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Ukraine has visibly widened its campaign against Russian energy facilities in recent weeks
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Ukraine claimed to have struck a Russian warship and drilling facilities in the Caspian Sea during Kyiv’s latest maritime blitz against Putin’s ailing war machine.
The nighttime drone attack hit the Okhotnik-class patrol ship and an offshore drilling platform in the Filanovsky oil and gas field, owned by sanctioned energy giant Lukoil, according to Ukraine’s SOFCOM.
Damage was still being assessed on Saturday, Ukraine’s general staff said. Drones separately struck a radar system in annexed Crimea.
The reports emerged after Ukraine claimed its first attack on a Russian ‘shadow fleet’ oil tanker in the Mediterranean on Friday.
The Qendil tanker sustained critical damage from the strikes in neutral waters off the coast of Libya, more than 2,000km from Ukraine, an official from Ukraine’s SBU security service said.
Russia’s “shadow fleet” of unregulated ships has been a thorn in the side of Kyiv, allowing Russia to export large quantities of oil and fund its invasion despite Western sanctions.
The strikes come as Europe announced a €90bn (£79bn) loan for Ukraine over two years – a boon for Kyiv’s economy, but less than hoped as leaders failed to agree on the use of frozen Russian assets.
Editorial: Despite agreeing to a €90bn interest-free loan that could keep Kyiv afloat for two years, European leaders seem unduly nervous about forcing Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table. If Europe is ever to defeat Russia, it must now go further – or risk humiliation:
Russia claims to have seized the villages of Svitle and Vysoke in Donetsk and Sumy regions respectively.
Russia’s Defence Ministry made the claims on social media on Saturday.
The Independent could not independently confirm the battlefield report.
EU taxpayers will pay €3 billion per year in interest on the new loan for Ukraine after leaders failed to agree on how to use frozen Russian assets, senior Commission officials told Politico.
Leaders came together this week with the aim of securing a loan against some of Russia’s €210bn in frozen assets held within the EU.
They emerged without consensus and instead agreed to raise €90bn (£79bn) for the next two years in common debt, backed by the EU budget.
Ukrainian negotiators headed for the latest round of peace talks with the US on Friday after wrapping up productive discussions in Berlin at the start of the week.
Rustem Umerov, who is in the United States for the talks, said on Friday that Kyiv’s European partners will also be involved in the discussions.
“We are constructively minded. We have already held preliminary consultations with our European colleagues and are preparing for further discussions with the American side,” Umerov said. “… Ukraine’s security must be guaranteed reliably and in the long term.”
Here’s the latest:
Eight people have been confirmed dead and 27 wounded in a missile strike by Russian troops on Odesa port, Ukraine’s Emergency Service said today.
“Yesterday evening, Russia carried out a missile strike on a port infrastructure facility in Odesa Oblast. Some of the victims were on a bus that was at the epicentre of the strike,” the emergency service said in a statement.
Several of the injured were on a bus when Russia struck the port with ballistic missiles, according to Oleh Kiper, the head of the Odesa region.
Several cars and trucks were also damaged in the attack, the emergency service said.
Ukraine claimed to have struck a Russian warship in the Caspian Sea on Friday night.
They said this morning that the Russian warship Okhotnik had been hit by multiple drones while patrolling in the sea near an oil and gas production platform.
The damage was still being clarified, they said.
A drilling platform at the Filanovsky oil and gas field in the Caspian Sea was also hit.
During the more than four-and-a-half-hour televised conference yesterday, Russian president Vladimir Putin spoke to reporters as questions from Russians flashed on screens in the hall.
Many of the questions focused on Russians’ financial concerns amid a slowing economy and high inflation.
“When you will return the ‘normal internet?’ It’s impossible to even send a question to the president!” one question asked.
“Are you going to nominate yourself to run for president in 2030?” asked another.
“Stop price increases!” said another.
Sir Keir Starmer has warned Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich that the “clock is ticking” for him to hand over the £2.5bn he received from the sale of Chelsea Football Club.
The prime minister told MPs on Wednesday that a licence has been issued, allowing the money to be transferred to the people of Ukraine suffering at the hands of the Russian invasion.
The announcement is the first major move in transferring Europe-based Russian assets for the rebuilding of Ukraine. It follows a mini-summit between Sir Keir and the Belgian prime minister Bart de Wever last week to discuss Russian assets, most of which are based in Belgium.
Political Editor David Maddox reports:
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