One of the largest oil refineries in southern Russia in flames, after being hit by two "Kiev drones" : the attack reported by Moscow on the Novoshakhtinsk plant in the Rostov region risks fueling a new escalation of the conflict. kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

The refinery is owned by a company linked to Oksana Marchenko, the wife of pro-Russian Ukrainian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk , under arrest in Ukraine on charges of high treason.

For Russia it is one of the hardest blows even on a symbolic level, given the permeability betrayed by its air defense system.

On the ground, the battle continues to rage in Lugansk. The Ukrainian General Staff confirmed the intensification of the air raids on the Donbass and the enemy advance beyond Severodonetsk , now in Russian hands except the enclave of the Azot chemical factory, in whose bunkers the last defense troops remain barricaded together with over 500 civilians , including at least 38 children.

Moscow forces draw ever closer to Lysychansk , the twin city of Severodonetsk, where over 1,300 Ukrainian soldiers and foreign volunteer fighters have been surrounded.

Meanwhile, Moscow has leaked what could be the countermeasure against Lithuania that blocked the transit of products to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad: the interruption of energy supplies to Vilnius .

Lithuania is still dependent for part of its needs on a network, called Brell, which connects it to Russia, together with Estonia, Latvia and Belarus.

Meanwhile, Moscow has confirmed that it has received a message from Washington regarding the fate of two American citizens, Alexander Drueke and Andy Huynh , captured in Ukraine and accused of being mercenaries in the pay of Kiev. Russian authorities are "discussing" the matter, Deputy Foreign Minister Riabkov said.

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The day by the hour:

Kiev: "We will regain the Island of the Snakes"

Attacks by the Ukrainian army on Snake Island will continue until its complete "liberation". This was stated by the head of the intelligence services of Kiev, Kyrylo Budanov, quoted by the Ukrainska Pravda. "In the Isle of Snakes", which passed into Russian hands at the beginning of the conflict, "there is a group composed of air defense units, units armed with artillery, a group of naval units and special units of the Russian Federation", he said. explained. Its control is considered strategic for the security of the Black Sea.

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Pro-Russian TV tower damaged by Ukrainian raids in Donetsk

A Petrovskiy TV tower in Donetsk, controlled by pro-Russian separatist forces, was heavily damaged by some raids, interrupting its transmissions. This was reported by local agencies, recorded by the Guardian.

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The affected refinery belongs to Medvedchuk's wife

The Russian refinery of Novoshakhtinsk in the Rostov region, hit today by two "Ukrainian drones", is owned by the company Peton Invest Technology, linked to Oksana Marchenko, the wife of the pro-Russian Ukrainian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk under arrest in Ukraine on high betrayal. The refinery is also under sanctions from Kiev for alleged oil supplies to the breakaway regions of Donbass. Tass reports it.

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Five women killed in Izyum

Mortar rounds fired by Russian forces today killed 5 women in the Izyum district of Kharkiv oblast in eastern Ukraine. This was reported by the head of the district administration, Stepan Maselsky, quoted by Ukrainska Pravda, according to which 5 civilians were hit around 13.30 local near the entrance of a building in the village of Pryshib.

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Stoltenberg: "Russia is a major threat to NATO"

"I expect NATO's next 'Strategic Concept', which leaders will approve at the Madrid summit, will identify Russia as the main threat to our security." NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said this at an event organized by Politico.

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Moscow assesses an electricity cut in Lithuania

Cutting off electricity supplies to Lithuania, which is still dependent for its needs on a grid that connects it to Russia, is one of the options studied by Moscow to respond to the blockade of the passage of some products to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad decided by Vilnius in application of EU sanctions. This was stated by the chairman of the International Affairs Committee of the Duma, Leonid Slutsky, quoted by the Interfax agency. "Apart from other things, such as limiting the transit of Lithuanian truck drivers, we will consider the possibility of interrupting the circuit for electricity supplies," Slutsky told Rossiya 24 TV.

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Moscow: "US message on mercenaries received, let's discuss it"

Moscow confirmed that it had received a message from Washington regarding the fate of two American citizens captured in Ukraine and accused of being mercenaries in the pay of Kiev. Deputy Foreign Minister Serghei Riabkov said this, adding that the Russian authorities are "discussing" the issue. Previously, the spokesman for the State Department, Ned Price, had made it known that contacts were underway between the US and Russia regarding the affair. Riabkov, quoted by Tass, did not disclose the content of the message. "We do not comment on the content of diplomatic requests," he stressed.

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Scholz: "Ukraine needs a Marshall Plan"

"Ukraine needs a Marshall plan for reconstruction". Olaf Scholz said this when speaking to the Bundestag.

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Moscow: "Berlin fuels russophobia"

Russia, which today commemorates the Nazi invasion of the USSR in 1941, has accused Germany of fueling "russophobic hysteria" amid growing tensions between Moscow and Berlin linked to Ukraine. "Berlin, with words and deeds, threatens the results

of the decades-long efforts of Russia and Germany to overcome enmity (...) after the war ", the foreign ministry said today in a statement released on the occasion

of commemorations.

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Kiev: "Di Maio has chosen the good"

"Every politician chooses how to enter the books of world history. A strong act by Luigi Di Maio, a leader who understands the challenges of the time for Europe. Italian politics is a matter for Italy alone. But we are grateful to all those who have chosen the side of good ". Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, writes on Twitter the day after the breakup of the Foreign Minister with the 5 Stars also motivated by the crisis in Ukraine.

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Turkish ship leaves Mariupol after wheat talks

A Turkish merchant ship is leaving the port of Mariupol in Ukraine following grain talks with Moscow. This was announced by the Ankara authorities.

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Russian refinery hit by Ukrainian drones

One of the largest oil refineries in southern Russia - the Novoshakhtinsk plant in the Rostov region, a few kilometers from the Ukrainian border - was hit this morning by a drone that caused a fire. The international media reported it. "According to one version, the fire was caused by an attack by a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) against the technical installations of the plant," the governor of the region wrote on Telegram. The refinery was hit by two drones.

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"1,300 Ukrainian soldiers surrounded in Lysychansk"

Over 1,300 Ukrainian soldiers and mercenaries are surrounded in these hours south of Lysychansk, in eastern Ukraine: the Ministry of Interior of the self-proclaimed Republic of Lugask reports, according to Tass.

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Cluster bombs on Mykolaivl, one dead

A civilian died yesterday, hit by a cluster bomb, during a Russian attack on the city of Mykolaiv, in southern Ukraine: the regional military administration said this, according to reports this morning by the Ukrinform agency. Yesterday, Russian troops also hit the village of Shyroke, in the district of Bashtanka, and the village of Inhulka with artillery fire, wounding two civilians. Another civilian was injured in an attack on Ochakiv and a fifth sustained injuries in an attack on Pervomaiske and Novomykolaivka. A sixth civilian was wounded in Chervone.

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Gas: Iea, Europe gets ready to completely stop Russian gas

According to the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA), Europe must immediately prepare for a complete shutdown of Russian gas supplies this winter. "Europe should be ready in case Russian gas is completely cut off," Faith Birol said in an interview with the Financial Times. The cut in supplies decided by Russia last week may be a prerequisite for other cuts, he argues, in Moscow's attempt to use it as a "lever" for the war on Ukraine.

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