WAR RUSSIA INVADES UKRAINE - Consolidated Thread

DuckandCover said:
This thread seems to have gone pretty quiet lately. Perhaps this war is over? I know two or three years ago, we read non-stop "Ukies surrounded! Front line collapsing!" messages every day. Is it over?
Click to expand...
No, no such luck. For whatever reason it feels even more precarious a situation than it once did- perhaps because it should be over, but clearly no one's willing to work toward an off ramp, let alone take it? :hmm:

This thread is mostly dead because many of the serious voices interested in actual news have moved on to other forums and venues for geopolitical analysis.
 
Posted for fair use......

EuropeEurasia

EU agrees on 21st sanctions package against Russia​

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomes agreement, saying sanctions will further weaken economic foundations of Russia’s war effort

Necva Taştan Sevinç
23 July 2026•Update: 23 July 2026

İSTANBUL
The European Union agreed on its 21st sanctions package against Russia on Thursday, aimed at tightening restrictions on its banking sector and increasing pressure on its oil and gas industry.

"I welcome the agreement on the 21st sanctions package against Russia. At a time when Ukraine has built military momentum, our sanctions continue to weaken the economic foundations of Russia’s war effort," the EU Commission president said on US social media company X.

The package adds 32 Russian banks to the EU’s transaction ban list and imposes measures targeting cryptocurrency companies and oil trading platforms, Ursula von der Leyen said.

The bloc will also freeze the adjustment of the Russian oil price cap for one year to prevent Moscow from benefiting from market shocks.

For the first time, the EU will target vessels that assist Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, she added.

Von der Leyen said the bloc had also taken “an important step” toward formally banning Russian combatants from entering the EU.
 
theconservativetreehouse.com

Zelenskyy Removes and Replaces Leading Military Officials - The Last Refuge

I have not written about the recent events in/around Ukraine because none of it makes sense and all of the information flows through the prism of ‘western’ intelligence propaganda. According to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy {SEE HERE}, he has removed and replaced the entire leadership...
theconservativetreehouse.com theconservativetreehouse.com

Zelenskyy Removes and Replaces Leading Military Officials​


July 22, 2026 | Sundance | 135 Comments

I have not written about the recent events in/around Ukraine because none of it makes sense and all of the information flows through the prism of ‘western’ intelligence propaganda.​

According to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy {SEE HERE}, he has removed and replaced the entire leadership apparatus of the Ukraine military. This follows his removal of 35-year-old Mykhailo Fedorov from the defense ministry last week {CITATION} that led to massive protests against Zelenskyy and armed forces Chief Gen. Oleksandr Syrskiy, who was also eventually replaced.

As the story is told the young Defense Minister Mykailo Fedorov was very well regarded and was the person responsible for the successful technological advancements in military drone use. 35-year-old Fedorov was a close working partner with Palantir head Alex Karp who is assisting Ukraine in their drone development and deployment.

If the drone development and deployment was such a massive success, as pronounced in all western and Ukraine statements, then why would Zelenskyy remove such a critical and effective Defense Minister? This makes no sense.

Additionally, if Chief General Oleksandr Syrskiy was such an effective combatant commander, and if Russia was indeed pushed back on their heels by both Syrskiy’s campaign and Fedorov’s drones, then why would Ukraine disrupt their entire military leadership apparatus while they are winning such well publicized victories. Again, none of this makes sense.

Additionally, if Chief General Oleksandr Syrskiy was such an effective combatant commander, and if Russia was indeed pushed back on their heels by both Syrskiy’s campaign and Fedorov’s drones, then why would Ukraine disrupt their entire military leadership apparatus while they are winning such well publicized victories. Again, none of this makes sense.

These moves by President Zelenskyy are akin to President Trump firing Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine, while saying they were doing an exceptional job on Operation Epic Fury in Iran. See the problem?

None of these moves by Ukraine President Zelenskyy make any sense against the background story of them having incredible success against Russia. You don’t replace the entire military leadership apparatus if things are going swimmingly. However, it seems that no one in western media even fathoms the obvious conflicts in the narrative.

The young defense minister Fedorov, responsible for the well-publicized and celebrated victories in the use of drone warfare does not summarily get dispatched unless there is some underlying reason. Something is not adding up.

ZELENSKYY – Today, the decisions on the changes in the leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be formalized – the relevant decrees are in preparation. Together with Mykhailo Drapatyi and Yevhenii Khmara, we determined that Major General Ihor Skybiuk will become the new Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He is a highly experienced officer who defended Ukraine shoulder to shoulder with the new Commander-in-Chief. It is important that all components of our Armed Forces continue to function in complete coordination. We also determined together how Oleksandr Syrskyi and Andrii Hnatov will continue serving in the defense of our country. {SOURCE}

Wall Street Journal – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky fired the country’s armed-forces chief in a major reversal after initially siding with Gen. Oleksandr Syrskiy in a row with a young defense minister closely associated with Ukraine’s growing prowess in drone warfare.

The Ukrainian leader announced his abrupt shift Tuesday evening following days of street rallies after he removed Mykhailo Fedorov from the defense ministry last week. After several meetings with senior military commanders, he replaced Syrskiy with another experienced officer, Maj. Gen. Mykhailo Drapatiy, who previously signaled his willingness to take a more innovative approach to breaking the deadlock on the battlefield.

It could prove a pivotal moment in Ukraine’s four-year-long defense since Moscow’s full-scale invasion. {MORE}

Additionally, at the exact moment when 35-year-old Mykhailo Fedorov was fired from the Defense Ministry, U.S. influencer Laura Loomer, a woman of generally unstable disposition, set off to begin a propaganda campaign in Ukraine telling her audience it was time to defeat the Russian propaganda.

What followed from Loomer’s arrival in Ukraine (still unfolding) is transparently an intelligence community assist paid propaganda effort to reverse her position on Ukraine and begin supporting the Zelenskyy regime.

Less than 24 hours after Loomer arrived in Kiev to begin broadcasting her pro-Zelenskyy propaganda effort, it was announced that FBI Director Kash Patel will be traveling to Russia {Citation}.

“FBI Director Kash Patel is planning to visit Russia later this year, likely in mid-October, according to a U.S. official and a person familiar with the situation.” … “Patel is scheduled to visit Russia on Oct. 14-15, first stopping in Moscow and then St. Petersburg.”

♦ Western media says Ukraine is achieving massive victories against Russia using drones.

♦ The leading military organizer of Ukraine drone development and use is then summarily fired, no reason given.

♦ The top general responsible for conducting the military operations delivering massive victories for Ukraine is then also fired – due to street protests against him.

Call me a simple-minded person, but these things don’t make sense if things are going swimmingly.
 
markshere2 said:
Having been stationed at a NATO base, there's a significant financial benefit to the host country,also.

The rent in Germany was insanely high.. there has been A TON of US tax dollars sunk into Europe.
Click to expand...
Question, by your estimate, would it crash european economies if we suddenly all pulled out?
 
Whatever happened to naval ships escorting convoys during wartime? Based on what's happening right now in the Strait of Hormuz I'm wondering if World War 3 happens will there be any protection of cargo or civilian ships? Not because the U.S. Navy doesn't want to or is stretched too thin but because based on current behavior it apparently can't.
 
insiderpaper.com
Zelensky to meet Trump in Washington next week: White House
AFP

Key takeaways by Insider Paper

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday.
The meeting coincides with a Washington memorial service for Senator Lindsey Graham, who died earlier this month.
Zelensky said he spoke to Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to revive stalled talks to end the war.
US-led negotiations on resolving the conflict have been stuck while Washington's attention is diverted to the Iran war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet US President Donald Trump in Washington on Tuesday, a White House official said, amid a new push to end the war with Russia.

“President Zelensky is slated to meet with President Trump at the White House on Tuesday,” the White House official told AFP on condition of anonymity on Friday.

Zelensky will meet Trump on the same day as a memorial service in Washington for US Senator Lindsey Graham, a supporter of Ukraine who died earlier this month aged 71.

Kyiv did not immediately confirm Zelensky’s meeting with Trump or whether he would attend the service for Graham.

Zelensky said this week that he had spoken to Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner in a bid to revive the stalled talks to end the four-year-old war.

The US-led negotiations on resolving the conflict have been stuck while Washington’s attention has been diverted to the Iran war. Trump is meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the same day as Zelensky.

Trump and Zelensky have meanwhile had a fraught relationship that has veered from a shouting match in the Oval Office in February 2025 to warmer ties in recent months.

The Ukrainian leader held talks with right-wing US influencer and Trump confidante Laura Loomer this week in a fresh sign of detente.

The 33-year-old arch conservative commentator, who has millions of online followers, has recently abandoned her anti-Ukraine stance.

“This is everyday for every Ukrainian, I feel like such an a**hole for minimizing the struggle of Ukrainians for the last five years,” she said of the experience.

Trump reposted one of Loomer’s social media posts about her Zelensky meeting on Thursday with the caption: “Very good!!!”
insiderpaper.com

Zelensky to meet Trump in Washington next week: White House

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet US President Donald Trump in Washington on Tuesday, a White House official said, amid a new push to end
insiderpaper.com insiderpaper.com
 

Russian Odessa Blockade Causes Kiev Panic; Big Russian Strike Rocks Kiev; Ukraine Chases Wildberries​

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhDRwQlivzQ

Run time - 1:08:46

Russian Odessa Blockade Causes Kiev Panic; Big Russian Strike Rocks Kiev; Ukraine Chases Wildberries

00:00:00 Intro and health update
00:01:07 Big Russian daytime strike hits Kiev
00:02:47 Why the strike fits Russia's wider strategy
00:06:39 Ukraine's massive drone attack on Russia explained
00:09:28 Main target: Wildberries warehouses near St Petersburg
00:13:23 Why only a handful of drones got through
00:15:34 Industrial facility hit in Kirov region, casualties
00:20:45 Ukraine's real goal: shatter Russia's sense of normalcy
00:25:10 Why the Wildberries attacks won't shake Russia's economy
00:30:09 Odessa and the Black Sea ports effectively closed
00:31:36 Lavrov shuts the door on reviving the grain deal
00:35:37 Prediction: the Black Sea becomes a Russian lake
00:42:01 Russian troops enter Alexeevka Dukovka
00:44:53 Russian advances across Zaporizhzhia and Kharkov
00:47:21 Lavrov's fiery meeting with Rubio in Manila
00:53:38 Iran's Araghchi meets Lavrov in Moscow
00:55:40 Zelensky to meet Trump at Lindsey Graham's funeral
01:03:15 Trump's Pickaxe Mountain plan for Iran
01:04:23 Iran mines the Strait of Hormuz
01:05:04 EU moves to confiscate Russian shadow fleet oil
 
My statement actually isn't only aimed at Ukrainian or Russian actions, but also Iranian attacks and so forth. A world war is underway, last time it was damned ugly from all sides. Of course, the victors wrote the history books but the Russians, Brits and us Americans had our share of ugly events. It's time to try to stop this war and series of wars prior to the worst scenarios.
 
twz.com

Evidence Of Ukraine Using Dutch Ruta Block 1 Cruise Missiles Emerges​





The TWZ Newsletter
​


Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.

Russian military bloggers have published what appears to be the first imagery showing the remains of a Ukrainian-operated Ruta Block 1 low-cost cruise missile following an operational strike. The weapon is another addition to an increasingly diverse arsenal that can hold targets even deep inside Russia at risk.
Photos that began circulating on Russian Telegram channels show wreckage consistent with the Dutch-produced Ruta Block 1. While the exact location and target of the strike remain unclear, the images represent the first publicly available evidence that the new long-range weapon has entered combat use.
RUTA_1.jpg
The tail section of the apparent Ruta Block 1 cruise missile wreckage. via X
The recovered debris includes fuselage sections, internal components, and part of the missile’s tailfin assembly. Although the imagery has not been independently verified, the remains appear consistent with the known design characteristics of the Ruta Block 1. The possibility cannot be ruled out entirely that the wreckage represents a previously undisclosed Ukrainian cruise missile design with broadly similar characteristics. Russian military bloggers claimed air defenses intercepted the missile, though that cannot currently be independently verified.
RUTA_2.jpg
A view along the missile body, from front to rear. via X
Footage purportedly showing a Ruta Block 1 missile flying toward its target has also appeared.
The Ruta Block 1 is a product of the Netherlands-based Destinus company, founded by the Russian exile Mikhail Kokorich. Earlier reporting indicated that the Block 1 was already being manufactured in the Netherlands and had been delivered to Ukraine since at least 2024.
A lot of people would be very surprised to learn how many of these Ukraine has received since at least 2025.
Also, whether or not you think it was the right call, the Dutch government has been extremely effective at keeping deliveries of these missiles, and especially their… Status-6 (War & Military News) (@Archer83Able) on X
— Fabian Hoffmann (@FRHoffmann1) July 23, 2026
Click to expand...
Last month, then-Ukrainian Minister of Defense Mykhailo Fedorov announced that the Netherlands was paying for approximately 700 cruise missiles for Ukraine — almost certainly referring to the Ruta Block 1 — as part of a wider package worth more than $500 million.
According to the manufacturer, the Ruta Block 1 has a range of more than 300 kilometers (186 miles) and carries a payload of 150 kilograms (330 pounds).
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - MARCH 13: A Ruta Missile Block 1 developed by Dutch company Destinus is displayed at the company’s stand during the inaugural edition of the Brussels European Defence Exhibition & Conference (BEDEX) on March 13, 2026 in Brussels, Belgium. The new BEDEX event has been created in partnership with the Belgian Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces to showcase the European and NATO defence industries, as Belgium and other European countries increase defence spending in response to the current geopolitical climate. (Photo by Omar Havana/Getty Images)
A mockup of the Ruta Block 1 is displayed at the Brussels European Defence Exhibition & Conference (BEDEX) on March 13, 2026, in Brussels, Belgium. The missile body here appears broader than in other images, but may be a function of perspective or a less accurate model. Photo by Omar Havana/Getty ImagesOmar Havana
The missile is ground-launched via a booster, then flies to its target at low altitude, using a combination of inertial, satellite, and visual navigation systems, providing resilience also in GPS-contested environments. The weapon is intended to strike high-value fixed targets and features pre-programmed terminal guidance.
Unlike larger and more expensive cruise missiles, Ruta has been presented as a mass-producible weapon optimized for deep strikes against military infrastructure. The missile is designed around affordability and production scale, enabling Ukraine to conduct sustained long-range precision attacks while reducing reliance on scarce, more exquisite Western-supplied weapons. The Block 1 also comes with the major advantage that its turbojet engine is also manufactured by Destinus, so the company doesn’t rely on the United States for this part.


Engine No. 1000: Destinus reaches industrial-scale turbojet production in Europe thumbnail

Engine No. 1000: Destinus reaches industrial-scale turbojet production in Europe


Ukraine has generally remained silent regarding operational use of many of its newest indigenous strike systems until well after they have entered service. Confirmation of the introduction of other long-range weapons often came first from Russian photographs of intercepted missiles or strike aftermath before official acknowledgment from Kyiv.
For Ukraine, the Ruta Block 1 forms part of a broader effort to diversify its expanding arsenal of deep-strike capabilities, alongside long-range drones, indigenous cruise missiles, as well as missile-drone hybrids. As production ramps up, these systems are playing an increasingly important role in sustained attacks against Russian energy infrastructure, as well as command centers, logistics hubs, airbases, ammunition depots, and defense-industrial facilities far behind the front lines. Ukraine is currently ramping up its long-range strikes on all fronts and doing major damage.
Destinus is also working on additional members of the Ruta family.
Earlier this year, the company presented the Ruta Block 2, which increases the missile’s range to over 800 kilometers (around 500 miles) and boosts its payload capacity to 250 kilograms (550 pounds).


Ruta B2 Flight Test | European Canister-Compatible Cruise Missile | Destinus thumbnail

Ruta B2 Flight Test | European Canister-Compatible Cruise Missile | Destinus


Meanwhile, the Ruta Block 3 will have a range of 2,000 kilometers (around 1,200 miles) with a 550-kilogram payload. Block 3 is expected to enter flight testing in 2027 and is also suitable for air launch.
As well as bolstering the Ukrainian arsenal, the Ruta Block 3 has relevance for European nations looking to build up their long-range conventional strike capabilities.


Ruta B3 and the Future of European Deep Strike thumbnail

Ruta B3 and the Future of European Deep Strike


Russia’s extensive use of ground-launched missiles in Ukraine, along with its deployment of long-range weapons in Kaliningrad, has highlighted the deficiencies in Europe’s deep-strike capabilities as NATO seeks to strengthen conventional deterrence against Moscow. The Block 3 could be part of the answer to emerging requirements, including the European Long-Range Strike Approach (ELSA), which involves France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, and which seeks to bring new systems into service in the 2030s.
Destinus is also working to expand its production capacity, including through a joint venture with Rheinmetall that will make use of that company’s manufacturing facilities in Germany.

Overall, the Ruta series is part of a wider trend toward lower-cost, highly producible cruise missiles, something also evidenced in the United States. Examples of these include CoAspire’s Rapidly Adaptable Affordable Cruise Missile-Extended Range (RAACM-ER), which you can read more about here, and the Family of Affordable Mass Missiles-Beyond Adversary’s Reach (FAMM-BAR) effort, which is seeking lower-cost designs with maximum ranges of 1,000 nautical miles or more.

Whether this particular missile reached its intended target or was intercepted remains unknown. What is clear, however, is that we have the strongest evidence to date that the Ruta Block 1 has transitioned from an announced development program into an operational weapon being employed against Russian targets.

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com
Evidence Of Ukraine Using Dutch Ruta Block 1 Cruise Missiles Emerges Evidence Of Ukraine Using Dutch Ruta Block 1 Cruise Missiles Emerges
 
somdwatcher said:
My statement actually isn't only aimed at Ukrainian or Russian actions, but also Iranian attacks and so forth. A world war is underway, last time it was damned ugly from all sides. Of course, the victors wrote the history books but the Russians, Brits and us Americans had our share of ugly events. It's time to try to stop this war and series of wars prior to the worst scenarios.
Click to expand...
At some point you have to stop daisy picking and choose a side. The war will not stop because we both want it to. I damn sure want all of it to stop. It’s not gonna stop.all we can do is pray and hope for the best. Pick a team to stop it all quickest.
 

Black Sea Now Russian Lake, West's Grain Gamble Backfired​

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJ3TCjA-s4k

Run time - 25:33
Jul 25, 2026

00:00 Odessa blockade confirmed
00:51 All Black Sea ports shut down
01:49 The trigger behind the blockade
04:25 Disaster for Ukraine's economy
07:58 The collective West's master plan
09:32 Did they not expect retaliation
11:57 Grain war backfires on Europe
13:30 Wildberries warehouses targeted
18:25 The 2022 UN grain deal unravels
24:11 Andy Burnham's first call to Zelensky
 
von Koehler said:
This Wildberries warehouse was later destroyed by more Ukrainian drones.

Who says they can only use one drone per attack?
Click to expand...
This will always be the case in every technical battle space and in every high level conflict until air defense has the ability to effectively target and destroy the means of long range signal guidance. It's coming in due time, by the process of war fighting evolution.
 
testing article 5, or just one o' those mercury retrograde mistakes that occur during these kinds of times...I'm wakin on the cynical side o' the bed again these days, so... :hmm:

GeoInsider
@InsiderGeo

BREAKING: Romania has shot down a second drone after it violated the country's airspace, marking the second successful interception in less than 24 hours.

According to the Romanian Ministry of Defence, the drone was detected at 08:10 local time and destroyed just 12 minutes later, at 08:22, by a Romanian Air Force F-16 over an unpopulated area approximately 10 km west of Sfântu Gheorghe, in the Danube Delta.

The interception was carried out by the same Romanian F-16 crew that conducted the country's first-ever combat shootdown of a drone on Friday.

Unlike yesterday's incident, when a drone crossed multiple Romanian counties before it could be safely engaged, today's target was intercepted near the border almost immediately after entering Romanian airspace.
 
EasyMoney said:
At some point you have to stop daisy picking and choose a side.
Click to expand...
Both sides are corrupt as hell and both sides are performing acts that most in the West would consider barbaric. In some ways this is more of a cultural civil war between relatives than a more traditional war. Just ask any cop how much they want to get involved in armed domestic disputes -- even the one you try to help is liable to bury a knife in your back because you're battling with their spouse or partner (it doesn't have to make sense, that's just the reality of domestic disputes). Picking the lesser of two evils is still picking evil, and when the picking is all done you're still left with evil. Just don't expect everyone else to slap you on the back and congratulate you for your good sense. (And, no, I have no solution to suggest to end this war and have everything come up roses.)
 
:hmm:


Insider Paper
@TheInsiderPaper
8m

NEW: A Canadian woman of Chinese origin, working as an intern at NATO strategic HQ, has been arrested by Belgian police on suspicion of “spying on behalf of a third country and of being a member of a criminal organization.” — Politico EU
 
jward said:
:hmm:


Insider Paper
@TheInsiderPaper
8m

NEW: A Canadian woman of Chinese origin, working as an intern at NATO strategic HQ, has been arrested by Belgian police on suspicion of “spying on behalf of a third country and of being a member of a criminal organization.” — Politico EU
Click to expand...
A Chinese woman, a spies, noooo....that never happens...sarc
 
I don't pay much attention to the endless Ukraine war.
But yesterday I was curious about something and I checked it out a little.
Ukraine still has a rather big GDP and Ukraine still exports over $40 billion of goods.
How could that even be possible with this big giant multi-year war?
Again why did Russia even enter Ukraine when instead they could destroyed Ukraine's infrastructure from a distance. Russia could have destroyed ports, bridges, airports, and electric generation capability and then after those actions took effect they could have invaded.
I do not understand modern wars.
 
tanstaafl said:
Both sides are corrupt as hell and both sides are performing acts that most in the West would consider barbaric. In some ways this is more of a cultural civil war between relatives than a more traditional war. Just ask any cop how much they want to get involved in armed domestic disputes -- even the one you try to help is liable to bury a knife in your back because you're battling with their spouse or partner (it doesn't have to make sense, that's just the reality of domestic disputes). Picking the lesser of two evils is still picking evil, and when the picking is all done you're still left with evil. Just don't expect everyone else to slap you on the back and congratulate you for your good sense. (And, no, I have no solution to suggest to end this war and have everything come up roses.)
Click to expand...
I agree with you 100%. The other choice is just turning a blind eye.
 
ILREDALERT @ILREDALERT Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia has provided Iran with satellite imagery of Gulf states and U.S. military facilities to help direct strikes. He said Ukrainian intelligence recorded Russian satellite surveillance of targets before and after Iranian attacks, and plans to share the information with partners.
 
danielboon said:
EndGameWW3 @EndGameWW3 Iranian media threatens Kyiv with ‘ballistic missiles’: “All of Ukraine is within reach’
Click to expand...
Iran also threatened the airbase I think the B-1B's launched from in Great Britain. AFAIK they haven't hit anything further away than Turkey, and in fact they didn't even hit anything in Turkey since I think all three missiles were intercepted. Iran has put several satellites in orbit, so theoretically I guess they could hit just about anywhere with a very modest warhead. But I'll believe it when I see it.
 
www.france24.com

Kazakhstan's president urges Putin to ‘freeze’ war in Ukraine

Kazakhstan's president on Saturday urged Russian leader Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine during talks in the Siberian city of Omsk. Hours earlier, Ukrainian drones struck an oil refinery in Siberia…
www.france24.com www.france24.com

Kazakhstan's president urges Putin to ‘freeze’ war in Ukraine​

Europe
Kazakhstan's president on Saturday urged Russian leader Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine during talks in the Siberian city of Omsk. Hours earlier, Ukrainian drones struck an oil refinery in Siberia in one of Kyiv's deepest attacks inside Russia.
Issued on: 25/07/2026 - 16:55Modified: 25/07/2026 - 22:39
4 minReading time
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By:
FRANCE 24
'It is a shame, young people are dying,' Kazakh leader Kassym-Jomart Tokayev told Russian President Vladimir Putin
'It is a shame, young people are dying,' Kazakh leader Kassym-Jomart Tokayev told Russian President Vladimir Putin. © Vyacheslav Prokofyev, Pool, AFP

Ukrainian drones struck a Siberian oil refinery in a fresh wave of strikes Saturday, as Kazakhstan's president told Russia's Vladimir Putin the Ukraine war should end during a forum in Siberia's Omsk.



In occupied Ukraine, Russian-installed authorities said a Ukrainian strike had killed 12 people at a seaside "tourist camp", as well as one more in a Moscow-held town and two in Russian border villages.

Kyiv said Russian attacks had killed five people in eastern and southern Ukraine, and two crew members were missing after a Russian strike on a cargo ship carrying corn.

The deaths come as the UN has warned of civilians dying in larger numbers recently in the almost 4.5-year war.

Moscow said Ukraine – which has intensified its retaliatory strikes – launched more than 300 drones into Russia Saturday, including on far-flung regions.

Kyiv has said its retaliatory strikes are aimed at damaging Moscow's war effort and forcing the Kremlin to negotiate.
Kyiv has said its retaliatory strikes are aimed at damaging Moscow's war effort and forcing the Kremlin to negotiate. © Stringer, AFP

The governor of Siberia's Tyumen region said a local oil refinery had been set ablaze. Russia's athletics federation said an all-Russian competition in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg had been halted over drone threats.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed the Siberia strike and said Kyiv had hit a military factory in the Kirov region for a second day in a row, a day after local authorities said an attack there had killed five people.

Kyiv has said its retaliatory strikes are aimed at damaging Moscow's war effort and forcing the Kremlin to negotiate.

'Young people are dying'​

In Siberia's Omsk, hours after the strikes, Kazakh leader Kassym-Jomart Tokayev told Putin the Ukraine war should end as the pair met for a Russia-Kazakh summit.

"It is a shame, young people are dying ... All this has to be stopped," Tokayev said, sitting next to Putin in televised comments.

Putin is rarely confronted with officials publicly telling him the fighting should stop.

Tokayev said the conflict should be "frozen" and suggested a return to Istanbul talks before moving "to a long-awaited peace".

The Central Asian leader, who is a Moscow ally but who has never condoned Russia's offensive, said the roots of the war are "not understandable".

Putin responded that he would inform Tokayev on "the details" of the war.

The Russian leader has repeatedly said Moscow intends to take the rest of east Ukraine by force.

US-led talks to end Europe's worst conflict since WWII have stalled.

12 killed in occupied town​

Russian occupational authorities in southern Ukraine said a Ukrainian strike Saturday on the Azov Sea town of Kyrylivka killed 12 people, including four children, accusing Kyiv of having targeted a "tourist camp".

"The whereabouts of eight people is unknown and rescue operations are ongoing," said Yevgeny Balitsky, the Kremlin-installed head of the Russian-occupied part of the Zaporizhzhia region.

Another person was killed in the occupied part of the Kherson region, Moscow said.

Kyiv has not yet commented on the strike, but Ukraine has increased its attacks in the Azov Sea, where it has targeted Russian shipping.

Zelensky said a Russian strike on the north-eastern town of Sumy had killed three people at a site belonging to the Nova Poshta private courier service.

Two other people were also killed in southern and eastern Ukraine, Kyiv said.

Kyiv's transport minister Mykola Kalashnyk said on Telegram that Russia had twice hit a civilian vessel carrying almost 2,800 tons of corn as it left the port of Odesa Saturday.

The ship caught fire and seven crew members and a Ukrainian pilot had to be rescued, but two other crew members were missing, he added.

Urals, Siberia hit​

Far from the battlefield, Ukrainian drones disrupted an all-Russian athletics competition in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg.

Also in Yekaterinburg, Russian online retail giant Wildberries said it had evacuated its staff over a drone threat, but said its facility had not been damaged.

Wildberries – Russia's version of Amazon – has been targeted by Kyiv's drones for a week, attacks that have killed some workers and caused major fires.

Ukrainian drones have caused nationwide fuel shortages and disrupted ordinary life in Russia more than at any point during more than four years of war.


Russia said Saturday it would extend a fuel export ban until the end of the year.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
 
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