Russia is trying to delay the ceasefire proposed by the US and is preparing to strike Ukraine’s Sumy region on the border, a military chief has said. Follow the latest on that and all other Ukraine war developments below.
false,Sunday 16 March 2025 08:10, UK
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
A fire at a Russian oil refinery that came under Ukrainian attack was still on fire after more than a day later, authorities said overnight.
Nearly 200 firefighters were fighting the blaze at the Tuapse plant in the Kransnodar region, near the Black Sea.
The fire, which was sparked by a Ukrainian drone attack on Friday morning, was contained but not extinguished, the region’s administration said late on Saturday.
Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Centre for Countering Disinformation at Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, announced the attack on Telegram on Friday.
“This is not the first attack,” he said. “It is one of the largest in the Russian Federation and has a processing capacity of about 12 million tons of oil per year.
“The refinery specialises in primary oil processing, producing straight-run gasoline, diesel fuel and fuel oil, a significant part of which is exported.
“For the Russian army, this plant is of strategic importance, as it provides fuel to the Black Sea Fleet and military infrastructure in the south of the country. It is part of the logistical supply chain of fuel for military equipment and aviation.”
As the war has gone on, Ukraine has continued to innovate long-range drones that it uses to target oil refineries – some deep in Russian territory.
Russia is “preparing for more active actions” on Ukraine’s border, a military chief has warned.
Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Centre for Countering Disinformation at Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, said that Vladimir Putin is “trying to delay the ceasefire” proposed by the US.
He said on Telegram: “The Russians are really preparing for more active actions in the border region of Sumy and are accumulating forces to strike at Sumy.
“This should not be confused with the offensive on Sumy – the enemy is operating in the border region, suffering losses from the Defence Forces, but is preparing for new strikes.
“It is important that Putin is doing these things, trying to delay the ceasefire proposed by the United States.”
What’s happening in Sumy?
There appears to be increased concern that Russian forces could strike into Ukraine’s northeast Sumy region, with Volodymyr Zelenskyy also discussing the possibility yesterday.
The Ukrainian president said Moscow was accumulating forces nearby for a separate strike. “This indicates an intention to attack our Sumy region,” he said.
“We are aware of this and will counter it.”
“I would like all (our) partners to understand exactly what Putin is planning, what he is preparing for, and what he will be ignoring.”
Russia’s overnight bombardment of Ukrainian cities continued overnight, with 90 drones launched according to Ukraine’s air force.
Air defences shot down 47 of the 90 drones, the force added.
The number shot down does not always include drones brought down by other means such as electronic warfare.
Damage was reported in four regions in the north, centre and south of the country, the air force said without providing details.
Good morning and welcome back to our live coverage of the war in Ukraine.
Before we get started, let’s recap the key events from yesterday.
Kursk still at the forefront
The Russian Kursk region, currently occupied by Ukraine, continues to dominate headlines.
Vladimir Putin claimed at the end of last week that Ukrainian troops were encircled – leading to Donald Trump asking the Russian leader to “spare” them.
But Ukraine pushed back hard on that suggestion, claiming its troops had simply retreated to regroup at more defendable positions.
Russia published images of its troops wandering through the streets of Sudzha – the biggest town seized by Ukrainian forces.
Trump limits remit of envoy
Trump limited the remit of the envoy who was supposed to spearhead his campaign for peace between Ukraine and Russia.
Retired general Keith Kellogg was originally US envoy to Russia and Ukraine, but now his remit covers only the Ukrainian side of things, Trump appeared to confirm in a social media post.
The retired general was excluded from high-level talks on ending the war after the Kremlin said it didn’t want him there.
European military chiefs to meet
Military chiefs from around the world will meet next week to discuss the “operational phase” of protecting Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping force, Sir Keir Starmer announced.
Sir Keir revealed military chiefs from the group of Western nations would meet on Thursday as they move “into an operational phase”.
He said they would draw up plans to help secure Ukraine “on the land, at sea and in the sky” if a peace deal can be agreed with Russia.
Thanks for following along, that’s all for today’s live coverage.
Before we go, here’s a short round up of the key things that happened today:
There’s been much discussion over what a potential peacekeeping force in Ukraine might look like, who could be involved and what it would do.
Earlier, our deputy political editor Sam Coates asked the prime minister what British troops on the ground in Ukraine would actually look like.
And in this video, Sam breaks down Sir Keir Starmer’s response to that question and explains what to make of the PM’s comments…
And in this video, we take a look at which nations could join peacekeeping efforts…
Russian firefighters continue to battle a massive blaze at an oil refinery after a Ukrainian drone attack yesterday.
A fire at the Tuapse oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar region has been contained but not yet extinguished, the region’s administration said late this evening.
Some 200 firefighters have contained the fire to an area of 1,250sqm.
The Russian ministry of defence has shared images of its troops moving through the key town of Sudzha in the Kursk region.
Sudzha was the biggest town seized by Ukrainian forces last year as part of their surprise cross-border offensive, but Russia says it recaptured the area earlier this week.
Earlier this week, reports suggested that Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff was kept waiting for as long as eight hours by Vladimir Putin for a meeting at the Kremlin.
Now, the US president has said that is “fake news”, without offering any proof.
Trump instead suggests that Witkoff was engaged in other meetings, while reports suggested Putin was apparently too busy meeting someone else – Belarusian leader Aleksander Lukashenko – for a hastily arranged state visit that had been announced the day before.
Military chiefs from around the world will meet next week to discuss the “operational phase” of protecting Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping force, Sir Keir Starmer has announced.
As we’ve been reporting, the prime minister hosted a virtual meeting of the “coalition of the willing” earlier today, which involved leaders of 26 nations, including Ukraine, plus the EU and NATO, to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.
Speaking after the 90-minute meeting, Sir Keir revealed military chiefs from the group of Western nations would meet on Thursday as they move “into an operational phase”.
He said they would draw up plans to help secure Ukraine “on the land, at sea and in the sky” if a peace deal can be agreed with Russia.
Catch up on the full story here.
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
