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Shortly afterwards, the governor of Russia’s Rostov region, which also borders Ukraine, said a drone hit a local refinery near the village of Kiselevka, causing an explosion and a fire.
On Wednesday, a similar fire at an oil reservoir in the neighboring village of Volna spread over 1,200 square metres, with officials also blaming a drone crash.
On the same day, Moscow said it had shot down two drones aimed at President Vladimir Putin’s residence and accused Ukraine of attempting a “terrorist act”. The Kremlin threatened to hit back with a tough response.
Ukraine has denied any involvement, and the country’s Western allies have also cast doubt on the allegations. “We don’t attack Putin or Moscow,” Zelensky said on a visit to Finland. “We only defend our villages and cities.”
On Thursday, the Kremlin accused the United States of masterminding the attack on Putin’s residence. “Decisions about such attacks are not taken in Kiev, but in Washington,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “Kiev only does what they say.”
Zelensky in The Hague
The attacks come amid a visit by the Ukrainian president to his Western allies. This Thursday, Zelenski was at the headquarters of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands.
In March, the court issued an arrest warrant against Vladimir Putin for allegedly deporting children from Ukraine. Russia, which is not a member of the ICC and rejects its jurisdiction, denies committing atrocities during its war against Ukraine, which Moscow calls a “special military operation” to “demilitarize” its neighbor.
On his first official trip to the Netherlands, Zelenski was received at the ICC by the entity’s president, Judge Piotr Hofmanski. The court said the visit lasted less than an hour but did not give details of what was discussed.
As he left the ICC, the Ukrainian president, dressed in his traditional khaki clothes, waved to a Ukrainian family outside the building as they chanted “Slava Ukraini” (Glory to Ukraine).
Zelensky then gave a speech entitled “There is no peace without justice for Ukraine”, in which he stated that Putin should be condemned for “his criminal actions”.
“We all want to see a different Vladimir here in The Hague, one who deserves to be sanctioned for his criminal actions here, in the capital of international law. I am sure that will happen when we win,” said the Ukrainian leader.
Still this Thursday in The Hague, he should also have scheduled meetings with the Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, and the Belgian Prime Minister, Alexander De Croo.
Zelensky has visited several foreign capitals since Russia’s invasion of his country in February 2022, including London, Paris and Washington.
The Netherlands has been a strong ally of Ukraine in the war. In February, Prime Minister Rutte said he would not rule out any kind of military support for Kiev, as long as NATO does not get directly involved in the war.
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