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Russia hits an oil depot belonging to the Azerbaijani company SOCAR in Ukraine

belonging to the Azerbaijani oil company SOCAR in Ukraine’s Odesa Oblast. The strike caused a fire and damaged a diesel pipeline.

The fire was quickly contained, but four SOCAR employees sustained serious injuries and received emergency medical care. Damage assessments are ongoing, and urgent repairs are underway.

While official investigation results have not yet been released, law enforcement officials noted that the precise locations of the drone strikes indicate that the SOCAR oil depot was the primary target.

This marks the second deliberate strike in recent weeks on critical Ukrainian infrastructure linked to Azerbaijan. Earlier, a gas distribution station near Orlivka—near the Romanian border—was also attacked. That station is a key segment of the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline, through which Azerbaijani gas is expected to flow into Ukraine.

With pro-Russian media repeatedly labeling Azerbaijani assets as "legitimate targets," law enforcement sources warn of a high risk of further attacks on SOCAR facilities in Ukraine.

Russian oil is now offered at a discount due to India's cuts in purchases over US tariffs

Chinese refineries are showing increased interest in purchasing Urals crude oil as Indian buyers pull back, signaling a shift in the global oil market. This development follows growing pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump on India to cut oil imports from Russia. In response to Trump’s announcement of doubled tariffs on all Indian imports, India’s state-owned refineries have halted purchases from Moscow and started seeking alternative suppliers. As a result, Urals crude volumes originally destined for India are now being offered at discounted prices, attracting attention from both state-owned and private Chinese refiners.

While China is already the largest buyer of Russian oil, local refineries typically prefer ESPO crude from eastern Russia due to proximity and lower transportation costs. Urals, shipped from western ports, is less common because of its distance and expense. Nevertheless, traders are now offering Urals at a premium of $1.5 per barrel over Brent – down from $2.5 last week – to stimulate interest. Chinese refineries, particularly in Shandong, are reportedly negotiating over these newly available cargoes. One such buyer, Shandong Yulong Petrochemical Co., made a rare purchase of Urals crude last month.

Despite the new availability, analysts remain cautious. Jianan Sun from Energy Aspects notes that while India is rapidly reducing spot purchases from Russia, China is unlikely to absorb all the excess supply. Urals is not a preferred grade for China’s state oil companies, and with the U.S. threatening new tariffs on Chinese goods, refiners are wary of increasing Russian oil imports. As trade tensions continue between Washington and Beijing, Chinese state companies are expected to remain cautious with their energy procurement strategies.

Reports about peace terms with Russia are false, according to Ukraine's anti-disinformation chief

Reports circulating in the media about supposed plans or agreements between Ukraine and Russia are false and do not reflect the actual situation, according to Andrii Kovalenko, head of the Centre for Countering Disinformation under Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council.

Kovalenko stated that these claims are fabricated and not based on any genuine developments. He emphasized that no media outlet has access to such plans because an entirely different process is taking place. He urged the public not to overreact to these misleading reports.