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Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky tells Putin to ‘take a step towards peace’ after ordering 40-day offensive
The Independent • • world
Key Points:
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has ordered a 40-day offensive aimed at pressuring Russia to end the war, urging Vladimir Putin to "take a step toward peace" and withdraw from Ukraine.
- Kyiv's forces have recently struck Russian infrastructure far from the frontline, including two oil refineries in Ufa and an oil depot in the Krasnodar region, while Ukraine reportedly attacked a military facility in Volgograd using long-range cruise missiles.
- Russia intercepted 660 Ukrainian drones during a major nighttime attack across multiple Russian regions, with reports of fires at a chemical plant and hydroelectric plant in Novomoskovsk.
- Russian drone strikes have killed multiple civilians in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk and Sumy regions, and Russian-installed authorities in Crimea have declared a state of emergency due to fuel shortages linked to intensified Ukrainian attacks on energy infrastructure.
- Former Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov, a key Putin ally and influential figure in Russia’s security apparatus, has died at 73, with the Kremlin expressing condolences.
