**Ukrainian Drones Attack Russian Oil Refinery**
Ukrainian drones attacked an oil refinery owned by Lukoil in Russia’s Volgograd Oblast. The refinery is one of the 10 largest in Russia and supplies oil to the Russian military.
According to Ukraine’s General Staff, the refinery was targeted in a joint operation with Ukrainian military intelligence. Flashes and explosions were recorded near the plant, but the extent of the damage is still being assessed.
Russia claims its air defenses shot down 49 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 25 in Rostov Oblast and eight in Volgograd Oblast. Ukraine has been targeting Russian energy infrastructure to disrupt supplies to Russian forces.
**Other Developments**
* EU officials are discussing the possibility of resuming purchases of Russian gas as part of a potential settlement of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
* US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the US is “funding a stalemate” and called for a swift resolution to the conflict.
* A suspected arms trafficker linked to a criminal group smuggling weapons from the US to Russia was arrested by Kyrgyz law enforcement officers.
* Russian authorities blocked 417,000 websites in 2024, according to a report by the Russian independent news outlet Verstka.
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