Recent Oil Plant Strike Shows 'Absolutely No Secure Areas in Russia's Far Hinterland'

Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles have struck the Russian Bashneft refinery in the city of Ufa, located some 1,400 km from the Ukrainian border, resulting in detonations and a inferno, according to a insider in the Ukrainian Security Service.

This constitutes the latest intelligence long-range attack in the region in the past month. Such operations illustrate that there are no safe places in the distant backlines of the Russia.

Zelenskyy Appeals to Trump to Broker Ceasefire in the Conflict

Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on the US President to facilitate a truce in Ukraine during a telephone conversation on Saturday.

"When a war can be ended in a single area, then undoubtedly further hostilities can be ended as well, including the Russian aggression," Zelenskyy said, hailing Trump's "outstanding" Middle East truce proposal and calling for the American leader to pressure the Russian government into discussions.

Moscow's Assaults Claim Victims in Ukraine

Moscow's assaults on Ukrainian territory claimed the lives of several civilians on Saturday and caused blackouts to areas of Ukraine's south Odesa oblast, as stated by local sources.

Two civilians lost their lives within a place of worship in Kostyantynivka when it was hit, as reported by municipal sources.

In the Russian frontier area of the Belgorod region, a truck driver was fatally wounded by a Ukrainian strike, according to regional authorities.

Energy Repair Efforts in the Capital

Operations proceeded on the weekend to restore power in the Ukrainian capital, after strikes by Moscow.

Power had been restored to more than 800,000 inhabitants by the weekend and the biggest private energy company said the main operations to restore power was complete though partial blackouts remained.

Anti-Aircraft Operations and Drone Downings

Ukraine's defense forces neutralized 54 of 78 total Russian drones deployed towards the country during the night, the aerial defense command reported on the weekend.

Russia's military authorities said it shot down 42 enemy drones over its own soil.

Cuba Refutes Claims of Providing Soldiers to the War

Cuba on the weekend refuted American assertions it has deployed military personnel to participate in the conflict in Ukraine, while affirming Cuban authorities "do not have exact data about citizens of Cuba" involved "independently" or "within the troops of the conflicting parties".

The foreign ministry in the capital said 26 nationals had been given prison terms to prison terms ranging from five up to fourteen years for participating as mercenaries since the autumn of 2023 when reports circulated of Cuban nationals being dispatched to the frontlines in the conflict.

I Want to Live Project Discloses Details on Cuban Recruitment

The program, a official Kyiv project that urges adversaries to give up, said in May: "Our information indicates the identities and information of 1,028 Cubans who enlisted with the Russian military in 2023-2024."

The government in Havana stated of those who might be participating: "Undeniably that no individual have the support, dedication, or authorization of the Cuban authorities for their activities."

Relatives of individuals who traveled to Russia in the year reported to international media at the time that their loved ones had been deceptively recruited through advertisements on online platforms.

Christopher Webster
Christopher Webster

A tech journalist and gaming enthusiast with over a decade of experience covering emerging technologies and digital culture.