An F-16 fighter jet belonging to Ukraine's air force crashed on a frontline mission on Wednesday while intercepting Russian airborne targets, the Ukrainian Air Force announced. The pilot ejected safely and was taken for medical treatment after the aircraft suffered a malfunction. Experts are examining the crash site to determine the cause. Ukraine has received F-16s from NATO allies including the Netherlands and Denmark.
Russian drone company director shot in Tula
Andrei Cherezov, director and founder of the Russian drone manufacturer Air Transport Laboratory, was shot and wounded early Wednesday in what prosecutors described as an attempted murder. Cherezov, known for developing the Ovod family of combat drones, was returning home from work at about 1 a.m. when an unknown assailant attacked him in Tula, about 150 km (90 miles) south of Moscow, according to Russia's Izvestia newspaper.
Ukraine strikes two major Russian oil refineries
Ukrainian forces hit two of Russia's largest oil refineries overnight Tuesday: a Lukoil refinery in the Perm region, more than 1,500 km (900 miles) from Ukraine, and a refinery in Ryazan, about 400 km (180 miles) from the border. Ukraine's security service and military general staff announced the strikes. The refineries have a combined annual production capacity of around 220 million barrels of oil, according to Ukraine. The Russian online retailer Wildberries, which Ukraine has targeted in recent days, evacuated employees from a facility in Ryazan.
Sberbank scrambles to restructure loans after drone attacks
Russia's largest lender, Sberbank, is scrambling to restructure loans and cover lending losses because of Ukrainian drone attacks on Wildberries. Sberbank said the credit quality of online retailers and vendors had deteriorated, with about 300 companies seeking to restructure loans. Sberbank lends to both Wildberries and rival Ozon, whose facilities have not been targeted.
Rouble weakens further
The Russian rouble weakened by another 1.9% against the US dollar on Wednesday to its lowest since April 3, market data showed. It has fallen by 14% against the dollar since May 20, and has also fallen against the Chinese yuan, Russia's most traded foreign currency.
Ukrainian strikes on Russian vessels and bases
Ukrainian units have struck 201 Russian vessels over the past three weeks in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov, a senior military official said. The tally does not include vessels hit by Ukraine's security service and other military groups. Ukrainian forces also struck a naval base used by Russia's Black Sea fleet, according to the military general staff. It reported other strikes on a radar station in Russia's Bryansk region on the border, a drone launch site, and a road bridge in the occupied part of Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region.
Russian glide bombs hit Kharkiv region
Russian glide bombs struck the city of Kharkiv and 17 other places in the region over the previous 24 hours, wounding 11 people, said Oleh Syniehubov, head of the regional military administration. In Ukraine's Kherson region, a man was killed and three others injured in a Russian drone attack, local authorities said.
Russia charges Telegram founder with aiding terrorism
Russian officials have charged Pavel Durov, founder and CEO of Telegram, with aiding terrorism. The 41-year-old Russian-born billionaire, who lives in the UAE, has resisted Kremlin efforts to control internet and digital communications. Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) accuses Telegram of failing to remove channels, chats, and bots allegedly used by Ukrainian agencies against Russia.
Russian journalist sentenced to 12 years for treason
Russian journalist Darya Shipacheva pleaded guilty to treason at a Moscow court and was sentenced to 12 years in a penal colony, Interfax reported. The charges stemmed from an alleged money transfer to Ukraine. Shipacheva specialized in science and medical journalism and worked for several prominent Russian media organizations. The Committee to Protect Journalists says at least 29 journalists are imprisoned in Russia for their work.
France expels Russian media commentator
France ordered Russian media commentator Xenia Fedorova to leave the country, accusing her of churning out Kremlin propaganda, the interior ministry said Wednesday. Fedorova was placed under house arrest, according to a source close to the case. She used to run the French arm of the Kremlin propaganda channel RT, now banned in France. The French newspaper Liberation cited the expulsion order as accusing Fedorova of acting as a conduit for disinformation campaigns aimed at destabilizing public order. Fedorova's lawyer Emmanuel Piwnica said she would immediately file an appeal. Canal+ and Lagardere, owners of CNews and Europe 1 respectively, said diversity of opinion was important for democratic debate. Members of the centrist Renew group in the European Parliament called on the EU to impose sanctions on Fedorova.
Ukraine appeals IOC decision on Russian athletes
Ukraine said it appealed against the International Olympic Committee's decision to ease restrictions on Russian athletes, arguing the move is premature and violates the Olympic Charter. The IOC lifted its suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee earlier this month and scrapped restrictions on Russian athletes introduced over Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
