Russian ‘warchest’ oil industry under attack by Kyiv special ops in a bid to smash Vladimir Putin’s ability to bankroll his bloody Ukraine war – as Zelensky denies Donbas to Moscow
Earlier Ukraine strike on one of Russia’s biggest refineries in Yaroslavl, (Image: social media /east2west news)
Ukraine spies have warned ‘no Russian facility is safe’ after hitting a third major oil platform in days and Moscow responded by setting ablaze civilian apartment blocks. It comes amid intense ceasefire negotiations as Ukrainian leader President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declares his country will not give up the disputed Donbas region.
After fresh talks in German Zelensky said the US has suggested turning the Donbas, much of which Russia occupies, into a “free economic zone.” But he insisted after talks in Germany, and speaking to US President Donald Trump that this would not mean ceding territory to Moscow.
Zelensky insists Russia not getting Donbas (Image: Getty Images)
He said: “Our position is practical, realistic, and fair; we stand by it, and we do not want to give up our Donbas. The Americans want to find a compromise. They are proposing a free economic zone. I want to emphasise once again: a free economic zone does not mean under the control of the Russian Federation.
“These are important features for me of any format regarding Donbas.” Adding that he does not believe this will become a reality, he said: “Neither de jure nor de facto will we recognize Donbas as Russian.”
Russia strikes Odesa setting buildings ablaze (Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
Ukraine has widened its targeting of Russian oil supplies as it tries to dismantle President Putin’s warchest. Long-range drones operated by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) struck Russian oil production platforms in the Caspian Sea for the third time in a week, according to Kyiv reports.
The latest hit a platform operated by Lukoil-Nizhnevolzhskneft at the Korchagin oil and gas field. It forced production at the facility to a halt and is located in Russia’s sector of the Caspian Sea, about 110 miles off the coast of Russia’s Astrakhan region.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin (Image: AP)
The operation was carried out by the SBU’s Alpha Special Operations Centre. A source told the Kyiv Post: “The SBU continues operations aimed at cutting Russia’s oil revenues and, as a result, its ability to fund the war against Ukraine.”
A military insider told the Mirror: “No Russian oil facility is safe now.” Two people were injured when a Russian strike drone hit a multi-story residential building in Zaporizhzhia overnight, triggering a massive blaze.
Russia attacks Druzhkivka, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, (Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
It follows months of Russian attacks on civilian targets throughout Ukraine as US attempts at stopping the war have faltered, along with American support for Ukraine. It also comes as Britain’s Chief of the Defence Staff Air Chief Marshal Richard Knighton has warned of Russian aggression towards the UK, along with the new head of MI6 Blaize Metreweli.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard said: “Every day the UK is subject to an onslaught of cyber-attacks from Russia and we know that Russian agents are seeking to conduct sabotage and have killed on our shores.” At the same time, Russia’s military has become a “hard power, growing quickly,” according to Sir Richard.
Ukrainian recruit Tetiana, 20, completes basic military training (Image: 65th Mechanized Brigade of Ukrai)
While Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine had been a strategic failure, he said, “we should be under no illusions that Russia has a massive, increasingly technically sophisticated, and now highly combat-experienced military”. Sir Richard said the UK needed to make itself a “harder target” for hybrid threats and to avoid war.
And MI6 chief Blaise Metreweli insisted that now “the frontline is everywhere” as Britain faces a “new age of uncertainty,” in combating the Russian threat. (Mirror UK)