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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.
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.
Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed to continue striking Russia and weaken its ability to wage war.
It comes after Ukraine struck two oil refineries in Russia overnight.
The Ukrainian president said: “Each of our long-range sanctions means fewer resources serving Russia’s war machine, and another step toward peace.
“We will continue to respond to Russian terror. I thank our warriors for these results! I am grateful to everyone who helps us. Everyone who defends Ukraine also upholds the power of the Constitution.”
Ukraine hit the Slavyansk oil refinery in the Krasnodar region was hit, as well as a refinery in the Yaroslavl region.
James C. Reynolds reports:
The explosion was so powerful that it sent the huge disc-shaped lid of an oil storage tank flying high above the city on a cushion of black smoke and flame.
Ukrainian drones cut through the Russian air defences last week to strike an oil refinery in Moscow for the second time in three days, amid Kyiv’s largest ever attack on the capital.
The footage quickly travelled around the world as proof of Kyiv’s poise and ability to bring the war in Ukraine back to Vladimir Putin’s doorstep.
The Ukrainians have intensified strikes on refineries, depots and supply routes in recent months, having learned to overwhelm Russia’s defences with a growing arsenal of cutting-edge long-range drones.
Their successes have created debilitating shortages across Russia, from occupied Crimea to the eastern expanses of Siberia, giving Kyiv the upper hand as both sides weigh restarting peace talks.
The Independent looks at how Ukraine has mastered its long-range capabilities to devastating effect:
Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had taken two villages in southeast Ukraine.
It said on Sunday that it had seized the villages of Pysantsi in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region and Novoselivka in the neighbouring Zaporizhzhia region, state news agency TASS reported.
A Scottish mercenary who has been fighting for Ukraine has been reportedly missing and presumably dead, The Scottish Sun reported.
Stefan Sivers, 35, was fighting against Russia on the frontline in the Kharkiv region, when a Kremlin-supporting channel said he was “destroyed” last month.
It is believed Stefan had travelled to Ukraine to sign up for combat last year.
Officials from the UK’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office say they are in contact with Mr Sivers’ family and described him as missing.
A spokesperson told the Scottish Sun: “We are supporting the family of a British national missing in Ukraine and are in contact with the local authorities there.”
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