Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky talks defence deals in Middle East as drone attack by Kyiv kills one – UK Times

Ukraine has intensified drone attacks on Russia’s oil and fuel export infrastructure this month, hitting all three ⁠of Russia’s major western ​oil ⁠export ports, including Novorossiysk on the Black Sea and Primorsk and Ust-Luga on the ⁠Baltic Sea.

Those attacks have caused severe oil ​supply ⁠disruption for Russia, the ‌world’s second-largest oil exporter, and have hit Moscow just as oil prices exceeded $100 a barrel ‌due to the Iran war.

The onslaught affected 11 regions and seven cities were hit, marking it out as the largest aerial attack in a single day so far.

Russian president Vladimir Putin is likely facing heat over the intensifying Ukrainian offensive on Russian oil and exports facilities.

Television personalities who have supported Moscow’s war effort have started criticising the toll that the offensive is now taking on Russian soldiers.

“We’ve been kicked in the balls again,” Russian state TV anchor Aleksandr Sladkov said, referring to the five-day offensive against Russia’s leading oil facility in Ust-Luga.

“The port in Ust-Luga on the Gulf of Finland is burning again.”

Yuriy Podolyaka, Russia’s biggest pro-war blogger, has accused the Russian military of ineptitude.

“I don’t think we’ll be able to turn the tide here in the next few months,” he said, praising the Ukrainians.“Our enemy is very, very serious and incidentally, very fast-learning, much faster than we are.”

A Ukrainian drone attack killed one person, triggered fires and damaged ⁠homes and industry yesterday in the southern Russian city of Taganrog, local officials said.

The regional governor said ⁠falling drone ​debris ⁠prompted the evacuation of an area hit by falling debris.

“Emergency ⁠crews are working at the ​site ⁠of the incident, where ‌the debris fell,” Yuri Slyusar, governor of Rostov region on Ukraine’s ‌eastern border, said on ‌Telegram.

“Fires and damage have occurred. People have been evacuated.”

Taganrog mayor Svetlana Kambulova reported widespread damage in the city. Emergency crews responded to 49 calls, she said. Eight people were injured.

“Due to falling drone debris, several ‌residential houses, social sites, and industrial ​enterprises were damaged,” she wrote.

Air ‌defence units remained ⁠in action.

Taganrog is a ⁠port city at the eastern end of ‌the ​Sea of Azov east ‌of the border ​with Ukraine.

German defence giant Rheinmetall is facing flak after its CEO compared Ukrainian drone factories to “housewives” making weapons in their kitchens.

Armin Papperger, Rheinmetall’s CEO, was asked by the Atlantic in an interview whether Ukraine’s drone technology could disrupt his industry dominated by artillery, tanks and military vehicles.

“This is how to play with Legos,” Papperger said and compared major Ukrainian drone manufacturers to “housewives”.

“They have 3D printers in the kitchen, and they produce parts for drones,” he said, adding: “This is not innovation.”

“This is not the technology of Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, or Rheinmetall,” he said.

The comments were strongly condemned in Ukraine for underplaying the massive role Ukrainian drones had played in the war against Russia.

Volodymyr Zelensky’s adviser, Alexander Kamyshin, said the Ukrainian drones had managed to secure major success against Russia’s tanks.

Kamyshin said that in his visits to arms factories he had seen “Ukrainian women working equally with men often enough”, adding: “They deserve respect.”

Rheinmetall on Sunday tagged Kamyshin in a post and said: “We have the utmost respect for the Ukrainian people’s immense efforts in defending themselves. Every single woman and man in Ukraine is making an immeasurable contribution.”

The backlash has also reached social media where hashtag of #MadeByHousewives has trended on Ukrainian social media.

Ukraine’s prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko said “the people of Ukraine deserve not only utmost respect but to be heard – and learned from. Yes, Europe’s defence is powered by Ukrainian ‘housewives’,” she said, also adding the #MadeByHousewives hashtag.

A Russian ​strike on the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk killed three people and injured ⁠13 on Sunday, police said, one of several attacks in frontline areas. Ukraine’s national police said a ⁠boy of ​13 ⁠was among the dead.

A statement said Russian ⁠forces used glide bombs in ​the strike ⁠on Kramatorsk, ‌which has been a frequent target throughout the four-year-old war ‌pitting Kyiv against ‌Moscow.

Kramatorsk came under a new attack two hours after the initial ⁠strike.

Other cities hit in Russian attacks included the nearby town of Oleksiievo-Druzhkivka and the city of Sloviansk, farther north.

Kramatorsk and Sloviansk are heavily defended ‌cities lying on what has ​been dubbed the “fortress ‌belt” — seen as ⁠key targets in Russia’s slow ⁠westward advance to capture Donetsk Region.

Reuters ‌could ​not independently verify ‌battlefield accounts.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said he discussed a ​possible security partnership involving anti-drone defence on Sunday with Jordan’s King Abdullah amid rising tensions due to the Iran conflict.

“We discussed a possible partnership in the security sphere and the ​overall situation in the Middle East and the ​Gulf region,” Zelensky said.

Kyiv has offered its air-defence expertise and drone technology to countries ​seeking to counter Iran’s drone attacks.

“From our own experience, ​we know that without a unified system, it is simply impossible ‌to ⁠set up full-fledged protection of people and critical infrastructure,” Zelensky wrote.

Ukraine, he said, had just such a system as in four years of war “we have had to ​fight against constant ​Russian strikes, ⁠including the use of Iranian drones”.

He said Ukraine was offering expertise in the expectation ​that “those to whom we are making this ​proposal ⁠can help us strengthen ourselves”.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said he discussed a possible security partnership on Sunday with Jordan’s King Abdullah over ⁠defending against drone attacks amid rising tensions over the Iran conflict.

“We discussed a possible partnership in the security sphere and the overall situation in the Middle ⁠East and the Gulf region,” ​Zelensky ⁠wrote on Telegram.

Zelensky is seeking support from Gulf states for Ukraine’s war against Russia ⁠as Western military aid faces fresh uncertainty and ​Kyiv ⁠struggles to cover ‌its budget deficit and fund domestic weapons production.

Kyiv has offered its air-defence expertise and drone technology to ‌countries seeking to counter Iran’s ‌drone attacks.

“From our own experience, we know that without a unified system, it is simply impossible to set ⁠up full-fledged protection of people and critical infrastructure,” Zelensky wrote.

Ukraine, he said, had just such a system as in four years of war “we have had to fight against constant Russian strikes, including the use of Iranian drones”.

He said Ukraine was offering expertise ‌in the expectation that “those to whom we ​are making this proposal can help ‌us strengthen ourselves”.

Ukraine agreed on ⁠Saturday to cooperate on defence with ⁠the United Arab Emirates and Qatar after a visit to both ‌countries by Zelensky, ​who also travelled to ‌Saudi Arabia last week.

A Ukrainian ​drone attack killed one person and triggered fires on Sunday in ⁠the southern Russian city of Taganrog, prompting the evacuation of an area ⁠hit by falling ​debris, ⁠the regional governor said.

“Emergency crews are ⁠working at the ​site of ⁠the incident, where ‌the debris fell,” Yuri Slyusar, governor of ‌Rostov region on Ukraine’s eastern ‌border, said on Telegram.