Ukraine war: Kamikaze drone attack sparks fire at Russian oil refinery

A “kamikaze drone” has struck an oil refinery in Russia, causing a fire to break out.

The Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in Russia’s Rostov region, bordering Ukraine, has suspended operations after what may have been a drone strike, regional governor Vasily Golubev said on social media.

He said a fire had broken out in the refinery’s vacuum plant, and that fragments of two drones had been found on the territory of the refinery.

“One of them made an impact, crashing into a heat transfer unit, after which the blaze started. The second one flew away,” an unnamed local authority source told the Russian news agency TASS.

Local emergency services said the blaze has now been put out.

Follow the latest updates below.

11:16 AM

Finland is ready to fight Russia if attacked, says defence chief

Finland has prepared for decades for a Russian attack and would put up stiff resistance should one occur, its armed forces chief said.

The Nordic country has built up a substantial arsenal. But aside from the military hardware, General Timo Kivinen said, a crucial factor is that Finns would be motivated to fight.

“The most important line of defence is between one’s ears, as the war in Ukraine proves at the moment,” Kivinen said in an interview.

Finland fought two wars in the 1940s against its eastern neighbour, with which it shares a 1,300-km (810-mile) border.

11:07 AM

EU sanctions that prompted Lithuania transit ban ‘unacceptable’ – Kremlin

The Kremlin has said that the EU sanctions that led Lithuania to impose a ban on the transit of some goods from mainland Russia to the exclave of Kaliningrad were “absolutely unacceptable”, and that Moscow was working on retaliatory measures.

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Speaking to reporters on a conference call, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow had yet to decide when it would impose countermeasures.

10:51 AM

Russian McDonald’s sells ‘record’ number of burgers

The new, rebranded McDonald’s in Russia appears to be off to a roaring start: The chain sold a record 120,000 burgers on its opening day, the chain’s CEO told Reuters.

“We have never seen such daily turnover in the whole time McDonald’s has worked in Russia,” Oleg Paroev told Reuters in an exclusive interview published on Tuesday. Mr Paroev was the former CEO of McDonald’s Russia.

McDonald’s exited the Russian market in May after 32 years in the country, citing “the humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Ukraine, and the precipitating unpredictable operating environment.”

The US fast-food chain sold the Russian business to local licensee and businessman Alexander Govor, and it reopened on June 12 under the new name ‘Vkusno & tochka’, which translates to “tasty and that’s it.” A total of 15 rebranded shops opened in and around Moscow on June 12, with another 35 opening the next day, according to Reuters.

Photos from Vkusno & tochka’s opening in Russia earlier this month show restaurants packed with diners.

Last week, James Kilner sent this report on the opening of Vkusno & tochka.

10:33 AM

Despite the horror, Ukrainians carry on with daily life

10:14 AM

Russia’s lowering of gas flows a ‘rogue move’

Russian reductions of gas flows to Europe are “very rogue moves” a senior European Commission official has said, adding plans to step up coal use in the bloc would be temporary and climate goals remained intact.

“The unlawful invasion by Russia of Ukraine has resulted in an emergency situation in the EU,” Elina Bardram, acting director for International Affairs and Climate Finance at the European Commision, told the Africa Energy Forum in Brussels.

“With the very rogue moves we are observing from the Putin administration in terms of Gazprom lowering the flow very suddenly, we are doing some very important measures, but all of those measures are temporary”, she added, referring to coal use.

The EU and other developed economies have widened sanctions on Russia to include its oil and coal but have held off on banning gas imports.

However, gas prices have hit record highs as a slowdown in flows from Russia in recent days has deepened worries over supply in higher-demand winter months.

09:56 AM

‘Kamikaze drone’ causes fire at Russian oil refinery

A fire at Russia’s Novoshakhtinsk refinery in the Rostov region began after two Ukrainian drones were spotted over the plant, TASS cited an unidentified source in the local authorities.

“One of them made an impact, crashing into a heat transfer unit, after which the blaze started. The second one flew away,” the source told TASS.

The local emergency service said the blaze has been put out, Interfax news agency reported.

09:35 AM

Dozens of civilians killed in Kharkiv region after heavy Russian shelling

09:18 AM

Fight with Russia in Severodonetsk ‘hell’ – Kyiv

Ukraine has said that the eastern industrial city of Severodonetsk was “hell” as Russian forces moved to encircle two key cities in the Donbas where Moscow has concentrated its military efforts.

“For four months all our positions have been under fire from everything – and I just want to emphasis this – from all the weapons that the Russian army has,” the Luhansk regional governor Sergiy Gaiday said in a statement on social media.

“It’s just hell out there,” he added, referring to Severodonetsk. “Our boys are holding their positions and will continue to hold on as long as necessary,” he added.

08:57 AM

Ukrainians use American weapons to fire at Russians

08:29 AM

Sergei Lavrov heads to Iran for talks

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was due in Iran Wednesday for talks on boosting trade and energy cooperation as the two countries grapple with Western economic sanctions.

Tehran and Moscow both have huge oil and gas reserves but are constrained by sanctions that limit their ability to export their output.

“Lavrov will meet our foreign minister (Hossein Amir-Abdollahian) tomorrow (Thursday),” Iran’s official IRNA news agency said.

Russia was slapped with sanctions following its February invasion of neighbouring Ukraine, while Iran’s economy has been reeling under biting sanctions reimposed by the US in 2018, following Washington’s withdrawal from a nuclear accord between Tehran and major powers.

08:18 AM

The moment a Russian journalist auctions his Nobel Peace Prize for £84m to aid Ukrainian refugees

08:04 AM

Ukraine continues to fight for Severedontesk, in pictures

07:52 AM

Indonesian president to visit Kyiv, Moscow this month

Indonesian President and G20 chair Joko Widodo will visit the leaders of Ukraine and Russia this month to discuss the economic and humanitarian fallout of Moscow’s invasion, his foreign minister said on Wednesday.

The G20 summit – which will be held on the Indonesian island of Bali in November – has been shrouded in controversy thanks to Jakarta’s decision to invite Russia despite alleged war crimes in Ukraine.

Indonesia holds the rotating presidency of the G20 this year, and has come under pressure from some Western countries, led by the United States, to exclude Russia from the meeting.

Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said Mr Widodo would visit Kyiv and Moscow after representing Indonesia as a guest country at the G7 summit in Germany on June 26 and 27, becoming the first Asian leader to travel to both countries since fighting began.

“In the visit to Kyiv and Moscow, the president will meet with President (Volodymyr) Zelensky and President (Vladimir) Putin,” Mr Marsudi said in an online briefing on Wednesday.

07:41 AM

MoD latest update

06:59 AM

Britain says casualty rate nears 55pc among forces of Donetsk Republic

Casualties have amounted to about 55 per cent of the original strength of the forces of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), one of Russia’s proxies in eastern Ukraine, Britain said on Wednesday.

Figures published by the DPR showed that by June 16, 2,128 military personnel had been killed in action, with 8,897 wounded since the beginning of 2022, the defence ministry said in a daily Twitter update.

Russian authorities have not released the tally of military casualties in Ukraine since 25 March, it added.

05:41 AM

Key Ukrainian city under ‘massive’ Russian bombardment

Ukrainian forces are facing “massive” and relentless artillery attacks in a battleground eastern city, Kyiv warned, as Russian troops gained ground throughout the Donbas region.

Moscow’s troops have been pummelling eastern Ukraine for weeks and are slowly advancing, despite fierce resistance from the outgunned Ukrainian military.

With President Vladimir Putin’s forces tightening their grip on the strategically important city of Severodonetsk in the Donbas, its twin city of Lysychansk is now coming under heavier bombardment.

“The Russian army is massively shelling Lysychansk,” Sergiy Gaiday, governor of the Lugansk region, which includes both cities, wrote on Telegram.

“They are just destroying everything there… They destroyed buildings and unfortunately there are casualties.”

04:33 AM

Howitzers arrive in Ukraine, first in pledged weapons package from Germany

German self-propelled howitzers have arrived in Ukraine in the first delivery of heavy weapons promised by Berlin, Ukraine’s defence minister said on Tuesday.

Ukraine has pleaded with the West to send more and better artillery as the country runs out of ammunition for its existing Soviet-era arsenal, which is dwarfed by Russia’s.

“We have replenishment!…The German Panzerhaubitze 2000 with trained Ukrainian crews joined the Ukrainian artillery family,” Ukraine’s Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said on social media.

03:47 AM

EU to welcome Ukraine candidacy on Thursday

In a symbolic decision, Ukraine is set to become an official candidate for European Union membership on Thursday, EU diplomats said.

Russia’s failure to make a major breakthrough so far since invading Ukraine means time is on the side of Ukrainians, according to some military analysts.

“It’s a heavyweight boxing match. In 2 months of fighting, there has not yet been a knockout blow. It will come, as RU forces become more depleted,” retired US Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, a former commander of US ground forces in Europe, wrote on Twitter.

03:31 AM

Italy’s government hit after Five Star party split over war

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s coalition government was rocked by fresh turmoil on Tuesday after the largest party in parliament split, with the foreign minister starting a breakaway group.

Luigi Di Maio said his decision to leave the Five Star Movement (M5S) – the party he once led – was due to its “ambiguity” over Italy’s support of Ukraine following Russia’s invasion.

But it follows months of internal tensions in the party, which has lost most of the support that propelled it to power in 2018 and risks being almost wiped out in national elections due next year.

As many as 60 former Five Star lawmakers have already signed up to Mr Di Maio’s new group, “Together for the Future”, media reports said.

03:21 AM

Latest photos of the war in Ukraine as fighting continues in the east

02:55 AM

Ukraine strengthening defences in Luhansk

Ukrainian and Russian forces remained entrenched in eastern Ukrainian battlegrounds going into Wednesday, a day of commemoration in both countries to mark the anniversary of Hitler’s invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941.

Fighting in the months-long war has favoured Russia in recent weeks because of its huge edge in artillery firepower, a fact Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged in a late Tuesday night address.

“Thanks to tactical maneuvers the Ukrainian army is strengthening its defences in the Luhansk region,” he said. “That is really the toughest spot. The occupiers are also pressing strongly in the direction of Donetsk.”

“And just as actively as we are fighting for a positive decision by the European Union on Ukraine’s candidate status, we are also fighting every day for modern weaponry for our country. We don’t let up for a single day,” Mr Zelensky said, urging those nations supporting his country to speed up arms deliveries.

01:10 AM

Today’s Top Stories

• Mariupol was once a thriving city of 400,000 people lying on Ukraine’s southern coast, along the Sea of Azov. A predominantly working-class place, with Europe’s largest steelworks at the centre of its relatively prosperous economy. Now, instead, it is a place of death. Death, here, assaults the senses

• Germany has “finally” delivered its first shipment of heavy weapons to Ukraine nearly five months into the war with Russia, Kyiv said on Tuesday

• Ukrainian forces have launched a “massive” night-time mission to retake Snake Island, the Black Sea outpost captured by Russia at the start of the war

• Vladimir Putin warned that Russia would deploy its newest intercontinental ballistic missile, capable of reaching Britain in three minutes, by the end of the year