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At least one person has died following the attacks on Russian oil refineries
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Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed to continue strikes on Russia after Ukrainian drones struck two oil refineries overnight.
Fire erupted at an oil refinery in the southern Krasnodar region and in the Yaroslavl region on Sunday morning, as Kyiv continued energy infrastructure attacks that have caused acute fuel shortages in parts of Russia.
“We continue our operations that weaken Russia’s ability to wage this war. Each of our long-range sanctions means fewer resources serving Russia’s war machine, and another step toward peace,” the Ukrainian president said.
Krasnodar governor Veniamin Kondratiev said that a fire had broken out at the refinery in Slavyansk-na-Kubani, with one person killed and another injured in a nearby village.
Russia also launched ballistic missiles on Kyiv during the early hours of Sunday and injured at least two people.
The attacks come as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky told Russian leader Vladimir Putin to “get out of Ukraine” and “take that step toward peace” after approving a 40-day offensive to “influence” Russia to end the war.
Zelensky said he made the decision to order a 40-day offensive after consulting the head of the Ukrainian security service.
Ukraine’s foreign minister said Russia’s understandings reached with the US in Alaska last year are “dead”.
“The Russians like to talk about the ‘spirit of Anchorage’. As with any spirit, no one truly knows what it is,” he wrote on X.
“But the Russians believe in it, and they think everyone else should as well. The reality makes one thing clear: if the ‘Spirit of Anchorage’ even existed, it is certainly dead now.”
The “Spirit of Anchorage” refers to a set of understandings between the US and Russia that were laid out during a meeting in Alaska last year.
It reportedly includes a request from Russia for the US to apply pressure on Ukraine to withdraw from Donbas.
“For Russia, the lesson of Anchorage is that any peace plan developed without Ukraine is doomed to become a spirit and disappear. Moscow should stop believing in spirits and instead respond to Ukraine’s serious proposals to sit down at the negotiating table and end the war.
“The longer Putin refuses to accept the reality that he will never achieve any goals on the battlefield, the worse things will get for Russia.”
The Russians like to talk about the “spirit of Anchorage.” As with any spirit, no one truly knows what it is. But the Russians believe in it, and they think everyone else should as well.
The reality makes one thing clear: if the “Spirit of Anchorage” even existed, it is…
Vladimir Putin acknowledged on Sunday that fuel supply problems had created shortages in Russian regions and a task force was working on ensuring sufficient quantities were provided throughout the country.
Putin, addressing a meeting of senior officials on the situation with fuel distribution, called for measures to ensure the farm sector had sufficient supplies and said a ban on diesel exports was under consideration.
Vladimir Putin said Russia is going through a difficult period right now, but it has taught the country a lot.
The comments came while at a conference of the ruling United Russia party ahead of parliamentary elections due for September.
State news agency TASS reported that the Russian leader wished the party, which he previously led, success at the polls.
A Russian attack has killed two people and injured 16 others in the city of Zaporizhzhia.
Among those injured include a 16-year-old girl and five-year-old boy, who are in critical condition.
Governor Ivan Fedorov said a 53 year old woman was killed along with another person, whose identity is still being established.
Turkey has reiterated its willingness to mediate between Russia and Ukraine and offered to host a new round of talks.
Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan said Ankara was committed to seeing an end to the war through diplomacy. His statement comes just days ahead of the Nato meet, scheduled from 7 July in Ankara.
“We strive for the soonest possible conclusion of Russia’s war against Ukraine through dialogue and on the basis of international law,” Fidan said.
“In this context, I want to declare not only to the parties, as I have already informed them, but also to the global public, that we are ready to bring the delegations of Russia and Ukraine together at the negotiating table in our country once again.”
Russia has targeted 15 regions in Ukraine this week, Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
He said there had been almost daily attacks on Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, and Sumy.
“The Russians are using various types of weapons to strike people, ordinary residential buildings, and our civilian infrastructure,” the Ukrainian president wrote on X.
“Unfortunately, there are casualties from this terror almost every day. And the threat of these Russian attacks remains constant.
“Over the course of this past week alone, there were around 1,400 attack drones, almost 1,500 guided aerial bombs, and 19 missiles of various types, including ballistic ones.”
Russia has suffered more than 1.4M casualties since the war in Ukraine broke out, according to Kyiv’s ministry of defence.
It said today that total Russian military losses included 1,400,970 personnel, 12,063 tanks, and 24,844 armoured fighting vehicles.
Another 113,135 vehicle and fuel tanks, 44,920 artillery systems, and 436 aircraft had been destroyed.
Joe Biden accused Donald Trump of “destroying Nato” and “choosing [Vladimir] Putin over American allies.”
Speaking from a Democratic Party fundraising gala in Maryland on Saturday, the former US president took several jabs at Mr Trump.
He said: “It’s not just his deliberate distortion and destruction of NATO and his choosing Putin over American allies or the fact that he’s diminished our standing in the eyes of the world more than any president in history has,” Kyiv Independent reported.
President Trump has heavily criticised Nato and threatened to pull out of the alliance over European members’ lack of support in the Iran war.
Our warriors began Ukraine’s Constitution Day with great accuracy. Last night, our long-range sanctions reached two oil refineries in Russia. The Slavyansk oil refinery in the Krasnodar region was hit – about 300 kilometers from the frontline. We also reached a refinery in the… pic.twitter.com/MiKOSjszFF
Temporary limits have been placed on movement on some road routes to the Russian capital after the Yaroslavl region came under a drone attack from Ukraine overnight.
Yaroslavl is located about 270km east of Moscow.
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