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Ukraine's drones have targeted Russia's Bashneft refinery in the city of Ufa, situated some 1,400 km from Ukraine, triggering explosions and a inferno, per a source in Ukraine's SBU.

This represents the latest SBU deep strike in the region in the past month. Such strikes show that there are no secure zones in the distant backlines of the Russia.

Ukrainian President Calls On US President to Mediate Ceasefire in the Conflict

President Zelenskyy called on President Trump to mediate a ceasefire in the Ukrainian conflict over a phone call on Saturday.

"Provided that a conflict can be halted in a particular zone, then undoubtedly further hostilities can be halted as well, covering the Russian aggression," he stated, commending the US President's "outstanding" Middle East peace initiative and requesting the American leader to pressure the Russian government into negotiations.

Russian Strikes Take Lives in the Country

Russian attacks on Ukrainian territory resulted in the deaths of five people on the weekend and disrupted electricity to sections of Ukraine's southern Odesa oblast, according to local sources.

A pair of individuals lost their lives within a place of worship in Kostyantynivka when it was struck, per regional officials.

In the Russian border region of Belgorod, a truck driver was lost his life by a drone assault, according to local officials.

Energy Restoration Efforts in Kyiv

Efforts carried on on the weekend to recover electricity in the Ukrainian capital, after strikes by Moscow.

Power had been recovered to in excess of 800,000 residents by the weekend and the major private energy company said the main efforts to recover electricity was complete though certain disruptions remained.

Air Defence Operations and UAV Downings

Ukraine's defense forces downed or disrupted 54 out of seventy-eight enemy drones deployed towards the country during the night, the military reported on Saturday.

Russia's military authorities stated it shot down 42 drones over the country's airspace.

Cuba Refutes Accusations of Providing Troops to Ukraine

Havana on Saturday denied American claims it has sent soldiers to engage in the Ukraine war, while declaring officials in Havana "lack accurate details about individuals" participating "voluntarily" or "as part of the armed units of both sides".

The ministry in Havana stated 26 Cubans had been given prison terms to prison terms ranging from five up to fourteen years for mercenary involvement since the autumn of 2023 when news circulated of Cuban nationals being deployed to the front in the conflict.

I Want to Live Initiative Reveals Information on Cuban National Enlistment

The program, a Ukrainian government project that urges opposing fighters to give up, reported in spring: "We reliably know the personal data of over a thousand Cuban nationals who entered into agreements with the Moscow's troops in 2023-2024."

The Cuban foreign ministry commented of Cuban nationals who might be engaged: "It is irrefutable that no individual have the encouragement, dedication, or authorization of the Cuban state for their involvement."

Relatives of individuals who traveled to Russia in the year reported to Agence France-Presse at the time that their family members had been misled into enlisting through advertisements on social media.