Ukraine Drones Hit Russia's Syzran Oil Refinery, Governor Says

FILE: A general view shows a refinery complex, which is part of Russia's oil producer Tatneft group of companies, in Nizhnekamsk, in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, July 26, 2017. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin/File Photo
FILE: A general view shows a refinery complex, which is part of Russia's oil producer Tatneft group of companies, in Nizhnekamsk, in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, July 26, 2017. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin/File Photo
TT
20

Ukraine Drones Hit Russia's Syzran Oil Refinery, Governor Says

FILE: A general view shows a refinery complex, which is part of Russia's oil producer Tatneft group of companies, in Nizhnekamsk, in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, July 26, 2017. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin/File Photo
FILE: A general view shows a refinery complex, which is part of Russia's oil producer Tatneft group of companies, in Nizhnekamsk, in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, July 26, 2017. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin/File Photo

The governor of Russia's Samara region said on Saturday that Ukrainian drones had struck two oil refineries belonging to state-owned oil giant Rosneft in the region, causing no casualties but leaving one facility on fire.

Russia is voting through Sunday in three-day presidential elections, with President Vladimir Putin on Friday accusing Ukraine of attempting to sabotage the polls he is certain to win.

The Volga river region's Syzran refinery was on fire but an attack on the Novokubyshev refinery was thwarted, Governor Dmitry Azarov said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.

He said workers at both plants had been evacuated and there were no casualties, Reuters reported.

Unverified footage published online showed what appeared to be a major fire at the Syzran refinery, with emergency services working at the scene.

Ukraine has in recent weeks heavily targeted Russia's oil infrastructure, striking refineries throughout European Russia.

The governor of the frontier province of Belgorod, under near-constant attack in recent months, said five people, including a child, had been injured in a drone strike on a car travelling near the Ukrainian border.



France Says it Does Not Understand Why Trump Blames Ukraine for War

French politician Sophie Primas speaks at the National Assembly in Paris, France, November 26, 2024. REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/File Photo
French politician Sophie Primas speaks at the National Assembly in Paris, France, November 26, 2024. REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/File Photo
TT
20

France Says it Does Not Understand Why Trump Blames Ukraine for War

French politician Sophie Primas speaks at the National Assembly in Paris, France, November 26, 2024. REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/File Photo
French politician Sophie Primas speaks at the National Assembly in Paris, France, November 26, 2024. REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/File Photo

France does not understand why US President Donald Trump has suggested Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was to blame for Russia's invasion of his country and the resulting war, a French government spokesperson said on Wednesday.

"We don't understand the logic very well," spokesperson Sophie Primas told reporters, describing "the diverse, varied and often incomprehensible comments by President Trump".

She said Trump had made a number of comments on Ukraine over the past few days without consulting his European allies.

Trump, in comments to reporters on Tuesday, said: "You've been there for three years," referring to concerns that Ukraine had been excluded from talks between Russia and the United States. "You should've never started it. You could have made a deal."

Europe's bloodiest conflict since World War Two began in 2022, when Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a "special military operation" in Ukraine, Reuters reported.

French President Emmanuel Macron is set to have an informal meeting on Ukraine with some European leaders and NATO ally Canada at 4 p.m. (1500 GMT), following a similar meeting with Britain, Italy, Germany, Spain, the EU, Denmark and the Netherlands on Monday.

Ahead of Wednesday's talks, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said that, while there was not complete agreement in the European Union on how to move forward, countries had nevertheless managed to accomplish a lot within the EU framework. He said it was important for backers of Ukraine to do everything possible to put Kyiv in a strong position.

Sounding a note of caution, he added:

"Everyone seems to believe that Russia wants to negotiate peace. I don't feel sure at all on that point. So we need to keep a cool head and continue to support Ukraine."