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Ukrainian UAVs have targeted the Russian oil refinery in the city of Ufa, located some 1,400 km from the Ukrainian border, triggering detonations and a fire, according to a source in Ukraine's intelligence agency.

This constitutes the latest Ukrainian security service long-range attack in the region in the past month. Those strikes demonstrate that there are no protected areas in the far hinterland of the Russian state.

Ukrainian President Appeals to Trump to Broker Peace in Ukraine

President Zelenskyy urged Donald Trump to mediate a ceasefire in the Ukrainian conflict during a call on the weekend.

"Provided that a hostilities can be stopped in a particular zone, then undoubtedly additional conflicts can be halted as well, encompassing the Russian aggression," he remarked, hailing the US President's "remarkable" Middle East ceasefire plan and urging the US president to influence the Russian government into negotiations.

Russian Strikes Kill Lives in Ukraine

Strikes by Russia on Ukraine resulted in the deaths of several civilians on Saturday and caused blackouts to sections of the southern Odesa region, as stated by authorities in Ukraine.

Two civilians lost their lives in a church in the town when it was hit, per regional officials.

In Russia's frontier area of the Belgorod region, a lorry operator was fatally wounded by a drone assault, per municipal sources.

Energy Repair Work in Kyiv

Operations continued on the weekend to recover electricity in the Ukrainian capital, after assaults.

Power had been recovered to more than 800,000 residents by Saturday and the largest power firm announced the main efforts to recover electricity was finished though partial blackouts persisted.

Anti-Aircraft Efforts and Drone Downings

Ukraine's defense forces neutralized 54 out of 78 UAVs from Russia deployed targeting the country in the dark hours, the air force said on Saturday.

The Russian defence ministry claimed it eliminated forty-two drones over its own soil.

Cuban Government Denies Claims of Providing Soldiers to Ukraine

Havana on Saturday denied American claims it has deployed troops to fight in the hostilities, while stating officials in Havana "lack precise information about individuals" engaged "voluntarily" or "within the troops of the conflicting parties".

The ministry in the capital said 26 Cubans had been sentenced to incarceration from 5 to 14 years for participating as mercenaries since last September when news circulated of individuals being sent to the frontlines in Ukraine.

Surrender Initiative Program Reveals Data on Cuban Recruitment

The program, a Ukrainian government program that urges opposing fighters to lay down arms, said in May: "We reliably know the personal data of one thousand and twenty-eight Cuban nationals who entered into agreements with the Russian military in 2023-2024."

The Cuban authorities stated of Cuban nationals who might be participating: "Undeniably that none of them has the encouragement, allegiance, or authorization of the Cuban state for their actions."

Relatives of individuals who left for Russia in 2023 informed Agence France-Presse at the time that their relatives had been deceptively recruited through promotions on social media.