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According to authorities, a fire broke out in an oil refinery after a drone attack in the Russian region of Krasnodar. Pro-Russian authorities report four deaths in Donetsk. All developments in the live blog.
The fire, which according to Russian sources broke out after a drone attack on an oil refinery in the Krasnodar region, has apparently been extinguished. As the Interfax news agency reports, citing regional authorities, the fire in the facility in the city of Tuapse is completely out.
Authorities had previously said no one was harmed in the attack.
The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Kim Yo Jong, has rejected allegations that her country is carrying out banned arms trade with Russia. The high-ranking official of the ruling Workers’ Party spoke of an absurd rumor that was “woven with a distorted perspective and fiction.” “We have no plans to export or release our military technical capabilities to any country,” state media quoted him as saying.
North Korea, which is largely isolated because of its nuclear weapons program, is internationally criticized for supplying weapons and ammunition for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un with his sister Kim Yo Jung (archive 2022).
Ukraine says it shot down 20 Russian drones overnight. The military reports the shootings over the Kharkiv, Poltava, Vinnytsia, Odessa and Mykolaiv regions. Four explosions occurred in Kharkiv during the attack, writes the city’s mayor, Ihor Terekhov. A fire broke out when there was a detonation. According to Kharkiv regional governor Oleh Synyehubov, five buildings were damaged – including an administrative building.
According to local authorities, a fire broke out at an oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar region. The reason was a Ukrainian drone attack, according to the message on Telegram. It was possible to contain the fire in the city of Tuapse. Tuapse is located on the Black Sea southeast of the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula.
Conflict parties as a source
In the current situation, information on the course of the war, shelling and casualties provided by official bodies of the Russian and Ukrainian parties to the conflict cannot be directly verified by an independent body.
Russia says it intercepted more than 100 Ukrainian drones on Friday night. The Russian Defense Ministry said 51 drones were intercepted over the annexed Crimean peninsula, 44 more in the Krasnodar region, six in the border region of Belgorod and another in the Kursk region. The Navy also destroyed six maritime drones in the Black Sea.
As a result of the attacks, a substation in Sevastopol on the Crimean peninsula was damaged, as the governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvoschaev, announced on the short message service Telegram. “There will be isolated power outages.” Given the situation, schools and kindergartens remained closed.
Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to emphasize the importance of trade near the Russian border in northeast China after sealing the strategic partnership with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Putin ends his two-day visit to China in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, which has long-standing trade and cultural ties with Russia.
Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki commented on the US proposal to use interest from frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine. It is important that the discussions are consistent with international law, Suzuki said, adding: “Japan plans to participate in the discussions at the upcoming G7 meeting from this fundamental perspective.”
The drone alert in Kharkiv, which lasted more than 16 hours, has been lifted in most parts of the region. According to regional governor Oleh Synyehubov, at least five drones previously attacked Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city. Ihor Terekhov, the city’s mayor, said that a part of the city was hit and there was a fire. According to public broadcaster Suspilne, an air raid alert was in effect in Kharkiv for more than 16.5 hours, the longest since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, four women were killed by Ukrainian shelling, according to Moscow-appointed authorities. Two other people were injured in the shelling, the authorities appointed by Moscow said in the Telegram online service. A man was also injured in another shelling of a nearby town. There was initially no statement from the Ukrainian side. However, Kiev denies targeting civilians in Donetsk and other Russian-controlled areas in Ukraine’s east and south.
Donetsk has been occupied by Russia and its proxies since 2014 and lies less than 10 kilometers (6 miles) from heavy fighting on the eastern front.
Conflict parties as a source
In the current situation, information on the course of the war, shelling and casualties provided by official bodies of the Russian and Ukrainian parties to the conflict cannot be directly verified by an independent body.
The NATO leadership currently sees no danger of a Russian breakthrough in the Ukrainian Kharkiv region. Ukrainian Interior Minister Klymenko accuses Russian troops of capturing and killing civilians in Vovchansk. All developments in the live blog.