🔗 Share this article

Ukraine's unmanned aerial vehicles have struck Russia's Bashneft refinery in the city of Ufa, situated approximately 1,400 km from the Ukrainian border, triggering blasts and a inferno, as reported by a source in the Ukrainian Security Service.

This marks the third intelligence long-range attack in the region in the past month. Such attacks show that there are no secure zones in the deep rear of the Russian Federation.

Ukrainian President Appeals to Trump to Broker Peace in Ukraine

Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed to the US President to broker peace in Ukraine over a call on the weekend.

"Provided that a conflict can be stopped in one region, then undoubtedly other wars can be ended as well, covering the Russian aggression," the President stated, hailing the US President's "outstanding" Gaza ceasefire plan and urging the US president to pressure the Kremlin into discussions.

Moscow's Assaults Claim Lives in the Country

Strikes by Russia on Ukrainian territory killed at least 5 individuals on the weekend and cut power to areas of Ukraine's southern Odesa region, per authorities in Ukraine.

Two people were killed within a church in Kostyantynivka when it was hit, per local authorities.

In the Russian frontier area of the Belgorod region, a truck driver was killed by a drone assault, according to municipal sources.

Electricity Restoration Work in Kyiv

Operations continued on Saturday to restore power in Kyiv, after Russian attacks.

Energy had been returned to over 800,000 inhabitants by Saturday and the biggest private energy company announced the primary efforts to repair the grid was complete though partial blackouts persisted.

Anti-Aircraft Operations and Drone Interceptions

The Ukrainian defense forces neutralized 54 of 78 total Russian drones launched towards the country overnight, the air force said on the weekend.

Russia's defence ministry stated it intercepted forty-two drones over the country's airspace.

Cuban Government Refutes Allegations of Deploying Forces to the War

The Cuban government on Saturday refuted US assertions it has deployed troops to fight in the Ukraine war, while affirming the government "do not have accurate information about Cuban nationals" participating "on their own" or "within the troops of the conflicting parties".

The ministry in the capital stated 26 nationals had been convicted to prison terms from 5 to 14 years for mercenary involvement since the autumn of 2023 when news circulated of Cuban nationals being sent to the battlefield in Ukraine.

Surrender Initiative Program Reports Information on Cuban National Recruitment

I Want to Live, a state program that urges opposing fighters to surrender, stated in May: "We reliably know the identities and information of 1,028 individuals who enlisted with the Russian military in 2023-2024."

The government in Havana commented of Cuban nationals who might be participating: "There is no doubt that not a single one possesses the support, commitment, or authorization of the Cuban authorities for their actions."

Family members of Cuban nationals who traveled to Russia in the year reported to Agence France-Presse at the time that their loved ones had been deceptively recruited through promotions on social media.