One of the largest oil refineries in southern Russia caught fire, after it was hit by two “Kyiv drones”: the Moscow-reported attack on the Novoshakhtinsk plant in the Rostov region threatens to fuel a new escalation of the conflict kilometers from the Ukrainian border. A dynamic still under investigation, which led to the crash of the drone that roamed the factory, as shown in a video posted on social media. Suspicions are also fueled by the fact that the refinery is owned by a company linked to Oksana Marchenko, the wife of the pro-Russian Ukrainian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk, who is detained in Ukraine for high treason. For Russia, it is one of the most difficult blows even on a symbolic level, given the permeability that its air defense system betrays. According to the governor of Rostov, Vasily Golubev, “drone wreckage” was found in the area, and a few hours after the refinery’s activities were closed, the fire was extinguished. An escalation of attacks on Russian soil may further complicate negotiations on the release of the ports. “We welcome the efforts of the Secretary-General of the United Nations” António Guterres “to cancel the ban on the export of grain from Ukrainian ports. Consultations are underway. However, no concrete agreement has been reached on the talks between Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations so far,” the Foreign Ministry spokesperson explained in Kyiv Oleg Nikolenko, on the possible meeting of four people next week in Istanbul. The main issue remains the safeguards regarding the defense of its coasts after the eventual demining of the Black Sea. He stressed that security remains an essential element of Ukraine’s position. Cold rain after the preparatory meeting in Moscow between the delegations of Turkey and Russia, which was described as “positive”, after which it was announced the departure of a merchant ship of Ankara that was blocked in Mariupol.
TheMeanwhile, intelligence agencies The Russians have penetrated numerous targets in the United States and other countries allied with Kyiv, according to a Microsoft report showing how Moscow launched a global cyberwar after the invasion of Ukraine. According to the report, Russian hackers have attempted to infiltrate the networks (successful in nearly 30% of cases), of more than 100 organizations in the United States and dozens of other organizations in 42 countries since the start of the war. Among the targets are NATO foreign ministries, humanitarian organizations, think tanks, information technology groups and energy suppliers.
If attacked, Finland is ready to fight. This was confirmed by the Chief of Staff of the Helsinki Army, Timo Kevinen, commenting on the dangers of military threats from Russia. “We have systematically developed our military defense for exactly the kind of war being fought ‘in Ukraine’, with extensive use of weapons of firepower, armored forces and even air forces,” the Finnish general explained, citing the Guardian. – He added – and so did Finland.” Meanwhile, two drones caught fire at the Novoshakhtinsk plant in the Rostov region, a few kilometers from the Ukrainian border: this was reported by the press service of the refinery, citing RIA Novosti. There were some damages “caused by the wreckage Drones”, and “put out the fires”
Russia, an oil refinery hit by drones
from the field
On the ground, the battle is still raging in Lugansk. The Ukrainian General Staff confirmed the intensification of air strikes on the Donbass River and the enemy’s advance beyond Severodonetsk, which is now in Russian hands except for the enclave of the Azot chemical plant, whose bunkers are still fortified with more than 500 civilians, including at least 38 children. Kyiv also confirmed Russia’s “partial successes” in the settlement of Hersk, where separatist militias claimed they had “eliminated a group of mercenaries”. Moscow’s forces are getting ever closer to Lysichansk, the twin city of Severodonetsk, where more than 1,300 Ukrainian soldiers and foreign volunteer fighters have besieged. However, the losses among the pro-Russians would also be heavy. According to British intelligence, the separatists in Donetsk lost more than half of their fighters, killed or wounded since the beginning of the conflict, and now Russia will most likely try to deploy a large number of reserve units. Meanwhile, raids continue across the country. Mortars fired by Russian forces killed 5 women at the entrance to a building in a village in the Izyum district of the Kharkiv region. In Mykolaiv in the south, several rockets killed at least one person, injured two civilians, and destroyed two schools. However, the Kyiv army is preparing for a counterattack towards Kherson and the coastal strip, and at the same time is trying to launch new strikes in the Black Sea after bombing some drilling platforms that, according to Ukraine, hid military “facilities”. And the “great losses” caused to the Russians by the attacks on the strategic Snake Island off the coast of Odessa.
Ukraine, devastation in Lysychansk after the bombing
“At the G7 summit in Germany, President Biden will propose a new set of measures to increase pressure on Russia.” A senior White House official said this in a briefing with reporters about the US president’s trip to Europe next week to attend the G7 and NATO summits. “For the United States, the G7 was a pioneer in imposing unprecedented sanctions on Russia in response to the invasion of Ukraine,” the source said, declaring that Ukrainian President Volodymyr will also intervene at the summit in Germany and Madrid Zelensky.
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