Ukraine attacks targets in Russia – Lavrov rules out ceasefire

Kyiv confirmed the attacks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said an oil refinery in the city of Syzran in the Samara region had been attacked. Zelensky also spoke of strikes on drone production in the city of Taganrog in the Rostov region and drone facilities in the Oryol region. In Taganrog, rockets are said to have hit warehouses belonging to the online retailer Ozon. Targets on the Black Sea were also attacked.

Lavrov does not want to suspend attacks

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that in the event of peace talks, hostilities would not stop. The so-called military operation will continue during such negotiations, Lavrov said, according to the Reuters news agency. Kyiv has repeatedly cited a ceasefire as a basis for negotiations.

Russian attacks also continued: The mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, reported Russian drone attacks on the city on Telegram that night. A gas station was hit, and he later spoke of an attack on another gas station. One of the injured died in hospital, Klitschko said. He had previously spoken of seven injured in Kyiv.

Ukraine has been defending itself against a large-scale Russian invasion with Western help for more than four and a half years. As part of its defensive campaign, it repeatedly targets targets in the Russian hinterland. In recent months, Kyiv has carried out serious attacks against the Russian oil industry, temporarily causing bottlenecks on the fuel market in Russia. Moscow responded with targeted attacks on facilities in Ukraine and also targeted individual gas stations.