A Russian drone strike destroys an oil refinery in Kharkiv region. Ukraine’s Defense Ministry approves the domestic Lyut unmanned ground vehicle for deployment in the country’s military. Hungary says it will not support EU’s aid plan for Ukraine as it “runs counter” to its strategic interests.
Russian drone strike destroys oil refinery in Kharkiv region
Russia attacked an oil refinery in Merefa, a city in northeastern Kharkiv region, overnight on Monday with around 20 drones. The strikes lasted for two hours, industrial company AES Group that owns the facility said in a statement seen by Economichna Pravda.
The latest attack on the refinery is the fourth since the invasion. Before the Monday attack, the company was operating at 10 per cent capacity, but the latest strike has completely destroyed it.
“[The company] files for bankruptcy. The fourth attack proved fatal for the plant. Now the only hope left is for international courts, but in the current geopolitical situation the chances for justice are small,” AES Group said.
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry approves domestic Lyut ground robot for deployment in country’s military
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday that it had assigned a code number to the domestically produced Lyut (Fury) unmanned ground vehicle and had approved it for deployment in the Ukrainian military.
The Lyut is designed for a wide range of tasks in difficult conditions, including surveillance and fire support missions.
The ground drone has been tested in combat. It is equipped with a 7.62-millimeter machine gun and additional capabilities, enabling it to identify and hit targets both during the day and at night.
Additionally, the unmanned ground vehicle fits in the trunk of a military pickup truck and is powered by a quiet electric engine. The batteries offer a long runtime. The drone has a high ground clearance, allowing it to maneuver in a difficult landscape. The Lyut can operate under a wide variety of temperatures.
“The operator controls the system from a protected position, without being exposed to danger. The main task of the ground robots is to strengthen our units and replace soldiers in the most dangerous areas,” the Defense Ministry said.
Hungary says will not support EU’s aid plan for Ukraine as it “runs counter” to its strategic interests
Hungary will not support EU’s fresh military aid plan to Ukraine, Hungary’s Minister for EU Affairs János Bóka said ahead of the General Affairs Council in Brussels on Tuesday, according to a European Pravda correspondent reporting from Brussels.
Several points in the conclusions’ part on Ukraine run counter to Hungary’s strategic interests and vision of a new European security architecture, he added as cited by European Pravda.
Bóka further said that Hungary cannot support the conclusions on Ukraine in their present form.
He argued that it was unlikely that the European Council conclusions will be approved unanimously by 27 member states. He said most likely the conclusions will only mention a discussion on Ukraine, and an additional document backed by a majority of EU countries will restate support for the country.
European Pravda earlier said that Hungary had demanded to remove the parts on Ukraine support from the conclusions of the upcoming European Council meeting on March 20-21.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has proposed to pledge up to 40 billion euros in military aid to Ukraine this year, with each country contributing according to the size of its economy. The plan is to be discussed at the EU defense ministers’ meeting in Warsaw on April 2-3, according to European Pravda.
Hungary’s Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó made clear on Monday he will not back EU initiatives to support Ukraine at this week’s meeting.