The Russian-Ukrainian war has flared anew: while Kyiv announced strikes on oil refineries in Krasnodar and Yaroslavl as part of ongoing operations to undermine Moscow's ability to continue the war, Russian forces bombarded the capital Kyiv with ballistic missiles.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv had targeted two oil refineries in the Krasnodar and Yaroslavl regions of Russia overnight. Zelensky wrote on social media: "We continue our operations aimed at undermining Russia's ability to continue the war.
We have also targeted an oil refinery in the Yaroslavl region, which is approximately 700 kilometres from our border," adding that Ukraine intends to carry out further strikes on strategic Russian targets.
For his part, Krasnodar region governor Veniamin Kondratyev confirmed a drone attack, explaining that a fire broke out in the vicinity of the refinery, and that a power line and a gas pipeline were also damaged. The governor of the Yaroslavl region likewise reported a drone attack on the area, though Russian authorities did not announce any damage to the local refinery.
Acting Belgorod governor Alexander Shuvayev announced that Ukrainian forces had launched more than 60 attacks on the border region of Belgorod over the past 24 hours, killing one civilian and wounding another.
In the same context, Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged to guarantee the country's security and meet all challenges. Speaking at a United Russia party conference, Putin said: "We see the problems, we acknowledge them, and we are working to address them — but we will without doubt ensure the security of the country and our citizens."
He added: "We will without doubt rise to the level of meeting every challenge that confronts us today, including the attacks targeting our territory and our infrastructure."
Meanwhile, the head of Poland's intelligence agency said the country's leadership sees a growing threat of Russian provocations along the eastern flank of NATO. Colonel Pawel Szota, head of Polish foreign intelligence, stated: "We are monitoring developments in Ukraine, and the war is not going well for Russia at the moment — this is cause for concern over the possibility of Moscow escalating the situation."