Ukraine war latest: 'Major fire' at Russian oil depot after Ukrainian drone attack (2024)

We've got some pictures of the damage in Odesa, southern Ukraine, after Russian drone attacks there overnight.

According to Ukraine's national police, seven people were injured and 13 residential properties damaged.

There was also one person injured in a drone attack on a children's medical facility in Dnipro district, Kyiv (see 7.55am post).

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has posted details of his latest phone call with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

He says he thanked him for Germany's "leadership in supporting Ukraine", particularly with bolstering its air defences.

Scholz, whose three-party coalition collapsed and is facing an election he will likely lose on 23 February, has recently refused Ukraine long-range missiles.

The chancellor tweeted to say Germany will "continue our military support for Ukraine in close coordination with our European and international partners" and he will "remain in contact".

Zelenskyy also said Scholz "shared details of his call with Putin" from two weeks ago.

Scholz's call with Putin sparked anger, with Zelenskyy previously claiming it breached Western solidarity with Ukraine.

But the German leader, who is currently polling third in the polls, defended the hour-long call – his first in two years – saying he sensed no change in Putin's stance on the war in Ukraine.

The head of MI6 has said UK security services have uncovered a "staggeringly reckless campaign" of Russian sabotage across Europe.

Richard Moore said in a visit to Paris today: "We have recently uncovered a staggeringly reckless campaign of Russian sabotage in Europe, even as Putin and his acolytes resort to nuclear saber-rattling, to sow fear about the consequences of aiding Ukraine."

Putin has threatened "all means of destruction" amid reports Ukraine could get hold of nuclear weapons.

Moore said his agency and its French counterpart were working together to prevent a dangerous escalation by "calibrating the risk and informing the decisions of our respective governments" in response to Putin's "mix of bluster and aggression."

He urged European leaders to continue their military support of Ukraine, adding: "If Putin is allowed to succeed in reducing Ukraine to a vassal state, he will not stop there.

"Our security - British, French, European and transatlantic - will be jeopardized.

"The cost of supporting Ukraine is well known, but the cost of not doing so would be infinitely higher.

"If Putin succeeds, China would weigh the implications, North Korea would be emboldened and Iran would become yet more dangerous."

Russian defence minister Andrei Belousov is in North Korea today for talks.

Russia's economy minister has claimed that the rouble will recover – despite hitting its lowest level since the first months of the Ukraine war this week.

The Russian rouble fell to 100 against the US dollar yesterday after the United States imposed sanctions on Gazprombank, which handles payments for Russia's energy trade with Europe – and is a major supplier of Western currencies to the market.

But minister Maxim Reshetnikov said in a statement: "It is evident that adaptation to the new anti-Russian sanctions will be necessary, including changes to banking mechanisms and channels for currency inflows into the Russian market."

But he added: "We assume that once the market nervousness subsides, the exchange rate will return to its fundamental values."

It comes after a call from President Vladimir Putin not to panic over the fall – and a decision by Russia’s central bank not to buy foreign currency on the domestic market for the rest of the year.

The number of Russian soldiers to die in a single day in its fight against Ukraine has surpassed 2,000 for the first time, according to Ukrainian officials.

In a post on X, the Ukrainian defence ministry claims 2,030 personnel died in the 24 hours to Friday.

The figures have not been verified, but analysts estimate that roughly 1,600 Russian soldiers are dying in battle every day.

Estonian analyst Artur Rehi said yesterday: "Russia has turned into a huge conveyor belt of death, destroying Ukraine and devouring itself from the inside."

Reports claim young Russian recruits are being sent to Ukraine without training.

Russian dissident Alezei Gorinov has been jailed for a further three years after appearing in court again today.

Mr Gorinov, 63, was already serving a seven-year sentence after being convicted of spreading false information about Russia's armed forces under a censorship law introduced shortly after the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

He denied the new charge of "justifying terrorism" during his latest trial but has been found guilty and his sentence extended.

As it concluded he made a defiant speech and described the Ukraine war as "bloody slaughter".

Pictures show him in a cage in court in the city of Vladimir, east of Moscow, on Friday.

Russian forces have taken control of two settlements in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, according to its defence ministry.

Writing on Telegram, the ministry says it now holds Verkhokamianka and Rozdolne.

Russia controls most of the Donetsk region, but continues to advance along the border.

The Ukrainian military has just confirmed it was behind the attack on an oil depot in Russia’s Rostov region overnight.

It resulted in a "major fire", according to Kremlin officials, and involved at least 30 drones (see 6.18am post).

The Ukrainian military said of the attack on the Atlas depot on Telegram this morning: "Atlas is part of the Russian military-industrial complex that supplies petroleum products to the Russian army."

A radar station for a Russian Buk air defence system was also targeted in Ukraine's southern Zaporizhzhia region, the Telegram statement added.

Ukraine has stepped up its attacks inside Russian territory, particularly after the UK and US allowed their weapons to be used across the border.

As attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure increase, we've got some video and pictures of widespread damage at the DTEK power plant after a Russian missile strike.

The plant used to supply around 20% of Ukraine's power, but this dropped to 12% after Russia invaded.

DTEK says it has been targeted roughly 200 times since February 2022.

Violent protests erupted in Georgia last night over the government's decision to push back talks on the country's longstanding EU membership bid until 2028 - amid concerns it is edging closer to Vladimir Putin's Russia.

Police in riot gear used a water cannon, tear gas and pepper spray as they ordered crowds of protesters on the streets of Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, to disperse.

Pictures show masked protesters clashing with police and being dragged away, while some of the demonstrators tossed fireworks at officers shouting "Russians" and "Slaves!". Three police officers were injured, the country's interior ministry said.

Ukraine has also made sustained efforts towards EU membership, with Russia reportedly concerned about the defence implications of such a move.

Georgia, an ex-Soviet state, which has held aspirations to join the 27-member state bloc, has had a series of mass protests against what is seen as an increasingly pro-Russia government over the past year.

It has been a nation in turmoil since its parliamentary election last month. Read the full story below.