Recent Refinery Attack Shows 'Absolutely No Secure Places in Russia's Distant Backlines'
Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles have struck Russia's Bashneft refinery in Ufa, situated around 1,400 km from Ukraine, causing explosions and a fire, according to a insider in Ukraine's SBU.
This marks the third SBU long-range attack in Bashkortostan in the last month. These strikes illustrate that there are no secure zones in the distant backlines of the Russian state.
Ukrainian President Appeals to US President to Mediate Truce in the Conflict
Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed to President Trump to mediate a ceasefire in the Ukrainian conflict in a phone call on Saturday.
"When a conflict can be ended in one region, then surely other wars can be ended as well, including the conflict with Russia," Zelenskyy said, commending the US President's "remarkable" Middle East ceasefire plan and requesting the US president to influence the Kremlin into talks.
Moscow's Attacks Claim Victims in the Country
Moscow's assaults on Ukrainian territory resulted in the deaths of 5 individuals on the weekend and caused blackouts to areas of the south Odesa oblast, per local sources.
Two people were killed within a religious building in the town when it was hit, per regional officials.
In Russia's border region of the Belgorod region, a lorry operator was fatally wounded by a drone assault, according to municipal sources.
Power Recovery Work in the Capital
Work carried on on the weekend to repair energy infrastructure in the Ukrainian capital, after Russian attacks.
Energy had been restored to in excess of 800,000 residents by the weekend and the biggest private energy company said the main operations to restore power was concluded though certain disruptions persisted.
Air Defence Operations and UAV Jamming
The Ukrainian anti-aircraft systems intercepted or jammed 54 of seventy-eight Russian drones sent targeting the country in the dark hours, the military reported on the weekend.
The Russian military authorities stated it eliminated forty-two drones over its own soil.
Cuban Government Rejects Accusations of Deploying Troops to Ukraine
Havana on Saturday refuted American claims it has deployed soldiers to engage in the conflict in Ukraine, while affirming Cuban authorities "lack exact details about individuals" participating "on their own" or "in the military forces of the conflicting parties".
The foreign ministry in Havana announced twenty-six nationals had been sentenced to jail sentences varying between five up to fourteen years for participating as mercenaries since last September when reports circulated of individuals being dispatched to the battlefield in Ukraine.
I Want to Live Program Reveals Data on Cuban Recruitment
The program, a official Kyiv program that urges opposing fighters to lay down arms, stated in May: "We reliably know the identities and information of one thousand and twenty-eight Cuban nationals who entered into agreements with the Russian armed forces in recently."
The government in Havana commented of those who might be involved: "Undeniably that none of them have the encouragement, commitment, or approval of the Cuban authorities for their involvement."
Relatives of Cubans who left for Russia in 2023 informed international media at the time that their loved ones had been tricked into joining through ads on social media.