Ukraine launches drone attack on Russian oil refining facilities – Europe live

We are now getting some pictures showing the scale of destruction in Kharkiv after a Russian strike on a multi-story residential building there killed five people (۱۰:۱۱).

A fire ⁠broke ⁠out ​at an ⁠industrial facility in ⁠Russia’s ​Tyumen ‌region ‌in Siberia ‌after several drones fell on it, ‌Tyumen region ​governor Alexander Moor ⁠said ​on his Telegram ​channel.

This is reported by Reuters.

Later today, the UN security council will hold a meeting on Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilian detainees held by Russia, Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said.

“First-hand testimonies will highlight the systematic torture and abuse faced by Ukrainians in Russian captivity, as well as the urgent need for international access, an end to ill-treatment, accountability, and the return of all those unlawfully detained,” he said.

The meeting has been called by Latvia, the UK, and Ukraine.

The World Health Organization chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said a WHO warehouse stocking medical supplies in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro was destroyed in strikes on Friday.

“I cannot say loudly enough: attacks on health care must stop. Otherwise, people are deprived of life-saving healthcare,” Tedros posted.

“Even wars have rules. One of those is that health must be protected!”

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s ⁠military ⁠has confirmed it ⁠hit ⁠the ​Taneko ‌oil ‌refinery in ‌Russia’s Tatarstan region overnight, ‌adding that a ​fire ⁠was recorded ​at ​the ​facility, Reuters reported.

Frederiksen and Meloni sign joint statement on tackling irregular migration and ‘protecting’ Europe’s ‘Christian cultural heritage’

Miranda Bryant

Nordic correspondent

In other news, the Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen has released an inflammatory joint statement with Italy’s PM Giorgia Meloni vowing to “protect” what they refer to as Europe’s “Christian cultural heritage”.

The statement by the two leaders, released on Facebook with a picture of the two of them smiling side by side, states that they expect people from other countries to “respect European values” and “not impose a way of life on us that we do not want”.

It comes after Frederiksen, leader of the centre left Social Democrats, and Meloni, leader of the far-right Brothers of Italy, only recently joined forces to put pressure on Spain over Ceuta.

“Respect for our laws must go hand in hand with respect for European values,” they wrote in the statement released today. “This applies to illegal migrants, but also to the millions of foreign nationals living legally in our countries and in Europe.”

Signing off “Giorgia and Mette”, they added:

“We both acknowledge Europe’s Christian cultural heritage and wish to protect it. We expect those who come to our countries and wish to make Europe their home to respect European values and not impose upon us a way of life we do not desire.”

Acknowledging their differences, they write: “We know many people wonder about our partnership. We come from very different political backgrounds.”

But they then go on to say that as “the only two female heads of government in the EU” they are “united in our desire to look after Europe. We will not accept uncontrolled migration into Europe.”

Claiming that “no one can deny that illegal migration has had negative consequences for our societies,” they say that they plan to set up “departure centres in third countries” and “other innovative solutions outside Europe”.

As well as a sign of the potential direction of travel among European leaders on attitudes to immigration, their words will also have strong repercussions domestically in Denmark amid rising Islamophobia.

It is also indicative of Frederiksen’s growing embrace of right wing immigration politics – despite leading a recently formed left-leaning coalition – which has proved to be influential across the Nordics and among Labour politicians in the UK.

Responding to the overnight strikes on Nizhnekamsk, Russian investigators said they had opened a criminal case into what they ​qualified as a terrorist attack, saying in ‌a statement that Ukraine had ‌struck residential areas and that a child was among those civilians killed, Reuters said.

The head of Russia’s Tatarstan ‌region, Rustam Minnikhanov, has declared a period of mourning, Radmir Belyayev, the mayor of Nizhnekamsk, said in a statement on Telegram. The region’s oil refinery, one of Russia’s most technologically advanced, was hit in the attack, Russian media reported.

There was no immediate comment from Ukraine, Reuters reported.

The ⁠Russian central bank has advised ⁠creditors ⁠to support ​businesses affected by ⁠Ukrainian attacks on logistics centres and ⁠warehouses, according ​to ‌a letter from ‌the bank ‌published on Monday and reported by Reuters.

Affected businesses should be able to apply to ‌restructure their loans, the regulator ​said.

At least ۲۰ warehouses belonging to Russian ⁠e-commerce retailer Wildberries ​have been ​attacked by ​Ukraine since ​۱۸ July.

Up to ۵۰,۰۰۰ North Korean soldiers will be deployed in Russia, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said, while calling on South Korea to provide support for Ukraine’s air defence.

It is an increase from the estimated ۳۰,۰۰۰ announced by the Ukrainian president in July.

Kyiv had found some North Korean missiles in Ukraine’s territory, he said.

“It is absolutely clear that ⁠North Korea will continue to build its experience in modern warfare, receive licences from Russia, and receive all ​kinds of military tools from them.”

Meanwhile, at least five people died in a Russian strike on Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, regional prosecutor’s office said.

“On ۱۰ August, Russian forces carried out a massive artillery strike on the residential area of the village of Bugaivka in the Chuguiv district. Various houses were destroyed as a result of the enemy attack. Five people were killed,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement on Telegram, quoted by AFP.

Morning opening: ۱۲ killed, ۳۹ injured as Ukraine steps up attacks on Russian oil refining facilities

Jakub Krupa

A Ukrainian drone attack on the city of Nizhnekamsk in Russia’s Tatarstan region killed ۱۲ people and wounded ۳۹ others, Russian authorities said.

The city, some ۱,۰۰۰ kilometers within Russia, hosts a major oil refinery, with facilities long targeted by Ukrainian army. Ukraine previously hit the facility in June.

Russia said it shot down ۴۵۶ Ukrainian drones, without specifying how many of them reached their targets.

In his regular nightly address, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that continuing strikes on oil refining facilities were directly linked with putting more pressure on Moscow.

“The only reason this is still continuing is Russia’s unwillingness to end this war,” he said.

Agencies said it was one of Kyiv’s most deadly attacks of the full-scale war since ۲۰۲۲.

Elsewhere, I will be keeping an eye on the row between Spain and Italy, after Madrid reintroduced border checks on visitors from Italy in response to Rome imposing similar measures after a mass rush of people from Morocco into Ceuta.

Italy’s authorities were left frustrated by the move, with the country’s foreign minister calling it “completely unacceptable,” as tourists faced border delays.

It’s Monday, ۱۰ August ۲۰۲۶, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.

Good morning.