Ukraine Strikes Siberia Refinery; Kazakh Leader Tells Putin War Must End

Ukrainian drones targeted a Siberian oil refinery and disrupted a Urals athletics competition on Saturday, July 25, amidst escalating cross-border attacks. In occupied Ukraine, Russian-installed authorities reported that a Ukrainian strike on a seaside "tourist camp" killed 12 people, with additional casualties in a Moscow-held town and Russian border villages. Kyiv, in turn, stated that Russian attacks killed five people in eastern and southern Ukraine.

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It is a shame, young people are dying... All this has to be stopped

The heightened civilian toll comes as the UN has expressed concern over a recent increase in civilian deaths during the nearly 4.5-year conflict. Peace talks, led by the U.S., have stalled, and Russia maintains its intention to capture the remainder of eastern Ukraine.

Kyiv has intensified its retaliatory strikes, which it claims are aimed at undermining Moscow's war effort and compelling negotiations. Russia's athletics federation confirmed that an all-Russian competition in Yekaterinburg was halted due to drone threats. The governor of Siberia's Tyumen region reported that a local oil refinery was set ablaze.

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All this has to be stopped

During a Russia-Kazakhstan summit in Omsk, Siberia, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev directly addressed Russian President Vladimir Putin, urging an end to the war. "It is a shame, young people are dying... All this has to be stopped," Tokayev stated, suggesting the conflict should be "frozen" and advocating for a return to previous Istanbul talks to achieve "a long-awaited peace."

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frozen

Tokayev, an ally of Moscow but one who has not condoned the offensive, described the war's origins as "not understandable." Putin responded by saying he would provide Tokayev with "details" of the war. The Russian leader has consistently affirmed Moscow's objective to seize the rest of eastern Ukraine by force.

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not understandable