Ukrainian forces carried out drone strikes on July 25 that targeted a Siberian oil refinery and disrupted an athletics competition in Russia’s Urals region, as Kazakhstan’s president called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the conflict in Ukraine during a summit in Siberia.
Russian officials reported that Ukrainian drone attacks hit several locations inside Russia, including an oil refinery in the Tyumen region of Siberia, which was set ablaze. Additionally, an all-Russian athletics event in Yekaterinburg was halted due to drone threats. The governor of Tyumen confirmed the refinery fire, while Russia’s athletics federation reported suspending the competition in Yekaterinburg. The region also saw ongoing concerns, with Wildberries, a major Russian online retailer, evacuating staff from its Yekaterinburg facility following drone warnings, though the site reportedly sustained no damage.
The strikes represent an escalation of Ukrainian retaliatory operations deep inside Russian territory, with more than 300 drones reportedly launched into Russia on the same day, including strikes in distant regions like Kirov. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the attacks in Siberia and said Kyiv targeted a military factory in the Kirov region for a second consecutive day. Local authorities in Kirov reported five casualties from the earlier attack.
Meanwhile, fighting continues along the front lines in Ukraine. Russian-installed authorities in occupied areas of southern Ukraine reported that a Ukrainian strike killed 12 people, including four children, at a seaside camp in the Azov Sea town of Kyrylivka. The Kremlin-aligned official Yevgeny Balitsky said rescue operations were ongoing, with eight people still unaccounted for. Additional casualties included one person in the occupied Kherson region. Kyiv has not commented directly on the strike.
In reciprocation, Ukraine accused Russia of carrying out several attacks that killed five civilians in eastern and southern Ukraine. Zelensky cited a Russian strike on Sumy in northeastern Ukraine, which involved a “double-tap” attack on a private courier service facility operated by Nova Poshta, resulting in three deaths. Two additional civilian deaths were reported in other regions under attack.
The conflict, now approaching its fourth and a half year, has seen increasing civilian casualties, drawing concern from the United Nations. Attempts at mediation led by the United States and other Western countries have stalled, while Russia has reiterated its position to complete the seizure of eastern Ukraine by force.
Amid these developments, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with Putin in Omsk, Siberia, for a Russia-Kazakhstan summit. Tokayev, who maintains close ties with Moscow but has not supported Russia’s invasion, called for an end to the fighting, labeling the war as a tragic loss of youth and advocating for a frozen conflict and a return to peace talks held in Istanbul. Putin responded by saying he would update Tokayev on the situation but reaffirmed Russia’s intention to continue its military campaign.
The increasing frequency and reach of Ukrainian strikes on Russian infrastructure, including fuel depots and refineries, have contributed to widespread fuel shortages within Russia, prompting Moscow to extend a ban on fuel exports until the end of the year. Kyiv maintains that these operations aim to weaken Russia’s war capabilities and pressure the Kremlin into negotiations to conclude the conflict.