Ukrainian drones struck deep into Russia on Saturday, igniting a Siberian oil refinery and disrupting events in the Urals, while Kyiv said it also hit a military plant in Kirov. Russian-installed officials in occupied Ukraine reported 12 people killed at a seaside site in Kyrylivka, including four children, and other strikes killed civilians elsewhere. At a summit in Omsk, Kazakhstan's Kassym-Jomart Tokayev publicly urged Vladimir Putin to stop the war and return to talks toward a peace process.
Kazakh President Urges End To War As Ukrainian Drones Strike Deep Into Russia; Civilians Killed In Occupied Ukraine
Kyiv has said its retaliatory strikes are aimed at damaging Moscow's war effort and forcing the Kremlin to negotiate (STRINGER)
Ukrainian drones struck targets deep inside Russia on Saturday, setting an oil refinery ablaze in Siberia and disrupting events in the Urals, while Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev publicly urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop the war during a summit in Omsk.
Russian-installed authorities in occupied areas of Ukraine reported a Ukrainian strike on the Azov Sea town of Kyrylivka that they say killed 12 people, including four children, at a seaside site described as a "tourist camp." Officials said eight people remained unaccounted for as rescue operations continued. Moscow also reported additional deaths in occupied Kherson and in Russian border villages.
Ship, Cities and Factories Hit
Kyiv said Russian strikes killed five civilians in eastern and southern Ukraine. Separately, a cargo ship leaving Odesa carrying almost 2,800 tons of corn was hit and caught fire; seven crew members and a Ukrainian pilot were rescued but two crew remain missing, Transport Minister Mykola Kalashnyk said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed responsibility for the Siberia strike and said Kyiv had struck a military factory in the Kirov region for a second consecutive day after local officials reported five deaths there earlier. Kyiv says its intensified strikes are intended to degrade Russia's war effort and push the Kremlin toward negotiations.
Wider Disruption In Russia
Moscow said Ukraine launched more than 300 drones into Russian territory on Saturday, striking far-flung regions. The governor of the Tyumen region reported that a local oil refinery had been set ablaze. In the Urals city of Yekaterinburg, an all-Russian athletics competition was halted over drone threats and the online retailer Wildberries evacuated staff from a facility after a drone alert; the company said its site was not damaged.
Ukrainian drone attacks in recent weeks have contributed to nationwide fuel shortages in Russia and disrupted ordinary life. In response, Russian authorities announced an extension of a fuel export ban until the end of the year.
Summit Exchange In Omsk
Hours after the strikes, Tokayev sat beside Putin at a Russia-Kazakh summit in Omsk and called publicly for an end to the fighting.
"It is a shame, young people are dying... All this has to be stopped," Tokayev said in televised remarks. He proposed freezing the conflict and returning to talks similar to those held in Istanbul as a step toward a lasting peace.
Putin said he would brief Tokayev on "the details" of the war. The Kremlin leader has repeatedly said Russia intends to seize the remainder of eastern Ukraine. International diplomatic efforts to end the conflict have stalled amid continuing fighting.
The United Nations has warned that civilian deaths have risen recently in the nearly 4.5-year war, underscoring the human cost as both sides step up strikes.
Note: Casualty figures and responsibility for some strikes are reported by local or Russian-installed authorities and remain contested; Kyiv and Moscow offer differing accounts of many incidents.
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