Russia shot down own drones to comply with the ceasefire - RT
The Russian military has said that it had to shoot down its own drones to fulfill President Vladimir Putin’s order to halt strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. The president gave the order as a result of discussions with his US counterpart Donald Trump on Tuesday.
During their phone call, Putin accepted a proposal by Trump for the sides in the Ukraine conflict to refrain from striking each other’s energy infrastructure for 30 days, the Kremlin said later on Tuesday. The Russian leader “immediately” instructed the country’s military to comply, it added.
The Defense Ministry confirmed in a statement on Wednesday that it had “received an order from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief to halt strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.”
According to the ministry, when Putin’s order came in “seven Russian attack drones were in the air, targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure facilities related to the country’s military-industrial complex in Nikolaev region.”
To fulfill the command, the Russian air defenses had to “neutralize” the UAVs. Six drones were shot down by a Pantsir missile system and another by a fighter jet, it added.
The defense ministry also claimed that “just several” hours after the call between Putin and Trump, “the Kiev regime carried out a deliberate attack with three fixed-wing drones on an energy infrastructure facility in the village of Kavkazskaya in Russia’s Krasnodar Region.”
The strike damaged an on-site oil reservoir and caused a blaze, which is yet to be extinguished, the statement added.
The Kavkazskaya facility is used to transfer crude from rail-transported tanks to a pipeline operated by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), an international firm that lists US energy giants Chevron and Mobil among its partners.
“Clearly, this was a premeditated provocation by the Kiev regime aimed at derailing the US president’s peace initiative,” the statement read.
https://www.rt.com/russia/614484-russia-shot-down-drones/
Ukraine immediately broke Putin-Trump deal on energy targets - RT
The Ukrainian military allegedly attacked an energy site deep inside Russia after it announced a pause on long-range strikes
The Ukrainian military has attacked an oil transfer facility in Russia’s Krasnodar Region that services an international pipeline operation partially owned by American investors, the Defense Ministry in Moscow announced on Wednesday.
US President Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the phone for more than two hours on Tuesday, with the two leaders announcing progress on the path towards a truce in the Ukraine conflict. Moscow agreed to suspend attacks against Ukrainian infrastructure for 30 days, with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky publicly endorsing the partial ceasefire.
The overnight attack involved three kamikaze drones directed against a station near the village of Kavkazskaya, the ministry reported. The facility is used to transfer crude from rail-transported tanks to a pipeline operated by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), an international firm that counts US giants Chevron and Mobil among its partners.
The attack caused damage to an on-site oil reservoir and a fire, which is yet to be doused, the Defense Ministry reported.
“Clearly, this was a premeditated provocation by the Kiev regime aimed at derailing the US president’s peace initiative,” the Russian military claimed.
Russia had seven kamikaze drones in flight towards military targets in Ukraine’s Nikolayev Region when Putin ordered the suspension of such operations following his call with Trump, the statement said. Russian forces utilized anti-aircraft systems and a fighter jet to disable them all, it added.
The incident demonstrates a lack of reciprocity from Kiev on the deescalation initiative, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said later in the day. Russian officials “are taking a good look at the Kiev regime” to determine whether it is truly supporting Trump and Putin in seeking peace, he added.
https://www.rt.com/russia/614485-ukraine-violate-ceasefire-trump/