Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin’s ‘buffer zone’ strategy in tatters after Kyiv reclaims swathes of territorynewsline24

Ukraine struck a plant in Russia’s Bryansk region that makes control systems for Russian missiles, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

“An operation has just successfully taken place — a plant in Bryansk was hit. This plant manufactures control systems for all types of missiles of the Russian Federation,” Zelensky told an online media briefing on Wednesday.

The Kremniy El plant is a major Russian microelectronics manufacturer.

The strike used air-launched British Storm Shadow missiles.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said capping the oil price would help limit Russia’s revenues and that now was not the time to relax sanctions against Russia.

“This is not the moment to relax sanctions on Russia,” she said in a post on X, after she took part in a call with G7 leaders to discuss the impact of the Iran war on oil and gas markets.

She added that, along with the European Council’s President Antonio Costa, they had both reiterated the immediate priority is to keep energy flows moving, especially through the Straits of Hormuz, and that they both backed the International Energy Agency’s decision to release 400 million barrels of oil.

“We both welcomed today’s decision by the IEA make 400 million barrels of emergency reserve oil available to ease tensions in global energy supply,” added Von der Leyen.

A Russian delegation led by President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy Kirill Dmitriev met with a U.S. delegation in Florida on Wednesday, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said.

He added that the teams discussed a “variety of topics” and agreed to stay in touch.

Naval drones have been used in at least two attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf region since war erupted between the US, Israel and Iran, according to maritime authorities and analysts, demonstrating a dangerous new threat in the key shipping lane.

The emergence of the use of explosive-laden unmanned surface vessels, which Ukraine has used with great effect in its war with Russia, comes as Iran threatens to block oil shipments from transiting the key Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint for one-fifth of the world’s oil.

The first sea-based drone attack was on March 1 when a crude oil tanker, the MKD VYOM, was hit about 44 nautical miles off Oman, killing one crew member, Britain’s maritime agency said.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said in a public advisory that an unmanned surface vessel struck the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker just above the waterline, triggering an explosion and fire in the engine room.

Venice Biennale has come under scrutiny for plans that allow Russia to reopen its pavilion at this year’s edition.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said, in an interview with Caolan Robertson: “We know the end of Hitler. We understand the end of Putin. Weaponizing sports, music, film and art festivals – like Venice Biennale – never helps.

“Across various cultural platforms – even during children’s animation festivals – the Russians stuff their movies with propaganda to indoctrinate their society from a very young age. But it never helps. I’m sure their nation will face a tragic end.”