On Sunday, Russia reported that Ukraine had launched a significant 62-drone attack targeting Russian regions, causing a southern Russian oil refinery to cease operations. Additionally, Kyiv's forces allegedly fired U.S., French, and Ukrainian missiles at Russian-held territories.
Russia claimed to have intercepted at least 103 drones, including 62 over Russian regions, as well as an Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) over Crimea, French guided "Hammer" bombs, and U.S. High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) missiles.
Local officials noted that six drones crashed into an oil refinery in Slavyansk, located in Russia's southern Krasnodar region. The refinery halted operations following the attack, according to Interfax news agency. An official from the refinery, quoted by TASS, mentioned that the charges carried by the Ukrainian drones were larger than in previous attacks and contained steel balls.
The Slavyansk refinery is a private facility with an annual capacity of 4 million metric tons of oil, approximately 80,000 barrels per day.
A Ukrainian intelligence source informed Reuters in Kyiv that Ukraine's security service SBU and military drones targeted the Slavyansk refinery and a military airfield in Russia's southern Krasnodar region during overnight attacks. Furthermore, the Ukrainian navy announced the destruction of the Russian Black Sea Fleet's Project 266-M Kovrovets minesweeper.
Russia claimed its forces had defeated Ukraine's 24th and 42nd mechanized brigades and the 125th Air Defense Brigade in Lukiantsi, Vesele, and Radhospne in the Kharkiv region. Additionally, Russian forces reportedly repelled Ukrainian attacks at other locations in the region.
There has been an increase in Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory since Russian forces opened a new front in northeastern Ukraine's Kharkiv region earlier this month. President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia is creating a buffer zone to protect itself from such attacks, warning that the use of Western weapons by Ukraine could trigger a broader conflict between Russia and the West.
Putin asserted on Friday that Russia has no current plans to capture Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city. Meanwhile, the White House reiterated that U.S. policy remains unchanged regarding the use of U.S. weapons by Ukraine against Russian sovereign territory. White House national security spokesperson John Kirby stated, "We do not encourage nor do we enable attacks using U.S.-supplied weapons systems inside Russian territory. That’s the policy." This was in response to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's comments in Kyiv, suggesting that while the U.S. does not encourage Ukraine to strike inside Russia with U.S. weapons, the decision ultimately lies with Kyiv.
In Crimea, Russia announced on Saturday that its forces had captured the village of Starytsia in the Kharkiv region and defeated Ukrainian units along the front, including in the Sumy region. Russia, which annexed Crimea in 2014 and controls parts of four other regions, claims these territories—comprising about 18% of Ukraine—as part of Russia, a stance rejected by Ukraine and its Western allies.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has vowed to continue fighting until all Russian troops are expelled from Ukraine. In an interview with Agence France-Presse, Zelenskiy expressed concerns about an intensified Russian offensive in the northeast and highlighted that Ukraine possesses only a quarter of the air defenses needed to protect the country. He also mentioned that while the West does not wish for Ukraine to lose the war, there are fears about the implications of a Russian defeat.
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