Russian strikes cut power to thousands in Ukraine as Kherson truce nears its end

▲ Escalating

Kherson truce nears its end as Russian strikes cut power and Ukraine hits refineries

On Sunday, Russian strikes left thousands of people in Ukraine without electricity, and the localised Kherson ceasefire, described as the longest truce of the war, was due to expire that evening without being extended. Russian state media say Ukrainian drones set fire to the Kstovo refinery in Nizhny Novgorod region after a major strike on a Rosneft refinery in Samara region. The Kremlin says Kyiv is ignoring US wishes. The truce had allowed civilians to be evacuated from Russian-occupied Oleshky.

• Evacuees from Oleshky reached Belarus on Saturday on their way to Ukraine, under what is described as the most significant truce since the full-scale invasion began.
• Russian authorities said on Friday they intercepted more than 1,000 Ukrainian drones overnight, and a refinery was struck. Russia also said it struck energy infrastructure in and around Kyiv.
• Erdogan hosted Zelenskyy in Istanbul on Saturday and urged both sides to stop Black Sea attacks. The two agreed to work on a new Black Sea grain corridor.
• The US approved the sale of 500 Patriot interceptor missiles to Ukraine.