Ukraine launched a wave of strikes on Sunday against Russian oil targets, hitting the key Baltic port of Primorsk and three vessels belonging to Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’, according to Ukrainian officials. The port, operated by state oil firm Transneft and located over 1,000 km from Ukraine near the Finnish border, was set ablaze by a night-time drone strike, the regional governor confirmed. The port, which was also targeted in March, handles hundreds of thousands of barrels per day.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces struck a Karakurt guided missile corvette, a patrol boat, and a tanker at Primorsk, as well as two more shadow fleet tankers near the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. “One more Russian carrier of Kalibr missiles is out of action,” he stated, accusing the vessels of illegally transporting Russian crude to evade Western sanctions.
In southern Ukraine, Russian drone attacks killed two people and wounded three in the Odesa region, damaging three residential buildings and port infrastructure. Six others were wounded in the Dnipropetrovsk region, where a passenger bus carrying 40 children was damaged but no injuries were reported. Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 269 drones and ballistic missiles overnight, with 249 drones countered or shot down.
In Russia, a Ukrainian drone strike west of Moscow killed a 77-year-old man near Volokolamsk, 120 km from the capital. Six drones were shot down in the Moscow region, with five more intercepted on approach to the city, according to local authorities. Fighting also continued in eastern Ukraine, with Russian troops advancing towards Kostiantynivka in Donetsk.
Zelenskyy thanked King Charles for his “strong words” on Ukraine’s defence during the monarch’s US state visit. Meanwhile, the UK government announced it will enter talks to join the European Union’s loan scheme for Ukraine, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer expected to confirm the move at a European Political Community summit in Yerevan. Britain will also impose new sanctions on Russian companies this week to disrupt military supply chains. In a meeting with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, Zelenskyy offered to share drone technology and combat expertise with Finland.
