Recent Refinery Assault Shows 'No Secure Locations in Russia's Far Hinterland'

Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles have hit Russia's Bashneft refinery in the city of Ufa, positioned some 1,400 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, causing blasts and a inferno, per a source in the Ukrainian Security Service.

This constitutes the latest Ukrainian security service long-range attack in the region in the last month. Those strikes illustrate that there are no secure zones in the distant backlines of the Russian state.

Ukrainian President Appeals to Trump to Facilitate Ceasefire in the Conflict

President Zelenskyy appealed to the US President to broker peace in the Ukrainian conflict during a telephone conversation on Saturday.

"Provided that a conflict can be stopped in a particular zone, then undoubtedly further hostilities can be ended as well, including the Russian war," Zelenskyy said, hailing Trump's "outstanding" Gaza ceasefire plan and urging the President to pressure the Russian government into negotiations.

Moscow's Assaults Kill Casualties in the Country

Strikes by Russia on Ukraine claimed the lives of five people on Saturday and cut power to areas of Ukraine's south Odesa area, per Ukrainian officials.

Two civilians lost their lives inside a church in the town when it was hit, according to regional officials.

In the Russian adjacent territory of the Belgorod region, a lorry operator was fatally wounded by a attack from Ukraine, per regional authorities.

Energy Repair Operations in Kyiv

Work carried on on Saturday to restore power in the Ukrainian capital, after Russian attacks.

Electricity had been restored to over 800,000 citizens by Saturday and the biggest private energy company announced the primary operations to recover electricity was finished though some outages remained.

Air Defence Actions and UAV Downings

Ukraine's defense forces downed or disrupted fifty-four of 78 total Russian drones deployed against the country overnight, the aerial defense command reported on Saturday.

The Russian defence ministry claimed it eliminated 42 UAVs from Ukraine over Russian territory.

Cuba Refutes Claims of Deploying Soldiers to Ukraine

Havana on the weekend rejected US assertions it has provided soldiers to fight in the hostilities, while affirming Cuban authorities "are without exact details about citizens of Cuba" engaged "voluntarily" or "in the military forces of either party".

The government department in the capital said 26 Cuban citizens had been sentenced to incarceration ranging from five up to fourteen years for participating as mercenaries since last September when information circulated of Cubans being deployed to the frontlines in the conflict.

I Want to Live Program Reports Data on Cuban National Involvement

I Want to Live, a state project that urges opposing fighters to surrender, reported in spring: "We have confirmed the names and personal details of 1,028 individuals who enlisted with the Russian military in the past two years."

The Cuban foreign ministry stated of those who might be participating: "There is no doubt that no individual have the backing, allegiance, or approval of the Cuban authorities for their actions."

Relatives of Cubans who left for Russia in the year informed Agence France-Presse at the time that their relatives had been misled into enlisting through promotions on digital networks.