Ukraine-Russia war latest: Kyiv launches drone strike at Russian oil depots as Zelensky ready to speak with Putin – UK Times

A Russian oil depot was set ablaze overnight after Ukraine launched a drone attack on the site, according to Russian officials.

Up to 55 people were fighting to extinguish the fire in Krasnodar, southern Russia, on Wednesday morning, the region’s governor Veniamin Kondratyev said.

Kyiv has launched a series of drone attacks on Russian energy facilities over recent days, including at a major oil refinery in Volgograd.

Russian troops took control of the settlements of Baranivka and Novomlynsk in the Donetsk and Kharkiv regions of eastern Ukraine, the TASS state news agency reported on Wednesday, citing the Russian defence ministry.

The Ukrainian military said that Russia launched 104 drones and two Iskander-M ballistic missiles at Ukraine overnight.

Of that number, the Ukrainian air force shot down 57 and 42 drones did not reach their targets likely due to electronic warfare, the military said.

Foreign secretary David Lammy has announced a £55m package of support aimed at bolstering Ukraine’s resilience, during a visit to Kyiv amid uncertainty about the future of the war.

The UK will commit £17m to support sustainable energy projects within the country, as part of efforts to help it recover from the damage wrought by Russia’s attacks on its key infrastructure.

A further £3m is being provided for deliveries of Ukrainian grain and other food produce to Syria, as it grapples with the upheaval following the collapse of the Assad regime.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi warned that attacks on Ukraine’s power grid could pose a risk of a nuclear accident by disrupting supply.

He arrived in Kyiv yesterday and inspected an electricity distribution substation.

“I’m at Kyivska electrical substation—an important part of Ukraine’s power grid essential for nuclear safety. A nuclear accident can result from a direct attack on a plant, but also from power supply disruption. @IAEAorg is here to assess impact, support, & help prevent that risk,” he wrote on X.

Mr Grossi posted pictures of him visiting the substation alongside energy minister German Galushchenko, and being shown what appeared to be defences against Russian strikes.

Moscow has regularly bombarded Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, including substations, throughout its nearly three-year-old invasion, although it has avoided direct strikes on Ukraine’s nuclear plants.

When Ukrainian soldiers captured two North Korean prisoners of war last month, it provided the first undeniable proof of Pyongyang’s direct involvement in the war against Ukraine.

It also shed some light on the mindset and training of the conscripted North Korean soldiers sent to fight Russia’s war a continent away from their home.

Highly disciplined, ready to die but also very young and with little battlefield experience they elicited curiosity and even some pity from the Ukrainian soldiers who captured them during two separate missions on 9 January.