Ukraine’s defense intelligence destroys Russia’s last railway ferry in the Kerch Strait. Russia’s major NORSI oil refinery halted operations after Ukrainian drone attack, Reuters says. Ukrainian military experts will continue to work in the Middle East after a U.S.-Iran ceasefire was announced, Zelenskyi says.
Ukraine’s defense intelligence destroys Russia’s last railway ferry in the Kerch Strait
A drone strike by the Main Intelligence Department of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry overnight on Monday disabled the Slavyanin boat, Russia’s last railway ferry in the Kerch Strait, the agency said Wednesday.
The vessel was used to supply Russian forces in Crimea with fuel and oils, weapons, military equipment and ammunition. With the boat now out of operation, Russia’s supplies in the peninsula have been considerably complicated.
The defense intelligence also said that its strike last month disabled Russia’s Avangard railway ferry and damaged the Slavyanin.
“Systematic destruction of the aggressor’s supply capabilities goes on,” the agency said in a statement.
Russia’s major NORSI oil refinery halted operations after Ukrainian drone attack, Reuters says
NORSI, Russia’s fourth-largest oil refinery, suspended operations on April 5 following a Ukrainian drone attack, two industry sources told Reuters on Tuesday. The paragraphs below are quoted from the article.
Russian authorities said on Sunday that the NORSI oil refinery had caught fire following a drone attack. The governor of Nizhny Novgorod region, Gleb Nikitin, said that two facilities at the plant were hit and that a power station and several houses were damaged during the attack.
According to the Saint-Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange, Lukoil has not been offering to sell gasoline, diesel or fuel oil from the refinery, located 450 km (280 miles) east of Moscow.
The industry sources said on Tuesday that supplies could be suspended until the end of the month.
NORSI, which is also Russia’s second-largest producer of gasoline, can process 16 million metric tons of oil per year, or around 320,000 barrels per day.
Additionally, the Ukrainian General Staff said on Tuesday that the April 5 strike on Lukoil’s NORSI oil refinery in the Nizhny Novgorod region damaged parts of the AVT-6 and AVT-1 primary crude oil processing units and parts of the unit 19/6 used in the production of petroleum bitumen.
Ukrainian military experts to continue work in the Middle East after U.S.-Iran ceasefire was announced, Zelenskyi says
Teams of Ukrainian military experts will continue to work in the Middle East to further develop security capabilities after a ceasefire was announced in the U.S. war with Iran, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said Wednesday.
“A ceasefire is the right decision that leads to ending the war,” he said in a post to X.
“Various countries have been involved in the negotiating process, and it is important that the United States has taken this diplomatic step. In recent weeks, Ukraine has been helping to protect lives in the Middle East and the Gulf,” he continued.
The situation in this region has global implications, Zelenskyi said, any threats to security and stability in the Middle East and the Gulf amplify challenges for the economy and the cost of living in every country. It is equally essential to safeguard freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, he added.
Ukraine has always called for a ceasefire in the war started by Russia. It will readily respond in kind if Russia halts the attacks, Zelenskyi said.
The U.S. and Iran agreed to a two-week conditional ceasefire on Tuesday evening, which included a temporary reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. President Donald Trump said “we have already met and exceeded” his military objectives. He also said that Washington and Tehran “are very far along” in negotiations for a permanent peace deal.
Trump told AFP on Tuesday that the United States had won a “total and complete victory” in the war against Iran. Tehran announced a ceasefire with the U.S., framing it as a victory.
Trump told reporters that Iran could be “taken out in one night” and that the United States has a plan for every bridge and power plant in Iran to be destroyed by Tuesday night. He also posted a warning on Truth Social that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran doesn’t cede to his demands by 8 p.m. Tuesday.