Ukraine’s military says it struck a Russian oil refinery in Saratov overnight, amid intensifying aerial exchanges and ongoing diplomatic efforts.
Ukraine’s military says it struck a Russian oil refinery in Saratov overnight, amid intensifying aerial exchanges and ongoing diplomatic efforts.
Ukraine’s military says it has struck an oil refinery in Russia’s Saratov region during an overnight drone attack, amid escalating cross-border strikes and renewed diplomatic moves to end the war.
In a statement on Sunday, the Ukrainian army reported that the attack caused explosions and destruction at the facility. Saratov’s regional governor confirmed that one person was killed and several residential apartments and an industrial facility were damaged, but made no mention of the refinery.
“[Ukrainian] drones are targeting … deeper into Russian territory [than] in the past, where previous attacks have been focused on the line of contact in the south and the western parts of Russia,” Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javaid said from Moscow, noting that Ukraine’s claims remain unverified.
Separately, Ukraine announced it had recaptured the village of Bezsalivka in the Sumy region, an area where Russian forces have made recent gains. The military said 18 Russian troops were “eliminated” in the operation, and that the area had been “completely cleared” of enemy forces.
The war, now in its fourth year, has seen European leaders welcome plans by US President Donald Trump to hold direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a bid to end the conflict.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s southern Odesa region reported a deadly incident involving unexploded ordnance. Three swimmers were killed on beaches where swimming is banned due to mines and other explosive remnants of war. “All of them were blown up by explosive objects while swimming in prohibited recreational zones,” regional governor Oleh Kiper said.
Russian attacks over the weekend continued to inflict civilian casualties. In Ukraine’s Kherson region, a drone strike on a bus killed at least two people and wounded 16 others. A second strike injured three police officers responding to the scene. In the Zaporizhia region, officials said two people in a car were killed in the Bilenkivska community, while a 61-year-old woman died in her home in the Vasylivka district.
Ukraine’s air force reported shooting down 16 of the 47 Russian drones launched overnight, while the rest struck targets in 15 locations. Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed its forces downed 97 Ukrainian drones over Russia and the Black Sea overnight, and an additional 21 on Saturday morning.
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