Newest Oil Plant Strike Reveals 'Zero Secure Areas in Russia's Distant Backlines'
Ukrainian UAVs have hit the Russian Bashneft processing plant in Ufa, located around 1,400 kilometres from Ukraine, causing explosions and a blaze, as reported by a informed individual in the Ukrainian intelligence agency.
This constitutes the third intelligence long-range attack in Bashkortostan in the past month. Those operations illustrate that there are no secure zones in the deep rear of the Russian state.
Zelenskyy Urges US President to Broker Truce in Ukraine
Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on President Trump to mediate a ceasefire in Ukraine in a telephone conversation on Saturday.
"If a conflict can be ended in one region, then certainly additional conflicts can be stopped as well, encompassing the conflict with Russia," he stated, hailing Trump's "exceptional" Gaza peace initiative and urging the US president to pressure the Russian government into talks.
Moscow's Attacks Kill Casualties in Ukraine
Strikes by Russia on Ukrainian territory killed at least five people on Saturday and cut power to areas of the south Odesa oblast, as stated by authorities in Ukraine.
A pair of individuals died inside a place of worship in the town when it was struck, per regional officials.
In the Russian frontier area of the Belgorod region, a vehicle operator was fatally wounded by a drone assault, per municipal sources.
Energy Recovery Efforts in the Capital
Efforts proceeded on Saturday to repair energy infrastructure in the Ukrainian capital, after assaults.
Power had been returned to in excess of 800,000 residents by the weekend and the largest utility provider said the main operations to repair the grid was complete though partial blackouts remained.
Air Defence Actions and Drone Interceptions
The Ukrainian defense forces downed or disrupted 54 out of 78 Russian drones deployed targeting Ukraine overnight, the air force reported on the weekend.
The Russian defence ministry claimed it shot down 42 drones over its own soil.
Cuban Government Denies Claims of Sending Soldiers to the War
The Cuban government on Saturday refuted US allegations it has provided soldiers to engage in the Ukraine war, while declaring Cuban authorities "are without exact information about citizens of Cuba" participating "voluntarily" or "as part of the armed units of either party".
The government department in the capital stated 26 nationals had been convicted to jail sentences from 5 to 14 years for mercenary activity since September 2023 when information spread of individuals being dispatched to the frontlines in the conflict.
Surrender Initiative Program Reports Details on Cuban National Involvement
The program, a Ukrainian government initiative that encourages opposing fighters to lay down arms, said in May: "We reliably know the identities and information of 1,028 Cuban nationals who enlisted with the Russian armed forces in recently."
The Cuban authorities stated of Cubans who might be involved: "Undeniably that none of them possesses the backing, dedication, or authorization of the Cuban state for their activities."
Family members of Cubans who traveled to Russia in the year informed international media at the time that their loved ones had been misled into enlisting through advertisements on online platforms.