Ukraine-Russia war latest: Fire erupts at major Black Sea port oil refinery after fourth Ukrainian attack in two weeks – UK Times

The Kremlin has said Russia will implement a proposed ceasefire during Victory Day commemorations on 9 May regardless of Ukraine’s response.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the temporary halt in hostilities “will be implemented” and that “a response is not, in fact, required”.

“The decision has been made by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief,” he added, referring to Vladimir Putin.

The comments come after president Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed the proposal as “manipulative” and a “theatrical performance” aimed at securing military parades.

Ukraine has instead called for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire, with Zelensky saying: “We value human lives, not parades.”

Russian attack drones struck Odesa overnight, injuring at least 20 people and damaging residential buildings and civilian infrastructure.

“The enemy has attacked our city again,” Odesa city military administration head Serhiy Lysak wrote on Facebook. “A fire was recorded in a 16-story building. We also have a strike on another high-rise, there was a fire on the 11th and 12th levels.”

A kindergarten, shopping centre, hotel, and other buildings were also hit, he said.

Earlier, Lysak had reported 16 injured, including a 17-year-old, before regional governor Oleh Kiper said the number had risen to 20, the Kyiv Post reported.

Ukraine’s air force said it shot down 172 of 206 drones launched overnight.

Ukraine’s military has struck an oil refinery in the Russian city of Orsk in the southern Orenburg region, triggering a fire, the General Staff said.

“The Orsknefteorgsintez oil refinery (Orsk in Orenburg region) was hit,” the General Staff said in a statement on Facebook. “A strike was recorded, followed by a fire on the territory of the enterprise. The facility is involved in supplying the Russian occupation army.”

The extent of the damage and whether the fire has been contained were not immediately clear.

Ukrainian drones have struck a Russian drone development complex in occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast and damaged multiple facilities, Ukraine’s 413th “raid” regiment said.

The unit said the attack targeted the BARS-Sarmat Special Purpose Center, a key site for developing drones, robotic systems, and electronic warfare capabilities near the Sea of Azov, , according to The Kyiv Independent.

Several workshops involved in manufacturing and equipping drones and unmanned ground vehicles were damaged, the regiment said. The timing of the strike and the full extent of the damage were not specified.

Residents in Tuapse have been advised to stay indoors and avoid drinking tap water following recent drone strikes on the port. Russia’s consumer safety watchdog cited raised benzene levels in the air and urged people to limit time outside and keep windows closed.

Local health authorities said residents should use bottled water as a precaution. Schools have been closed and May holiday events cancelled.

Some residents have questioned official assurances. “How about she comes to visit us and tries our fresh air?” one person wrote online, responding to claims from Rospotrebnadzor head Anna Popova that the situation posed no health risks.

A Ukrainian drone struck Russia’s Black Sea port of Tuapse for the fourth time in a week, sparking a fire at the sea terminal, local authorities said early on Friday.

“In Tuapse, as a result of a drone attack by the Kyiv regime, a fire broke out on the territory of the seaport terminal,” the Krasnodar region’s general headquarters said on Telegram.

Officials said emergency crews were deployed to contain the blaze, with 128 firefighters and 41 vehicles at the scene. No injuries were reported.

Tuapse, particularly its oil terminal, has been repeatedly targeted in recent days as Ukraine has intensified attacks on Russian energy infrastructure.

During a phone call with Donald Trump last night it was Vladimir Putin who proposed a temporary ceasefire to mark 9 May and the defeat of Nazi Germany in the Second World War, the Kremlin said.

Kremlin ⁠aide Yuri Ushakov said the telephone call lasted more than an hour and a half and was “conducted in a friendly manner, candid and business-like”.

“Trump actively supported this initiative, noting that the holiday ‌marks our common victory over Nazism in World War Two,” he said.

He ​added: “Donald Trump believes that a deal to put an end to the ‌conflict in Ukraine is already close.”

He ⁠said Putin told the US president that Russian forces in Ukraine “hold the ⁠strategic initiative and are pressing on enemy positions”.

Putin, Ushakov said, “clearly said that Kyiv was resorting to openly terrorist ‌methods by attacking civilian ​sites on Russian territory,” a reference to frequent ‌Ukrainian strikes on key infrastructure, ​particularly in Russia’s oil sector.

Russian drones attacked Ukraine’s southern city of Odesa ​overnight, for the second time this week, wounding at least 18 people and damaging residential buildings, officials said this morning.

The strikes caused the worst damage ⁠in the central Prymorskyi district, where high-rise and five-storey residential buildings were damaged, said Serhiy Lysak, the head of the local military administration. The attacks triggered large fires in upper floors and ⁠on a roof, which have ​since ⁠been contained, Lysak said on Telegram.

Emergency services said the number of injured could still change.

Odesa, a major ⁠Black Sea port and a focal point for Ukrainian exports, ​has ⁠been a repeated target ‌of Russian attacks during more than four years of Russia’s war.

Ukraine’s air force said Russia had ‌launched one ballistic missile and 206 drones at the country since 6pm (1500 GMT) yesterday, of which 172 drones were downed ⁠or neutralised. One missile and 32 drones hit at 22 locations, it added.

Lysak said a 17-year-old boy was among the injured and two of the wounded were in intensive care in a serious condition.

He added that a kindergarten building was substantially damaged, and reported damage to a ‌shopping centre, a hotel and administrative premises.

He posted photos ​of a fire raging in a building ‌with its upper floor damaged, ⁠and flames and heavy smoke billowing from a high-rise ⁠building.

Dozens of buses and cars have been destroyed or damaged at several ‌parking areas, ​he added.

In another district, strikes ‌were recorded at infrastructure facilities, warehouse ​buildings and a garage cooperative, he said.