Recent Refinery Assault Reveals 'Absolutely No Safe Areas in the Russian Far Hinterland'
Ukrainian UAVs have hit the Russian oil refinery in Ufa, located around 1,400 km from Ukraine, triggering detonations and a inferno, per a insider in the Ukrainian SBU.
This represents the 3rd Ukrainian security service deep strike in the region in the last month. These attacks illustrate that there are no protected areas in the deep rear of the Russia.
Zelenskyy Urges Trump to Mediate Ceasefire in the Conflict
President Zelenskyy called on President Trump to broker peace in Ukraine in a phone call on the weekend.
"Provided that a hostilities can be ended in one region, then surely other wars can be stopped as well, including the Russian war," the President stated, praising the US President's "outstanding" Middle East ceasefire plan and requesting the American leader to influence the Kremlin into negotiations.
Russian Assaults Kill Lives in the Country
Strikes by Russia on Ukraine resulted in the deaths of five people on Saturday and disrupted electricity to parts of Ukraine's southern Odesa oblast, according to local sources.
A pair of individuals died in a religious building in the town when it was hit, according to regional officials.
In the Russian adjacent territory of Belgorod, a vehicle operator was fatally wounded by a Ukrainian strike, per municipal sources.
Energy Restoration Work in the Capital
Operations continued on the weekend to recover electricity in the Ukrainian capital, after assaults.
Power had been restored to more than 800,000 inhabitants by the weekend and the major utility provider said the main work to repair the grid was concluded though some outages continued.
Air Defence Actions and UAV Interceptions
Ukraine's air defences downed or disrupted fifty-four of 78 total enemy drones sent towards the country in the dark hours, the aerial defense command said on the weekend.
Russia's defense officials said it shot down 42 enemy drones over its own soil.
Cuban Government Refutes Claims of Deploying Soldiers to Ukraine
Cuba on the weekend denied American allegations it has deployed military personnel to participate in the Ukraine war, while stating the government "do not have precise information about individuals" engaged "voluntarily" or "as part of the armed units of the conflicting parties".
The government department in Havana announced twenty-six Cuban citizens had been convicted to prison terms varying between five to 14 years for participating as mercenaries since September 2023 when news circulated of Cubans being dispatched to the front in the conflict.
I Want to Live Program Reveals Data on Cuban Recruitment
The surrender initiative, a Ukrainian government project that encourages opposing fighters to give up, stated in May: "We have confirmed the identities and information of one thousand and twenty-eight individuals who enlisted with the Moscow's troops in 2023-2024."
The Cuban authorities said of Cuban nationals who might be engaged: "It is irrefutable that no individual have the backing, allegiance, or authorization of the government in Havana for their activities."
Relatives of individuals who left for the Russian Federation in the year told Agence France-Presse at the time that their family members had been tricked into joining through ads on social media.