This week, the world watched in anticipation for Russia’s Victory Day parade after President Volodymyr Zelensky commented that he could not guarantee the safety of those attending. Meanwhile, the European Union moves one step forward to banning Russian gas from the European continent. It is also revealed this week that U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has fallen out of step with the White House.
"(Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin... doesn't want to have a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine, but rather wants to meet on Thursday, in Turkey, to negotiate a possible end to the bloodbath. Ukraine should agree to this, immediately," U.S. President Donald Trump said.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to to Antalya, Turkey, for a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting from May 14–16, where he is expected to address the war in Ukraine and push for stronger Allied defense commitments.
The Kremlin said the leaders held a detailed discussion about the Russian initiative and Erdogan expressed full support, reiterating Turkey’s readiness to provide a venue and assist in organizing the negotiations.
Erdogan told Macron that international cooperation is critical for initiating peace negotiations and the "sensitive implementation" of Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction processes, the Turkish Presidency reported.
The assault began around 2 a.m. on May 11, with Russian forces deploying 108 Shahed-type attack drones and decoy UAVs from multiple directions, Ukraine’s Air Force said.
"Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved as this never ending 'bloodbath' hopefully comes to an end... I will continue to work with both sides to make sure that it happens."
Petroleum cracking towers are seen illuminated by lights at the Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez petroleum refinery, operated by OAO Lukoil, in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011 (Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
A Lukoil oil refinery in the Russian oblast of Nizhny Novgorod was struck by multiple Ukrainian drones in the early hours of Jan. 29, a military intelligence (HUR) source told the Kyiv Independent.
Drone strikes were reported by local officials across several Russian regions overnight, including the Nizhny Novgorod, Smolensk, Tver, and Bryansk oblasts, causing fires and prompting air defense responses.
According to the HUR source, the Lukoil oil depot in the city of Kstovo was targeted by four drones, all of which struck their target and caused "significant damage."
They added the refinery "supports the activities of the Russian occupation forces" and was "attacked at around midnight local time."
The refinery is located around 800 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
The Lukoil refinery of Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod, in Russia has been severely hit by UAVs. Flames are consuming large parts of the facility, which processes annually 15 million tons of crude oil. It is the forth largest refinery in Russia in terms of production. pic.twitter.com/ZAhUTpbDqL
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims, but overnight local Telegram channels reported that drones targeted the Lukoil Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez oil refinery, resulting in a large fire.
Video footage circulating online showed flames at the facility, which local monitoring channels identified as the likely target of the attack.
Governor Gleb Nikitin confirmed that air defense systems had shot down multiple drones, and fragments from the intercepted UAVs fell on the industrial site. No injuries were reported.
Kyiv considers oil refineries to be valid military targets, as profits from the fossil fuel industry fund Russia's war machine.
Earlier this week the Ryazan Oil Refinery in Russia suspended operations due to damage from Ukrainian drone attacks, Reuters reported, citing two industry sources.
Ukraine confirmed hitting the plant in an overnight drone strike on Jan. 24.
In the Smolensk region, Governor Vasily Anokhin on Jan. 29 reported a "massive drone attack" on civilian infrastructure. One drone was intercepted while attempting to strike a nuclear energy facility.
Nearby, air defenses also destroyed several drones around the town of Andreapol, home to approximately 8,000 people, in the Tver region, according to the local governor.
The Russian Ministry of Defense also announced that air defense systems had shot down 26 drones in the Bryansk region.
Bryansk lies west of embattled Kursk Oblast, north of Ukraine's Chernihiv and Sumy oblasts, and east of the Belarusian border.
Chris York is news operations editor at the Kyiv Independent. Before joining the team, he was head of news at the Kyiv Post. Previously, back in Britain, he spent nearly a decade working for HuffPost UK. He holds an MA in Conflict, Development, and Security from the University of Leeds.
Olga Rudenko
