Ukraine hits major Russian gas plant, communication centres in overnight attack as Zelenskyy vows ‘preemptive strikes’
Zelenskyy aims to conduct more preemptive strikes, while Russia responds by reinforcing air defenses amid a deepening fuel crisis.The sun sets behind a heavily damaged multi-storey residential building following an overnight attack, what Russian-installed authorities called a Ukrainian drone strike, in the course of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in the town of Horlivka (Gorlovka) in the Donetsk region, a Russian-controlled area of Ukraine, June 24, 2026.(REUTERS)A major Russian natural gas processing plant was struck by Ukrainian forces on Wednesday, along with two of the former's communication centres. This is among the latest Ukrainian nighttime attacks on Russia.The operation was part of Ukraine’s aerial campaign targeting energy facilities and military industries that has intensified as Kyiv builds bigger and better long-range weapons to ward off Russia’s full-scale invasion, now in its fifth year.Moscow, in responding to these attacks, has ordered the redeployment of some of its air defense systems in the capital and the Kerch Bridge in Crimea, which is a vital supply link for Russian troops, connecting Crimean Peninsula with the mainland, as per Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.“It is important that as many Russians as possible come to understand that it is the Russian leadership’s rejection of diplomacy that is prolonging the war,” Zelenskyy said on social media platform X.The Ukraine president also said that Kyiv is planning to conduct more preemptive attacks on Russian facilities the country uses for its war."I instructed our intelligence services and military to act preemptively against facilities Russia uses to expand its war effort," Zelenskyy said, as per a report by news agency Reuters.Russia's oil production takes a hitUkraine was able to knock out power on Wednesday in the biggest city in Crimea, while also targetting facilities in central and southern Russia. This is causing fuel crisis to deepen in Russia.The oil refinery in Moscow will be offline for six months at least, as per a report by Reuters, as it sustained extensive damage in drone attacks.Official data published from Moscow revealed that Russia's production of petroleum products and coke dropped 13.5% year-over-year in May.The country, which is the third -biggest oil producer, has stopped publishing much of its oil production and export data since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.Trump says Zelenskyy doing 'pretty well' against RussiaUS President Donald Trump, on Wednesday, told journalists in the Oval Office that Zelenskyy has been doing pretty well in fighting off the Russian forces."He's doing pretty well. He's holding his own, at least. A lot of people dying on both sides, but I think he's doing pretty well," Trump said, as per news agency AFP."You have to say he's courageous, he's got great equipment, but he's got great men, he's got fighters."Trump and Zelensky most recently met during the G7 summit in France, where leaders agreed to intensify pressure on Russia to end more than four years of war with Ukraine.The Ukraine conflict has now lasted longer that World War I.With agency inputsAbout the AuthorLivemintFor about a decade, Livemint—News Desk has been a credible source for authentic and timely news, and well-researched analysis on national news, business, personal finance, corporates, politics and geopolitics. We bring the latest updates on all the listed companies on BSE and NSE, startups, mutual funds, Union ministries, geopolitics, and untapped human interest stories from around the world, helping our readers to stay informed on the latest developments around the globe. Our Coverage Areas 1. Companies: Comprehensive news and analysis on listed and unlisted companies, corporate announcements, corporate chatter, C-suite, business trends, hiring alerts, layoffs, work-life balance
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