Newest Refinery Strike Shows 'No Protected Places in Russia's Deep Rear'

Ukraine's unmanned aerial vehicles have targeted Russia's oil refinery in the city of Ufa, positioned some 1,400 kilometres from the Ukrainian border, causing detonations and a fire, according to a source in the Ukrainian intelligence agency.

This marks the third Ukrainian security service deep strike in Bashkortostan in the last month. Those operations demonstrate that there are no secure zones in the far hinterland of the Russia.

Zelenskyy Appeals to US President to Facilitate Truce in Ukraine

President Zelenskyy appealed to President Trump to broker peace in Ukraine over a telephone conversation on the weekend.

"Provided that a hostilities can be halted in a single area, then undoubtedly additional conflicts can be halted as well, covering the conflict with Russia," he remarked, hailing the US President's "exceptional" Middle East ceasefire plan and urging the US president to influence the Kremlin into negotiations.

Russian Attacks Take Lives in Ukraine

Strikes by Russia on Ukrainian territory claimed the lives of 5 individuals on the weekend and caused blackouts to sections of Ukraine's southern Odesa area, per local sources.

A pair of individuals died in a religious building in Kostyantynivka when it was targeted, per municipal sources.

In the Russian adjacent territory of the Belgorod region, a lorry operator was killed by a attack from Ukraine, as stated by regional authorities.

Energy Restoration Operations in Kyiv

Operations proceeded on the weekend to repair energy infrastructure in the Ukrainian capital, after strikes by Moscow.

Energy had been restored to more than 800,000 inhabitants by Saturday and the biggest power firm stated the key efforts to restore power was finished though some outages continued.

Air Defence Efforts and UAV Jamming

Ukraine's air defences intercepted or jammed fifty-four of seventy-eight UAVs from Russia deployed against Ukraine overnight, the air force reported on the weekend.

Russia's defence ministry stated it intercepted 42 drones over its own soil.

Cuba Denies Accusations of Sending Soldiers to the War

Cuba on the weekend denied US claims it has provided soldiers to fight in the conflict in Ukraine, while declaring the government "do not have accurate information about Cuban nationals" involved "on their own" or "in the military forces of the conflicting parties".

The foreign ministry in Havana said twenty-six Cubans had been convicted to prison terms ranging from five up to fourteen years for participating as mercenaries since last September when reports circulated of individuals being sent to the frontlines in Ukraine.

Surrender Initiative Program Reveals Data on Cuban National Involvement

I Want to Live, a official Kyiv project that urges enemy combatants to lay down arms, reported in spring: "We reliably know the names and personal details of one thousand and twenty-eight Cuban nationals who enlisted with the Moscow's troops in 2023-2024."

The government in Havana said of Cuban nationals who might be involved: "It is irrefutable that none of them has the support, allegiance, or authorization of the government in Havana for their actions."

Kin of individuals who left for Russia in the year told Agence France-Presse at the time that their family members had been misled into enlisting through ads on online platforms.

Anne Davis
Anne Davis

A tech analyst with over a decade of experience in digital transformation and emerging technologies, passionate about demystifying complex tech trends.