War intensifies as Ukraine targets Russian infrastructure amid stalled peace talks

Fighting in the Russia–Ukraine war has intensified sharply, with both sides launching significant strikes far beyond the front lines as the conflict enters its 1,549th day.

Ukraine has stepped up its campaign against Russian energy infrastructure, targeting facilities deep inside Russian territory. President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian forces had struck the Yaroslavl oil refinery, around 700 kilometres from the border, describing the operation as part of a broader effort to “bring the war back home to Russia”.

According to Ukraine’s defence ministry, 11 Russian oil facilities have been hit so far in May, including the large Kirishi refinery. Repeated attacks have forced many major refineries in central Russia to halt or scale back production, indicating a sustained attempt to disrupt Moscow’s revenue streams and its ability to finance the war.

Deadly incidents and disputed claims

At the same time, new allegations of civilian casualties have emerged, underlining the human toll of the conflict.

Russian officials say at least four people were killed and 35 children wounded in a Ukrainian drone attack on a student dormitory in the Russian-controlled Luhansk region. Yana Lantratova, Russia’s Human Rights Commissioner, said 86 teenagers aged between 14 and 18 were inside the building at the time.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the strike as a “monstrous crime”, while local authorities said rescuers were continuing to search for survivors. However, the incident has not been independently verified, and Ukraine has not commented.

Both sides have consistently denied deliberately targeting civilians, despite repeated incidents involving residential buildings and other non-military sites.

Humanitarian concerns deepen

In Ukraine, a Russian missile strike on the city of Dnipro has destroyed a warehouse belonging to the United Nations refugee agency, killing two people and wiping out around one million dollars’ worth of aid.

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Bernadette Castel-Hollingworth, the UNHCR representative in Kyiv, said the warehouse contained essential supplies such as shelter materials and hygiene kits intended for displaced people near the front lines. She described the attack as significant, noting it was the first time one of the agency’s facilities had been hit.

The UN also reported a wider pattern of attacks on humanitarian operations, including drone strikes on clearly marked aid convoys in the Dnipropetrovsk and Kherson regions.

Territorial claims amid ongoing fighting

On the battlefield, Russia says its forces have captured the settlement of Verkhnia Tersa in the Zaporizhzhia region. The claim has not been independently confirmed.

Fighting remains concentrated in eastern and southern Ukraine, including in regions Moscow claimed to annex in 2022, a move Kyiv continues to reject as illegal.

Diplomatic efforts are losing momentum

Efforts to reach a negotiated settlement appear to be faltering. Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, said US-brokered talks with Russia were “gradually reaching the point of exhaustion”, with discussions becoming repetitive and yielding little progress.

He suggested that greater European involvement or talks at the level of national leaders could help revive the process.

A war widening in scope

Taken together, the latest developments point to a conflict that is continuing to expand in scale and complexity.

Ukraine’s deep strikes on Russian infrastructure mark a strategic shift towards economic warfare, while Russia’s continued missile attacks and battlefield advances underline the persistence of military pressure.

With civilian casualties rising, humanitarian efforts under strain and diplomatic pathways narrowing, there is little indication that the conflict is approaching a resolution.

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