Ukraine strikes two Russian oil refineries

Ukraine’s military said yesterday that it struck two Russian oil refineries in the Bashkortostan and Krasnodar regions overnight.

Ukraine’s General Staff said on Telegram the strikes caused fires at the Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat complex as well as near the Afipsky oil refinery.

Russian forces attacked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv with missiles yesterday, triggering fires in widely separated districts of the city, senior officials said.

The air alert in the city was lifted after about 50 minutes. No casualties were reported. Tymur Tkachenko, head of the capital’s military administration, said two storage areas were hit and set on fire in the Holosiivskyi district just outside the city centre.

Mayor Vitali Klitschko said drone debris had hit the ground in an open area in an eastern suburb and cars had been set ablaze, reports Reuters.

Russia said it was looking at “alternative shipping routes” and could limit traffic in the Azov Sea due to intensifying Ukrainian strikes, as Kyiv claims to have hit over 100 vessels there in nine days.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s allies on Monday at a Paris summit announced more air defence support for Kyiv and exercises of the force to be deployed after a ceasefire in efforts to increase pressure on Russia to end the war.

Representatives of the 37 coalition members, including Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, gathered for the 16th meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, launched by France and the United Kingdom to provide military support to Ukraine after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, reports AFP.

“We are determined to continue supporting Ukraine even faster and more forcefully,” French President Emmanuel Macron said at the close of the meeting.

He announced Ukraine would acquire 16 Rafale fighter jets, the first of which would “take to the skies” by 2028-2029, as well as new-generation SAMP/T batteries to strengthen Ukraine’s air defences.

Ukraine’s Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko resigned yesterday as part of a government reshuffle ordered by President Zelensky.

The Ukrainian leader has yet to name a replacement and has said only that Kyiv is “changing its political strategy” amid “new challenges and new tasks”. Ukraine’s parliament formally approved Svyrydenko’s resignation in a vote on Tuesday.