live Hormuz traffic slows as uncertainty over waterway persists
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed, according to the latest data, as uncertainty over the waterway’s reopening kept most s...
Ukraine’s military said on Monday it struck an oil refinery in Russia’s Saratov region overnight, causing a fire at one of the refining units, and separately targeted Russian logistical sites in the occupied Luhansk region.
According to local press, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed the refinery strike, saying it hit the ELOU AVT-6 processing complex and caused a large fire. The refinery, one of the oldest in Russia, processes around 4.8 million tonnes of crude oil each year and supports the Russian military, reports said.
Video footage analysed by ASTRA OSINT and cited by United24 appeared to show explosions and flames near the refinery’s western storage tanks. Residents in Saratov said they heard several loud blasts, according to local sources.
Ukraine said its forces also struck Russian military logistics in occupied Luhansk, targeting a warehouse in Rozkishne and fuel storage rail cars in Dovzhansk.
The latest attacks come a day after a Ukrainian drone strike set fire to Russia’s Tuapse oil terminal on the Black Sea, damaging a tanker and port infrastructure.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defence Ministry said it had carried out a “large-scale overnight strike” on what it described as Ukrainian military-industrial sites, gas facilities, a military airfield and an equipment repair base.
State agencies RIA and Interfax reported that Russian troops had ejected Ukrainian forces from four fortified positions in the Kupiansk area and entered the Prigorodny district of Pokrovsk, where they had “dug in” and were “continuing to destroy surrounded Ukrainian formations near the station and industrial zone.”
Ukraine has stepped up long-range strikes on Russian refineries and depots in recent months, while Russia continues missile and drone attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid and defence infrastructure.
U.S. President Donald Trump says Washington is not seeking an extension of its memorandum of understanding with Iran, claiming the U.S. already controls the Strait of Hormuz through its naval blockade.
Iran has said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the U.S. fulfils the terms of an interim deal, including lifting the maritime blockade and sanctions and releasing Iran’s frozen assets.
Ukraine has targeted at least 20 Wildberries warehouses across Russia since 18 July, disrupting a major logistics network. Kyiv says the strikes aim to disrupt alleged military-linked supplies, while the attacks have caused billions of dollars in losses and wider economic pressure.
Russia said its air defences downed 180 drones over the Moscow region overnight, with 620 drones reportedly targeting the area, according to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is facing growing pressure as his approval ratings fall and the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party gains support.
At least nine people were killed, including a child, in a fire at a hotel in India's eastern city of Kolkata on Wednesday, local police said.
France is set to expel two Iranian diplomats in response to what Paris has described as a “deliberate assault” on two French embassy staff in Tehran last month, escalating tensions between the two countries.
South Korea and the United States are scaling back their annual joint military exercises following an order from U.S. President Donald Trump to substantially reduce American participation.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 19th of August, covering the latest developments.
The United States is pushing to establish a formal deconfliction mechanism between Israel, Türkiye and Syria after Israeli airstrikes on a Syrian airbase raised concerns about the risk of a wider regional confrontation.
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