🔗 Share this article

Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles have hit Russia's oil refinery in Ufa, located approximately 1,400 kilometres from Ukraine, causing blasts and a fire, according to a informed individual in Ukraine's intelligence agency.

This represents the third intelligence far-reaching assault in the region in the last month. Such attacks show that there are no secure zones in the far hinterland of the Russian Federation.

Zelenskyy Calls On Trump to Broker Truce in the Conflict

The Ukrainian leader called on the US President to facilitate a truce in Ukraine during a call on the weekend.

"When a war can be ended in one region, then undoubtedly other wars can be halted as well, including the conflict with Russia," the President stated, praising the US President's "outstanding" Middle East peace initiative and requesting the American leader to compel the Russian government into negotiations.

Moscow's Attacks Take Lives in Ukraine

Strikes by Russia on Ukrainian territory killed at least several civilians on the weekend and cut power to parts of the southern Odesa area, according to local sources.

A pair of individuals died within a place of worship in Kostyantynivka when it was hit, as reported by municipal sources.

In Russia's adjacent territory of the Belgorod region, a truck driver was fatally wounded by a drone assault, according to regional authorities.

Energy Recovery Operations in Kyiv

Operations carried on on the weekend to repair energy infrastructure in the Ukrainian capital, after Russian attacks.

Electricity had been recovered to in excess of 800,000 inhabitants by Saturday and the largest utility provider said the primary operations to repair the grid was complete though certain disruptions remained.

Anti-Aircraft Efforts and UAV Interceptions

Ukraine's air defences downed or disrupted 54 of seventy-eight enemy drones deployed towards the country during the night, the air force said on the weekend.

The Russian defence ministry said it shot down 42 enemy UAVs from Ukraine over Russian territory.

Cuban Government Refutes Accusations of Sending Soldiers to Ukraine

Cuba on the weekend refuted US allegations it has sent troops to fight in the conflict in Ukraine, while affirming Cuban authorities "lack accurate data about individuals" participating "voluntarily" or "in the military forces of the conflicting parties".

The government department in the capital said twenty-six Cuban citizens had been sentenced to jail sentences from five up to fourteen years for participating as mercenaries since the autumn of 2023 when reports emerged of Cuban nationals being deployed to the battlefield in the conflict.

Surrender Initiative Initiative Discloses Data on Cuban National Involvement

The surrender initiative, a state program that urges enemy combatants to lay down arms, reported in spring: "We have confirmed the identities and information of one thousand and twenty-eight Cuban nationals who enlisted with the Russian armed forces in recently."

The government in Havana commented of those who might be participating: "Undeniably that no individual possesses the encouragement, allegiance, or authorization of the government in Havana for their activities."

Family members of Cuban nationals who traveled to Russia in 2023 reported to international media at the time that their loved ones had been tricked into joining through ads on social media.