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Ukraine's drones have hit the Russian Bashneft refinery in the city of Ufa, located approximately 1,400 kilometres from the Ukrainian border, causing detonations and a inferno, per a insider in Ukraine's Security Service.

This represents the 3rd Ukrainian security service long-range attack in Bashkortostan in the last month. Such strikes show that there are no secure zones in the deep rear of the Russian Federation.

Zelenskyy Appeals to US President to Mediate Ceasefire in the Conflict

The Ukrainian leader appealed to President Trump to facilitate a truce in Ukraine in a telephone conversation on the weekend.

"When a war can be halted in a particular zone, then undoubtedly additional conflicts can be ended as well, including the Russian aggression," the President remarked, praising Trump's "exceptional" Gaza peace initiative and urging the American leader to pressure the Kremlin into negotiations.

Moscow's Strikes Take Casualties in Ukraine

Russian attacks on Ukraine resulted in the deaths of several civilians on Saturday and disrupted electricity to areas of Ukraine's southern Odesa oblast, as stated by Ukrainian officials.

Two people lost their lives in a place of worship in Kostyantynivka when it was hit, as reported by municipal sources.

In Russia's border region of the Belgorod region, a vehicle operator was lost his life by a drone assault, per local officials.

Power Recovery Work in Kyiv

Work proceeded on Saturday to repair energy infrastructure in the Ukrainian capital, after assaults.

Power had been recovered to over 800,000 residents by Saturday and the biggest private energy company announced the primary operations to recover electricity was concluded though certain disruptions continued.

Air Defence Efforts and Drone Downings

The Ukrainian defense forces downed or disrupted 54 of seventy-eight Russian drones sent against the country in the dark hours, the air force said on the weekend.

The Russian defence ministry claimed it eliminated forty-two UAVs from Ukraine over its own soil.

Cuba Rejects Claims of Providing Forces to Ukraine

The Cuban government on the weekend denied US claims it has sent soldiers to participate in the Ukraine war, while stating officials in Havana "lack accurate information about citizens of Cuba" engaged "on their own" or "within the troops of the conflicting parties".

The ministry in Havana stated twenty-six Cubans had been sentenced to prison terms varying between 5 to 14 years for participating as mercenaries since September 2023 when information circulated of Cuban nationals being dispatched to the front in Ukraine.

I Want to Live Initiative Reveals Data on Cuban National Recruitment

The program, a official Kyiv program that encourages opposing fighters to surrender, reported in spring: "We reliably know the identities and information of over a thousand Cuban nationals who entered into agreements with the Russian armed forces in the past two years."

The Cuban foreign ministry said of Cubans who might be involved: "It is irrefutable that none of them possesses the backing, allegiance, or authorization of the Cuban authorities for their actions."

Family members of individuals who departed to Russia in 2023 reported to news outlets at the time that their relatives had been misled into enlisting through advertisements on online platforms.