Russia’s army launched its largest aerial attack in a month on Ukraine hours after Donald Trump held fresh peace talks with Volodymyr Zelensky.
Troops launched 270 drones and 10 missiles at central Ukraine in the latest attack, hitting key parts of the country’s energy infrastructure shortly after the US and Ukrainian presidents concluded talks at the White House.
Ukraine’s air force said it downed 230 drones and six missiles. It also recorded strikes at 16 locations by the remaining 40 drones and four missiles.
The Poltava oblast in east-central Ukraine was particularly affected as citizens were left without power and blasts shook the city of Kremenchuk. Russia’s defence ministry also claimed to have struck an oil refinery which was supplying fuel to Ukrainian armed forces, according to the Russian state news agency Interfax.
Kremenchuk is home to Ukraine’s only oil refinery, which has been repeatedly attacked by both drones and missiles. Kyiv authorities have not confirmed whether the refinery is operational. Russia attacked Ukrainian oil refining infrastructure twice in June.
Poltava governor Volodymyr Kohut said that the attack damaged administrative buildings of a local power infrastructure operation.
“Fortunately, there were no casualties,” Mr Kohut said on Telegram. He said that in the Lubny district nearly 1,500 residential and 119 commercial customers were left without power.
Ukraine’s energy ministry said in a statement on Telegram: “Russian occupation forces carried out another massive attack on the energy infrastructure facilities of Poltava region, simultaneously using cruise missiles and strike drones. The attack caused large-scale fires. The last strikes on oil refining infrastructure were recorded on June 15 and 21 of this year.
“The enemy continues systematic terrorist attacks against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, which is a direct violation of international humanitarian law.”
The ministry added that there had been more than 2,900 attacks on energy infrastructure since March.
Vitalii Maletskyi, mayor of Kremenchuk city, has said that Putin does not want peace, as his city was bombed during talks of peace.
He said on Telegram: “At the very same time when Putin was assuring Trump over the phone that he seeks peace, and when President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was holding talks at the White House with European leaders about a just peace, Putin’s army launched yet another massive attack on Kremenchuk.”
Mr Maletskyi said tens of blasts had shaken his city: “Once again, the world has seen that Putin does not want peace — he wants to destroy Ukraine.”
Putin’s aide Yury Ushakov said on Monday morning that the Russian president had expressed his “heartfelt gratitude” to President Trump “for the hospitality and perfect arrangements at the Alaska summit, as well as for the progress they were able to achieve towards bringing about a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine crisis”.
He added that the US and Russian leaders “reaffirmed their commitment to continuing direct talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations” and that it was “quite telling” that the two agreed to keep in touch “on the Ukrainian issue and other urgent international and bilateral matters”.
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