Newest Refinery Attack Reveals 'No Secure Areas in the Russian Deep Rear'

Ukraine's unmanned aerial vehicles have struck Russia's Bashneft refinery in Ufa, situated some 1,400 km from Ukraine, triggering detonations and a fire, per a insider in the Ukrainian intelligence agency.

This represents the latest SBU deep strike in the region in the last month. These attacks demonstrate that there are no secure zones in the distant backlines of the Russian Federation.

Zelenskyy Appeals to US President to Broker Peace in the Conflict

Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Donald Trump to facilitate a truce in Ukraine during a phone call on Saturday.

"If a hostilities can be ended in one region, then undoubtedly other wars can be stopped as well, covering the conflict with Russia," the President stated, praising the US President's "remarkable" Middle East peace initiative and urging the American leader to influence the Kremlin into negotiations.

Russian Assaults Take Victims in Ukraine

Russian attacks on Ukrainian territory killed at least five people on Saturday and disrupted electricity to sections of Ukraine's south Odesa region, according to local sources.

Two people died inside a religious building in Kostyantynivka when it was struck, per municipal sources.

In the Russian border region of Belgorod, a lorry operator was lost his life by a Ukrainian strike, according to regional authorities.

Power Restoration Operations in the Capital

Work proceeded on Saturday to recover electricity in Kyiv, after assaults.

Power had been recovered to over 800,000 inhabitants by Saturday and the biggest utility provider stated the main efforts to repair the grid was complete though partial blackouts persisted.

Air Defence Actions and Drone Jamming

Ukraine's air defences downed or disrupted fifty-four of 78 total Russian drones deployed targeting the country during the night, the air force said on Saturday.

The Russian defense officials claimed it shot down 42 Ukrainian drones over the country's airspace.

Cuban Government Denies Accusations of Deploying Troops to the War

The Cuban government on Saturday refuted American assertions it has deployed troops to participate in the Ukraine war, while affirming officials in Havana "do not have accurate data about individuals" engaged "on their own" or "within the troops of the conflicting parties".

The foreign ministry in Havana announced twenty-six nationals had been given prison terms to jail sentences from 5 to 14 years for mercenary activity since September 2023 when reports emerged of individuals being deployed to the battlefield in Ukraine.

I Want to Live Project Reveals Information on Cuban Recruitment

The program, a official Kyiv initiative that urges opposing fighters to surrender, stated in spring: "Our information indicates the names and personal details of over a thousand Cuban nationals who enlisted with the Russian military in recently."

The Cuban authorities said of those who might be engaged: "It is irrefutable that none of them has the encouragement, allegiance, or consent of the Cuban authorities for their activities."

Family members of individuals who left for Russia in the year reported to news outlets at the time that their family members had been deceptively recruited through promotions on digital networks.