Ukrainian drones struck the Syzran oil refinery, located more than 800km (500 miles) inside Russia, igniting a fire, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Thursday. Video footage of the aftermath was posted by the president. Russia's independent Astra news outlet reported that the Syzran refinery, owned by Rosneft, was targeted. The governor of Russia's Samara region, Vyacheslav Fedorishchev, confirmed two fatalities from Ukrainian drone attacks in Syzran but did not mention the refinery.
Zelenskyy stated that Ukrainian drones had also hit another refinery the previous day. He emphasised: "Overall, our long-range plan for May is being carried out largely in full. The key targets are Russian oil refineries, storage facilities and other infrastructure tied to these oil revenues." These escalating attacks are reducing Moscow's revenue, compounding the economic pressure from international sanctions. Some strikes have reached over 1,500km (900 miles) into Russia, creating a sense of insecurity among Russians and increasing pressure on President Vladimir Putin.
According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Ukrainian forces have pushed back Russian troops along parts of the frontline, achieving their most significant battlefield gains since 2024. The US thinktank noted that Ukraine's "intensified midrange strike campaign" since early 2026 "has also degraded Russian forces' ability to conduct offensive operations across the theatre and has also likely supported recent Ukrainian advances."
Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's defence minister, attributed the slowed Russian advance to Ukrainian forces denying Russia access to Starlink satellite services, which are used to steer drones. "Russia has since not been able to find a full replacement [for Starlink], giving Ukraine a critical battlefield advantage," he said.
Meanwhile, Russia and Belarus conducted the final stage of their joint nuclear drills. Russia's defence ministry reported that its forces launched a Yars ballistic missile and a Zircon hypersonic missile as part of tests. During the exercises, trucks carrying intercontinental ballistic missiles moved along forest roads, nuclear submarines set sail from Arctic and Pacific ports, and crews scrambled into warplanes.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has proposed that the EU consider "associate membership" for Ukraine and revive peace talks. In a letter to top EU officials, Merz suggested Ukraine would participate in EU meetings without voting rights and have non-voting "associate members" in the European Commission and European Parliament. Zelenskyy welcomed signs of progress, stating that "Ukraine has fulfilled everything necessary for this progress." Merz argued that his proposal "will help facilitate the ongoing peace talks as part of a negotiated peace solution. This is essential not only for Ukraine's but for the entire continent's security."
Former Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid offered a blunt perspective on EU membership: "Question is: Ukraine is a military power with huge military production capability. Whose hands must it be in? In Russian hands [or] western hands? End of story. This is our question. This is our objective. Have Ukrainians with us, because imagine they started, like in Soviet Union times, to build all these things for Russia, not for us. And that gives you your answer. It's very simple."
The EU's Court of Justice ruled on Thursday that assets linked to sanctioned Russians can be frozen even if held by a trust with no direct legal link to the individuals. The court stated that assets can be frozen if only indirectly linked to a person on the sanctions list. The ruling arose from Italian authorities seizing companies and a yacht held through complex trust structures. The companies challenged the freeze, but the court dismissed their claim, noting that ownership or control could be inferred from circumstances or "needlessly complex legal structures."
