Ukraine-Russia war latest: Nato chief warns Putin of ‘devastating consequences’ if nuclear weapons used against Kyiv – UK Times

A Ukrainian politician has condemned the British government for loosening sanctions on Russian oil, saying it “puts a question mark” on the UK’s friendship with Ukraine.

The government has faced widespread criticism after a trade licence that allows for the import of Russian jet fuel and diesel refined in third countries came into effect on Wednesday. Some sanctions on the transport of Russian liquefied natural gas were also lifted.

Experts have described the policy as a “carve-out”, which creates an exemption from tighter restrictions on processed oil products derived from Russian crude.

Oleksiy Goncharenko, a Ukrainian MP, said he was “deeply disappointed” by the government’s decision.

Nato secretary general Mark Rutte has said that Russia will be met with a “devastating” response if it attacks Ukraine with a nuclear weapon.

Russia and Belarus have kick-started three days of military drills with Moscow deploying nuclear munitions in the storage facilities in Belarus, just miles north of Ukraine.

The drills will also involve tests of nuclear-capable missiles as well as the processes for moving them in secret ahead of launch, Russia’s defence ministry said.

The exercises will be held in Russia and Belarus as Russian president Vladimir Putin returns from his two-day trip to China.

Nato chief Rutte said that the alliance was monitoring the exercises closely.

His capitulation to short-term, local British politics, by quietly easing restrictions on the importation of refined Russian fuel to the UK, shows he has no capacity for strategic thought, or leadership: he has run up a white flag in an act of battlefield cowardice he doesn’t even comprehend.

Starmer’s smalltime decision to allow Russian diesel and jet fuel into the UK, so that Britons can enjoy cheap flights over the summer, is a blow to Ukrainians fighting to protect their democracy. It is also a violation of his agreements with allies to choke off the Kremlin’s money pipe, and a violation of the UK’s written commitments.

Two Russian jets last month intercepted a Royal Air Force surveillance plane over the ​Black Sea, in what the Ministry of Defence (MoD) ‌yesterday was a dangerous incident that raised the risk of potential escalation between Nato and Russia.

The ​Rivet Joint aircraft was unarmed and carrying out ​routine surveillance in international airspace over the Black ⁠Sea, the ministry said in a statement.

“A @RoyalAirForce Rivet Joint aircraft operating in international airspace over the Black Sea was dangerously intercepted by Russian military jets – flying as close as six metres and triggering onboard emergency systems,” the MoD said yesterday in a post on X, sharing a video of the interception.

It said the incident reflected “ongoing Russian aggression and heightened military activity across Eastern Europe and the High North”, adding: “The UK will continue to stand firm with its allies, united in the defence of Nato.”

The incident ​was the most dangerous Russian action against a UK surveillance plane ‌since ⁠2022 when a nearby Russian plane released a missile over the Black Sea, in what Moscow later called a technical malfunction.

Virtually ​all major oil refineries in central Russia have been forced to ‌halt or scale back fuel output following Ukrainian drone attacks in recent days, according to official data and sources.

Moscow had already introduced a gasoline exports ban from April until the ​end of July.

One of Russia’s largest facilities, the Kirishi oil refinery, has been shut since 5 May, sources said.

The combined capacity of refineries that have fully ​or partially halted operations exceeds 83 million metric tonnes per year, ⁠or around 238,000 tonnes per day.

That accounts for around one ​quarter of Russia’s total refining capacity, according to data and sources who spoke ​on condition of anonymity.

In recent weeks, Ukraine has stepped up drone attacks on Russia’s ​energy infrastructure, doubling the number of oil refineries targeted since the start of the year, ‌according ⁠to various posts on social media by Russian officials.

The strikes, which have also hit pipelines and storage facilities, have reduced Russia’s oil output – the world’s third-largest after the US and Saudi Arabia – adding pressure to Moscow’s federal ​budget, where oil ​and gas taxes account ⁠for roughly a quarter of revenue.

Russian foreign ⁠ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova ⁠said ​at ⁠a ⁠regular ​briefing ⁠that ‌Ukrainian president Volodymyr ‌Zelensky ‌was pursuing escalation ⁠of the conflict between the two ‌countries.

Her accusation came as Ukrainian drone attacks forced the shutdown of oil facilities in central Russia.

The two sides have continued exchanging deadly barrages of missiles and drones in the recent weeks.

The Russian spokesperson did not acknowledge the onslaught on Ukraine in the past few weeks, including more than 3,000 drones in a week that have caused dozens of deaths.

At least two people ​were killed in a drone attack on the town of Syzran in Russia’s Samara region on the Volga River, the local governor said, while Ukraine ⁠also reported two dead as the two sides exchanged attacks overnight.

A large oil refinery is located in Syzran, some 1,000km (620 miles) from the border with Ukraine.

The Samara governor, Vyacheslav ⁠Fedorishchev, made no mention of ​whether ⁠any infrastructure was damaged in his post on Telegram.

Elsewhere in Russia, three people were injured in a drone attack in and around the town of Shebekino in Russia’s Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, authorities said on Telegram.

In Ukraine, two were killed after Russia hit the Chernihiv region on the Russian ‌border and the southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region, emergency ‌services said on Telegram, with a number of people injured.

A 58-year-old woman was injured in Ukraine’s Dnipro after Russian forces attacked the city in the early hours of this morning, the regional governor says.

Oleksandr Hanzha said medics have provided assistance at the scene of strike and the injured woman will receive outpatient treatment.

The strike damaged an apartment and blew out the windows of several nearby buildings, Hanzha said.