Ukraine-Russia war live: Fuel sales halted after Kyiv strikes both sides of Crimean bridge – UK Times

Polish prime minister Donald Tusk has warned that a growing political dispute between Poland and Ukraine is a strategic error that risks damaging both countries, as he attempts to ease renewed tensions over events dating back to the Second World War.

The row escalated after Polish president Karol Nawrocki on Friday revoked Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky’s highest Polish state honour. In response, three former Ukrainian presidents and several senior officials returned the awards they had previously received from Poland.

Nawrocki withdrew the Order of the White Eagle after Zelensky drew criticism in Poland for renaming a Ukrainian military unit in honour of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, a nationalist force responsible for massacres of Poles during the Second World War.

“Wading into a conflict between politicians in Poland and Ukraine ‌is a strategic mistake that will harm both sides: business-wise, geopolitically, and reputationally. And in politics, as we know, a mistake is worse than a crime,” Tusk wrote in a post on X.

The pro-European leader returned to power in 2023 after heading a coalition that defeated the nationalist Law and Justice party, with which Nawrocki is politically aligned.

In an interview published on X, Zelensky stressed that Ukraine and Poland could only remain “partners and friends”, warning that political tensions could lead to a “very dangerous escalation”.

“Our service members choose a ‌heroic name for their unit themselves, and as president and supreme commander-in-chief, I must support them,” he said.“Without Ukraine, no one will be able to defend Poland. It is simply impossible.”

Ukraine targeted the energy and military infrastructure near the Crimean Bridge, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on 21 June.

“This night, our long-range sanctions were applied to the occupiers’ military logistics, oil industry, and air defence,” Zelensky said in a Telegram post.

“Targets on both sides of the Crimean Bridge were hit: maritime logistics for oil transportation in the Krasnodar region and an oil depot in temporarily occupied Kerch,” he added.

Zelensky warned the citizens to be vigilant earlier on 20 June about a possible Russian attack.

“Tonight and in the coming hours, we must pay particularly close attention to air raid alerts,” Zelensky has said on Saturday. “The Russians have prepared for a new massive strike. Please, stay safe.”

Four people were killed and 28 wounded in a Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian-controlled peninsula of Crimea, the Russian-installed governor said.

Separately, local ​authorities ⁠in Russia’s ‌Krasnodar region said a Ukrainian drone ‌attack killed ‌one person on a ⁠passenger ferry and set an oil terminal ablaze.

The ferry service across the Kerch Strait, separating Crimea from the Krasnodar region, has been temporarily suspended, the authorities said.

Four people ​were killed and 28 wounded in a Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian-controlled peninsula of Crimea, the Russian-installed ⁠governor said.

Separately, local authorities in Russia’s Krasnodar region said a Ukrainian drone attack on an oil transport facility, confirmed by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy, killed one person on a passenger ferry and set an oil terminal ablaze.

The ⁠Russian defence ministry said 239 Ukrainian ​drones ⁠had been shot down ‌overnight.

Crimean governor Sergei Aksyonov said fuel stations across the peninsula suspended sales to the public and businesses, with supplies restricted to government agencies responsible for essential services and security.

Ukraine has recently intensified drone attacks ⁠on Crimea, home to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, targeting the peninsula’s supply routes and triggering a fuel crisis as the holiday season starts.

A local power grid operator reported outages in several areas after damage to electricity networks, while ferry traffic across the Kerch Strait, separating Crimea from the Krasnodar region, was temporarily suspended.

Authorities also halted ⁠traffic on the bridge linking Crimea with Russia’s ‌Krasnodar region ​for more than ‌nine hours, leaving 11 trains ​running behind schedule.

Ukraine’s stronger position in the war with Russia has yet to relieve the humanitarian crisis felt by millions of displaced Ukrainians and worsened by a plunge in aid spending, the head of the International Rescue Committee said.

Ukraine has slowed Russia’s advances on the battlefield to a virtual halt in recent months, prompting G7 leaders to recognise at a summit last week that ⁠momentum in the war has shifted.

Speaking during a visit to Ukraine, David Miliband, the IRC’s president and CEO, said it was still vital to recognise the impact of aid cuts, led by the US, that have halved the IRC’s budget in the country to a current estimate of $20m in 2027 from $40m last year.

“It feels particularly important at a time when there is this new sense of a different geopolitical narrative to recognise the brutality and strain that’s being ‌faced by millions of Ukrainians,” Miliband said on Saturday, ‌World Refugee Day.

The UN calculates roughly 118 million people are displaced globally, often as a result of conflict, violence and persecution. Ukraine accounts for around 10 million, with nearly four million of those internally displaced inside the country.

One person was killed and three were injured after Russia hit Ukraine’s southern Odesa region with an Iskander ballistic missile on Sunday evening, Oleh Kiper, the regional governor, said on Telegram. He said vehicles ‌and fuel storage ⁠tanks caught fire after the strike hit an agricultural facility in the ‌Odesa district.

The details could not be independently verified.

Russia launched a fresh attack on Sumy on Sunday, with several buildings damaged.

Eight people were injured in the overnight attacks, according to Serhii Kryvosheienko, head of Sumy City Military Administration.

A post office, petrol station, apartment blocks and houses were damaged in the attack, he said.

Ukraine’s stronger position in the war with Russia has yet to relieve the humanitarian crisis felt by millions of displaced Ukrainians and worsened by a plunge in aid spending, the head of the International Rescue Committee said.

Ukraine has slowed Russia’s advances on the battlefield to a virtual halt in recent months, prompting G7 leaders to recognise at a summit last week that momentum in the war has shifted.

Speaking during a visit to Ukraine, David Miliband, the IRC’s president and CEO, said it was still vital to recognise the impact of aid cuts, led by the U.S., that has halved the IRC’s budget in the country to a current estimate of $20 million in 2027 from $40 million last year.

“It feels particularly important at a time when there is this new sense of a different geopolitical narrative to recognise the brutality and strain that’s being faced by millions of Ukrainians,” Mr Miliband said on Saturday, World Refugee Day.