Drone strikes disrupt Russian gas supplies; Trump says Ukraine might have to give up territory

Ukrainian drones struck a major gas processing plant in southern Russia, sparking a fire and forcing it to suspend its intake of gas from Kazakhstan, Russian and Kazakh authorities reported Sunday. The Orenburg plant, operated by state-owned Gazprom near the Kazakh border, is part of one of the world’s largest gas processing complexes, with an annual capacity of 45 billion cubic metres, handling gas condensate from Kazakhstan’s Karachaganak field alongside Orenburg’s own oil and gas resources. Regional Governor Yevgeny Solntsev said the drone strikes ignited a workshop and damaged parts of the plant, while the Kazakh Energy Ministry noted that the facility temporarily could not process gas from Kazakhstan due to the emergency. Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed a “large-scale fire” at Orenburg and damage to one of its gas processing units, reflecting Kyiv’s intensified attacks on Russian energy infrastructure it claims funds Moscow’s war effort.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian prosecutors said Russia is modifying aerial-guided bombs to strike deeper into Ukraine, with Kharkiv authorities reporting the first use of the new UMPB-5R rocket-powered bomb in a residential neighborhood of Lozava, some 150 kilometres south of Kharkiv. Russian attacks continued near the front lines, including drone strikes on the Shakhtarske area in Dnipropetrovsk, injuring at least 11 people and damaging buildings, according to acting Governor Vladyslav Haivanenko. Ukraine also claimed a drone strike hit Russia’s Novokuibyshevsk oil refinery in the Samara region, sparking a fire and damaging main refining units. The refinery, run by Rosneft, produces over 20 oil-based products with an annual capacity of 4.9 million tons. Russia’s Defence Ministry said its air defenses shot down 45 Ukrainian drones overnight, while Ukraine reported Russia launched 62 drones into its territory, 40 of which were intercepted or disrupted by electronic jamming.

In the diplomatic arena, US President Donald Trump suggested Ukraine might have to cede territory to end Russia’s more than three-and-a-half-year invasion. In a Fox News interview, Trump remarked that Russian President Vladimir Putin would “take something” and criticized past US policy for leaving territories won in conflict. The interview aired Sunday but was conducted before Trump spoke separately with Putin and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week. While Trump expressed caution about sending Ukraine requested Tomahawk missiles, citing the need to maintain US stockpiles, the missiles could have given Kyiv the ability to strike deep inside Russia and potentially push Moscow toward negotiations. Analysts note that hopes for progress in an upcoming Trump-Putin summit in Budapest remain cautious, as no major breakthroughs are expected despite the leaders’ recent phone call and Trump’s White House meeting with Zelenskyy.