Newest Refinery Assault Reveals 'Absolutely No Protected Places in Russia's Far Hinterland'

Ukrainian drones have targeted Russia's Bashneft facility in the city of Ufa, positioned some 1,400 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, resulting in detonations and a inferno, according to a source in the Ukrainian intelligence agency.

This constitutes the latest SBU long-range attack in the region in the last month. These strikes demonstrate that there are no safe places in the deep rear of the Russian state.

Ukrainian President Calls On US President to Mediate Peace in the Conflict

Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed to Donald Trump to broker peace in Ukraine over a telephone conversation on the weekend.

"Provided that a conflict can be stopped in one region, then certainly other wars can be stopped as well, covering the Russian war," he remarked, praising Trump's "remarkable" Middle East truce proposal and calling for the President to influence the Moscow into negotiations.

Moscow's Strikes Claim Victims in the Country

Strikes by Russia on Ukrainian territory resulted in the deaths of 5 individuals on Saturday and cut power to sections of the south Odesa area, according to local sources.

Two people were killed inside a church in the town when it was targeted, per regional officials.

In the Russian adjacent territory of the Belgorod region, a lorry operator was fatally wounded by a Ukrainian strike, according to local officials.

Power Repair Efforts in the Capital

Work continued on the weekend to repair energy infrastructure in the Ukrainian capital, after Russian attacks.

Electricity had been restored to in excess of 800,000 residents by Saturday and the major utility provider said the key efforts to restore power was complete though some outages remained.

Air Defence Efforts and Drone Downings

Ukraine's anti-aircraft systems downed or disrupted 54 of seventy-eight UAVs from Russia launched targeting the country overnight, the aerial defense command reported on the weekend.

Russia's defense officials said it shot down 42 drones over the country's airspace.

Cuban Government Refutes Allegations of Providing Troops to the War

The Cuban government on Saturday refuted US allegations it has provided military personnel to engage in the conflict in Ukraine, while affirming the government "are without exact details about Cuban nationals" engaged "independently" or "within the troops of the conflicting parties".

The government department in Havana said 26 Cuban citizens had been convicted to jail sentences ranging from five to 14 years for mercenary activity since the autumn of 2023 when news emerged of Cubans being deployed to the battlefield in the conflict.

I Want to Live Program Reports Information on Cuban National Involvement

The surrender initiative, a state program that encourages adversaries to give up, reported in spring: "We have confirmed the identities and information of over a thousand individuals who enlisted with the Moscow's troops in 2023-2024."

The Cuban authorities commented of Cuban nationals who might be participating: "It is irrefutable that no individual have the support, dedication, or consent of the Cuban state for their involvement."

Family members of Cubans who departed to Russia in the year told Agence France-Presse at the time that their family members had been misled into enlisting through promotions on digital networks.