talks allowed for a temporary sense of relief in Kyiv, there was no let-up in the fighting. Russia launched 270 drones and 10 missiles in an overnight attack on Ukraine, the Ukrainian air force said, the largest in August . The energy ministry said Russia had targeted energy facilities in the central Poltava region, home to Ukraine's only oil refinery, causing big fires. 'The good news is that there was no blow-up (at the White House). Trump didn't demand Ukrainian capitulation nor cut off support. The mood music was positive and the trans-Atlantic alliance lives on,' Mr John Foreman, a former British defence attache to Kyiv and Moscow, told Reuters. 'On the downside, there is a great deal of uncertainty about the nature of security guarantees and what exactly the US has in mind.' Ukraine's allies were to hold talks in the so-called 'Coalition of the Willing' format on Aug 19 to discuss the way forward. Nato chiefs of defence will also discuss security guarantees for Ukraine on Aug 19 , a source close to the matter said, without mentioning further details. 'Doesn't smell like peace' Russia has made no explicit commitment to a meeting between Mr Putin and Mr Zelenskiy. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Aug 19 that Moscow did not reject any formats for discussing the peace process in Ukraine but any meeting of national leaders 'must be prepared with utmost thoroughness'. 'It doesn't smell like peace yet. I think Putin will not go for it, he is not that kind of person,' said a 63-year-old resident of Kyiv, Ms Oksana Melnyk. 'I really wanted it all to end peacefully, but, unfortunately, a lot of our people died and it is very bitter.' Mr Putin has warned that Russia will not tolerate troops from the Nato alliance on Ukrainian soil. He has also shown no sign of backing down from demands for territory, including land not under Russia's military control, following his summit talks with Mr Trump on Aug 15 in Alaska. Mr Trump has not specified what form any US security guarantees could take. In Alaska he backed away from insisting that Russia agree to a ceasefire before any peace negotiations kick off in earnest. Mr Neil Melvin, director, International Security at the Royal United Services Institute think-tank, said Russia could drag out the war while trying to deflect US pressure with a protracted peace negotiation. 'I think behind this there's a struggle going on between Ukraine and the Europeans on one side, and the Russians on the other, not to present themselves to Trump as the obstacle to his peace process.' 'They're all tiptoeing around Trump' to avoid any blame, he said, adding that on security guarantees, 'the problem is that what Trump has said is so vague it's very hard to take it seriously'. REUTERS
