Smoke rises above the Perm oil pumping station, east of Moscow, Russia, after Ukrainian drone strikes, April 29, 2026

Wednesday’s Coverage: Frustrated With Trump, US Ambassador to Kyiv Resigns

UPDATE 0915 GMT:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has responded to Vladimir Putin’s proposal, in a call with Donald Trump, of a ceasefire for Russia’s Victory Day on May 9.

UPDATE 0757 GMT:

A Russian tanker is adrift in the eastern Black Sea after it was struck by the Ukrainian Navy.

Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk said, “The vessel did not sink; it most likely lost propulsion. We need to wait until it appears in one of the ports. There has been no information about casualties.”

UPDATE 0738 GMT:

A Russian shipment of grain stolen from Ukraine will not be unloaded in Israel, says an Israeli official.

On Monday, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry summoned the Israeli Ambassador over the grain, taken from occupied territory. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha posted:

It is difficult to understand Israel’s lack of appropriate response to Ukraine’s legitimate request regarding the previous vessel that delivered stolen goods to Haifa.

Now that another such vessel has arrived in Haifa, we once again warn Israel against accepting the stolen grain and harming our relations.

See Ukraine War, Day 1,525: Russia Ships Stolen Ukrainian Grain to Israel

The Israeli official said the decision to reject the wheat and barley aboard the Panama-flagged Panormitis was made by the Israeli importer, not by government officials.

UPDATE 0728 GMT:

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin spoke by phone for more than 90 minutes on Wednesday about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the US-Israel War on Iran.

No details were given about Ukraine, amid suspended talks between Kyiv, Moscow, and the Trump camp.

Trump insisted that Ukrainians are near defeat and that Putin is “close to a deal”, as the Kremlin maintains its demands for seizure of more territory with the rest of Ukraine remaining weak and without effective security guarantees.

Putin’s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov said the Russian leader proposed a ceasefire on Victory Day, celebrated by Russia on May 9, Trump backed the suggested, Ushakov claimed.

Defying the stalemate on the frontlines, Putin maintained that Russian forces retained the initiative and were pushing back Ukrainian positions.

Ushakov added, “The Americans very well could, so to say, put pressure on and influence Kyiv.”

UPDATE 0645 GMT:

At least 18 civilians have been injured by overnight Russian drone attacks on Odesa city in southern Ukraine.

Two victims remain in intensive care in serious condition.

A high-rise apartment building and a five-story residential building were damaged in the Prymorskyi district. Homes, a kindergarten, a shopping center, a hotel, infrastructure facilities, warehouses, administrative buildings, and cars were also hit.

More than 280 emergency workers and 68 pieces of equipment were deployed to deal with the destruction and fires.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Ukraine’s drones have struck a key Russian oil facility for the second day in a row.

The Ukrainians set at least two fuel storage tanks afire overnight at the Perm oil pumping station, east of Moscow near the Ural Mountains.

Russian channels on Telegram confirmed the strikes at the facility, owned by Transneft.

A day earlier, Ukrainian special forces carried out a long-range drone attack. A massive fire engulfed almost all of the storage tanks.

Each tank at the station can hold up to 50,000 cubic meters of oil, around 314,000 barrels.

The Perm station is a major oil transit hub used for receiving, storing, and pumping crude through Russia’s main pipeline network.

Ukrainian drones also struck the Sverdlov explosives plant ovenright in the Nizhny Novgorod region, around 770 km (475 miles) from Ukraine’s northeastern border with Russia.