KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asserted on Sunday that Russia is solely responsible for the ongoing war in Ukraine. He emphasized his commitment to continuing strikes on Russian oil refineries despite criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump, who accused Zelenskyy of exacerbating high diesel prices and suggested he should be replaced.
The exchange between the two leaders occurred as Ukraine intensified its campaign against critical infrastructure in Russia, with a drone attack on Sunday targeting a data center managed by Yandex, a major Russian technology company. This strike marked the third assault on the company's facilities in just four days, further illustrating the long-range aerial conflict between the two nations. As ground forces remain largely in a stalemate, the aerial assaults continue over four and a half years after Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Zelenskyy noted on X (formerly Twitter) that Ukraine could cease strikes on Russian oil refineries if Russia would halt its attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. He remarked, “It is possible to stop strikes on energy infrastructure as early as today, but (Russian President Vladimir) Putin does not want to do so,” emphasizing that any de-escalation should be reciprocal and underpinned by genuine guarantees.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha reacted to Trump's assertions, stating on X that Zelenskyy is effectively leading the country in its fight for independence. Sybiha defended Zelenskyy by highlighting the support he receives from the Ukrainian populace, asserting that foreign commentary only reinforces that he is performing his duties effectively.
Trump's comments on Saturday called for Ukraine to appoint a new president, arguing that Zelenskyy has not done enough to shorten the conflict and blaming him for rising diesel prices in the United States. “I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal because he could have made many deals and for some reason he never does,” Trump stated.
The U.S. president recently reached an agreement to procure diesel from Russia, aiming to mitigate high fuel prices ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. Trump has repeatedly urged Zelenskyy to cease attacks on Russian energy infrastructure and has sought to attribute the high U.S. diesel prices to Ukraine's actions, rather than the war in Iran, which has increased global energy prices. This diesel deal drew criticism from Ukrainian and European officials, who believe it could bolster Russia's war efforts.
In the latest drone attack on the Yandex data center located in the city of Vladimir, east of Moscow, operations were completely halted, causing significant outages across the company's services. Users in numerous Russian cities, as well as in Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Armenia, encountered difficulties in accessing taxis and banking services, reported the independent Russian news outlet Astra.
The damage from the drone strike compelled Yandex to announce that their data center operations had been entirely suspended, though no injuries were reported, according to updates shared via their Telegram channel. Residents in Moscow reported widespread disruptions, with one Yandex Taxi driver, Pavel Belyavskiy, expressing frustration over unable to receive ride orders, citing an inability to reach passengers. Another resident, Eduard Malyavko, emphasized the broader implications of the outages on both work and healthcare services, noting the gravity of the situation extend beyond mere convenience.
This drone strike on Yandex’s facilities followed two earlier attacks in the Ryazan and Kaluga regions, further illustrating a pattern of escalating strikes on significant Russian infrastructure.
In separate news, Zelenskyy confirmed that search and rescue operations had concluded in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia after a Russian bombing on Saturday, which claimed the lives of 23 people, including four children, and left over 30 individuals injured, eight of whom are currently hospitalized. Additionally, a report indicated that a Ukrainian drone strike in Russia's Bryansk border region resulted in one death and two injuries.
