Ukraine-Russia war latest: Smoke spreads over 300km from Russian port on fire after deadly strike
Smoke spreads over 300km from Russian port on fire after deadly strikeOn The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondentsGet a weekly dispatch from our international correspondentsGet a weekly international news dispatchA large fire at an oil refinery in Russia's Black Sea port of Tuapse has sent thick plumes of smoke stretching hundreds of kilometres, according to satellite imagery, after the second deadly Ukrainian strike within days.Nasa Worldview images showed dark smoke from burning oil storage tanks spreading inland as far as the Stavropol region, some 300km away.The fire erupted following a series of Ukrainian strikes on the facility and surrounding oil infrastructure. Ukraine’s Security Service said it first targeted the Tuapse refinery and port infrastructure on 16 April, with a second strike on 20 April, which hit an oil terminal and caused a massive fire. The strikes led to one fatality, while another man was injured.According to Ukraine’s Centre for Countering Disinformation, the fire was still burning as of late on Tuesday.It comes as the EU was expected to reach a decision on unblocking a €90bn loan for Ukraine within 24 hours, after Volodymyr Zelensky said the Druzhba pipeline carrying Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia had been repaired.Zelensky earlier criticised the repeated visits made by Donald Trump’s envoys to Moscow to meet Vladimir Putin, saying it was “disrespectful” that they had not once travelled to Kyiv. EU sanctions Russian firms linked to propaganda and misinformationThe measures, announced on Tuesday by the European Council, target media platform Euromore and the Foundation for the Support and Protection of the Rights of Compatriots Living Abroad (Pravfond).The Council stated that Pravfond's "legal and analytical output is systematically used to reinforce key Kremlin disinformation points."Shweta Sharma22 April 2026 10:30Ukraine says some Russian missiles fly near Chernobyl, risking major accidentRussia has repeatedly launched drones and missiles on a flight path near the disused Chernobyl nuclear plant during attacks on Ukraine, elevating the risk of a major accident, Ukraine's top state prosecutor told Reuters.Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko detailed the previously unreported Russian military activity near Ukrainian nuclear sites in written remarks, as Ukraine prepares to mark Sunday's 40th anniversary of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.Apart from the decommissioned Chernobyl power station, Ukraine has four nuclear power plants, including Europe's largest, which lies in the southern Zaporizhzhia region and has been occupied by Russian forces since soon after Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.Both the Chernobyl site and western Ukraine's two-reactor Khmelnytskyi nuclear plant have been on the flight path of Russian hypersonic Kinzhal missiles since the invasion, Kravchenko said.Thirty-five Kinzhals have been detected at various distances within around 20 km (12 miles) of the Chernobyl facility or the Khmelnytskyi plant, he said. Of those, 18 passed within around 20 km of both sites on the same flight, he added."Such launches cannot be explained by any military considerations. It is evident that the flights over the nuclear facilities are carried out solely for the purpose of intimidation and terror," he said.The International Atomic Energy Agency watchdog said it frequently reported about military activity in the vicinity of nuclear power plants and attacks on electrical substations that are key to nuclear safety."IAEA Director General (Rafael) Grossi has repeatedly expressed deep concern about the risks and dangers of these military activities for nuclear safety and security," it said."The DG has also repeatedly called for maximum restraint near nuclear facilities to avoid the danger of a nuclear accident."Shweta Sharma22 April 2026 10:00Ukraine wants to name part of its nation ‘Donnyland’ to appease Trump and end war with Russia: reportUkrainian officials suggested renaming a section of the disputed Donbas region “Donnyland” to appeal to President Donald Trump’s ego and to get him “more on their side,” according to a report.The moniker was suggested in an “attempt to convince the Trump administration to push back more against Russia’s territorial demands,” and was first mentioned “partly in jest” by a Ukrainian translator, according to The New York Times, citing four people familiar with the negotiations.Donnyland, which is about 50 miles long and 40 miles wide, would appear to be a nod to the president’s fondness for putting his name on everything from federal buildings and skyscrapers to bank accounts and commemorative coins.Shweta Sharma22 April 2026 09:30Zelensky seeks summit with PutinUkraine asked Turkey to host a meeting between president Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin, its top diplomat said, as Kyiv seeks to reinvigorate stalled peace talks.Foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said Ukraine would be ready to consider any place other than Belarus or Russia for a meeting with Putin aimed at resolving the war.Sybiha did not say how Ankara had responded to the proposal, in comments at a meeting with reporters on Tuesday that were cleared for release on Wednesday.The Kremlin previously said it is willing to host Zelensky in Moscow, where the Ukrainian leader has said he will not go.James Reynolds22 April 2026 09:02Nato criticises Russian and Chinese nuclear arms policiesNato has criticised Russia and China over their nuclear policies, urging both to work with the US to improve stability and transparency ahead of a UN review of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.In a statement, Nato’s 32 members underlined their "strong commitment to the full implementation" of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), a cornerstone of global arms control since it entered into force in 1970.The statement came ahead of a conference beginning next week at the United Nations in New York to review the operation of the treaty, against a backdrop of geopolitical instability including Russia's war against Ukraine and the US-Israeli war against Iran."Russia has violated crucial arms control commitments and employed irresponsibly threatening nuclear rhetoric. China continues to rapidly expand and diversify its nuclear arsenal without transparency," said the statement from Nato’s North Atlantic Council.Nato members "strongly encourage the United States' pursuit of multilateral strategic stability," it said."Today, we face a Russia that has dropped out of all the important arms control agreements, that has been... developing all sorts of... nuclear delivery systems, and that is engaged in the largest war in Europe since 1945," Nato assistant secretary General Boris Ruge said.China has dismissed Western criticism that its buildup of nuclear arms lacks transparency.Shweta Sharma22 April 2026 08:51In pictures: Russia's Tuapse refinery after attackA massive fire at an oil refinery in Russia’s Tuapse has sent thick plumes of smoke drifting hundreds of kilometres.Satellite imagery from NASA Worldview showed dark smoke from burning oil storage tanks spreading inland as far as the Stavropol region, some 300km away.At least one person was killed, and another was injured after the second Ukrainian strike within four days that hit an oil terminal in the same area.Visuals indicate extensive smoke from burning oil storage tanks, while Nasa's FIRMS (Fire Information for Resource Management System) project continues to detect active hotspots, suggesting the blaze remains uncontrolled, reported RBC Ukraine.A satellite image shows the oil spill at the Black Sea in Tuapse (Reuters)A satellite image of smoke rising after, according to Ukraine's military, an overnight strike on an oil refinery hit reservoir tank storage and started a fire in Tuapse (Reuters)File: Fire and smoke rise at the Tuapse oil refinery near the Tuapse port, following a Ukrainian drone attack, according to Russian officials, in Tuapse, Krasnodar Krai, Russia, in this screengrab obtained from a social media video released on April 20, 2026 (Reuters)Shweta Sharma22 April 2026 08:31Two people killed in Russia's Syzran after Ukrainian drone attack collapses building, officials sayTwo people were killed after part of an apartment building collapsed in the Russian city of Syzran after a Ukrainian drone attack, local emergency services said on Wednesday.The RIA Novosti state news agency, citing local emergency services, said earlier that 12 people had been injured.\(Reuters)Shweta Sharma22 April 2026 08:06EU imposes sanctions on two Russian entities it says are linked to disinformationThe European Council has imposed sanctions on two Russian entities that it said on Tuesday were linked to propaganda and disinformation from Moscow.The sanctions were placed on media platform Euromore and the Foundation for the Support and Protection of the Rights of Compatriots Living Abroad (Pravfond), which the Council said in a statement makes "legal and analytical output (that) is systematically used to reinforce key Kremlin disinformation points."Russian officials say the EU has repeatedly curbed freedom of expression by banning media which dare to challenge the EU's own perceptions of the world. Moscow denies that it spreads disinformation and says EU leaders are intentionally exaggerating the threat from Russia for their own political ends.Euromore and Pravfond did not immediately respond to requests for comment.The designation subjects the entities to an asset freeze and bars EU citizens and companies from making funds, financial assets or economic resources available to them.The EU has imposed sanctions on 69 people and 19 entities over Russian activities that it says "undermine the fundamental values of the EU and its member states, their security, stability, independence and integrity." Shweta Sharma22 April 2026 07:30Smoke from Tuapse refinery fire billows hundreds of kilometres after strikesA massive fire at an oil refinery in Russia’s Tuapse has sent thick plumes of smoke drifting hundreds of kilometres.Satellite imagery from NASA Worldview showed dark smoke from burning oil storage tanks spreading inland as far as the Stavropol region, some 300km away. Visuals indicate extensive smoke from burning oil storage tanks, while Nasa's FIRMS (Fire Information for Resource Management System) project continues to detect active hotspots, suggesting the blaze remains uncontrolled, reported RBC Ukraine. A satellite image of smoke rising after, according to Ukraine's military, an overnight strike on an oil refinery hit reservoir tank storage and started a fire in Tuapse (Reuters)Authorities in the Krasnodar region say firefighting efforts are still underway.At least one person was killed, and another was injured after the second Ukrainian strike within four days that hit an oil terminal in the same area.The first attack took place on 16 April and second followed on 20 April.It's not the first time the port has been targeted. As many as two people were killed in a previous drone attack on Tuapse last week.Shweta Sharma22 April 2026 06:38EU decision on €90bn loan to Ukraine could come within 24 hours EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said a decision on a crucial loan for Ukraine could come within 24 hours after the repair of a key pipeline was completed. Ukraine needs around $52bn in external funding this year and could begin running short of money by June without fresh support. EU Economy Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said funding needs for 2026 are already secured, with the first tranche of the loan likely by late May or early June.Volodymyr Zelensky called on the EU to unblock a €90bn loan after he said the Druzhba pipeline carrying Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia has been repaired.The damaged pipeline has become a politically charged issue after Hungary's Viktor Orban refused to allow the EU loan to proceed until oil flows were restored. Election winner Peter Magyar has also called for flows to resume once the pipeline is operational. Shweta Sharma22 April 2026 06:00
