*Update*: Ukraine strikes Russian oil infrastructure — state of emergency declared in Rostov

Ukrainian special forces (SSO) struck a production and control facility of a major oil pipeline hub in Kirov region overnight into Sunday – Ukrainska Pravda reports that it is a central node of the pipelines transporting Siberian oil to Europe. At the same time, drones hit an oil base in the Matveyev Kurgan district of Rostov region. The fire triggered evacuations in surrounding residential areas; district chief Dina Alborova declared a state of emergency via Telegram, as RBC reports.

Governor Yuri Slyusar also confirmed via Telegram that residents of several private houses in Matveyev Kurgan district were brought to safety due to the burning fuel storage facility. Russian authorities also reported drone attacks on Energodar, the satellite city of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant: ZAES communications director Yevgeniya Yashina told TASS that residential buildings, the administrative building and gas stations have been hit since the start of the day.

Ukrainian counterattacks and diplomatic tensions

On the Ukrainian side, Governor Volodymyr Saldo reported an increase in injured after a Russian drone attack on Henichesk in Kherson region: the number of affected persons rose to eleven by evening. Russian forces also attacked Dnipro – RFE/RL reports that a warehouse of a logistics company and several vehicles caught fire.

On the diplomatic front, a central instrument of Western pressure is wavering: according to Novaya Gazeta Europe, the EU is considering temporarily freezing the price cap on Russian oil, as rising global market prices resulting from the Middle East conflict are rendering the mechanism effectively useless. In parallel, the UN is facing massive financial pressure according to reports: the USA owes the organization more than four billion dollars, China around 445 million – together both countries finance 42 percent of the UN core budget.