A Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet crashed on Wednesday during a frontline mission, Ukraine's air force announced. The aircraft was intercepting Russian airborne targets when it experienced a malfunction. The pilot ejected safely and was taken for medical treatment, with experts examining the crash site.
In Russia, Andrei Cherezov, the director and founder of a Russian drone manufacturer, was shot and wounded early on Wednesday in Tula, approximately 150km south of Moscow. Prosecutors described the incident as an “attempted murder.” Cherezov heads the Russian Air Transport Laboratory, known for developing the “Ovod” family of combat drones.
Ukrainian forces also reported hitting two of Russia’s largest oil refineries overnight on Tuesday: a Lukoil refinery in the Perm region and a refinery in Ryazan. These refineries reportedly have a combined annual production capacity of around 220 million barrels of oil. Additionally, a senior military official stated that Ukrainian units have struck 201 Russian vessels in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov over the past three weeks.
Meanwhile, Russia’s largest lender, Sberbank, is working to restructure loans and cover losses due to Ukrainian drone attacks on e-commerce companies. The Russian rouble weakened by 1.9% against the US dollar on Wednesday, reaching its lowest point since April 3.