Ukrainian drones struck an industrial facility in Novy Urengoy on Wednesday, igniting a fire deep inside Russia’s Arctic natural-gas heartland, according to Russian officials and the Associated Press. The city sits roughly 1,740 miles from Ukraine’s border in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, a region that accounts for about 80% of Russia’s natural gas extraction, according to Interfax data cited by the AP.
Regional Gov. Dmitry Artyukhov said Russian air defenses intercepted the attack but that falling drone debris sparked a fire at an industrial site he did not identify. He reported no casualties, and the full extent of the damage was still being assessed as of Wednesday, Reuters reported.
Ukrainian defense manufacturer Fire Point appeared to claim credit for the strike, posting online: “Guess who covered more than 3,300 km and successfully hit the target.” United24 described it as the deepest Ukrainian drone strike inside Russia since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
Artem Zhoga, Putin’s envoy to Russia’s Urals Federal District, said a Ukrainian drone had attempted to hit a fuel-and-energy facility in the Yamal region, according to Meduza.
The same day, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces also struck the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, hitting a naval base, an oil-loading terminal, military port facilities and warships capable of carrying cruise missiles, the AP reported. Russian authorities said four people, including a child, were killed and 29 wounded in that attack.
Trump Says Putin “Wanting to Make a Deal”
The strikes landed as Washington pushes to end a war that has now dragged on for more than four years, even as both sides escalate long-range attacks. Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday, President Donald Trump said he had just spoken with President Vladimir Putin.
“We had a great conversation. He is wanting to make a deal. And if Zelenskyy is wanting to make a deal, that would be very nice,” Trump said.
Asked what was holding up an agreement, Trump pointed to personal animosity between the two leaders, calling them “two people that hate each other,” while adding: “These are two people that are tired of fighting.”
Trump’s remarks came days after U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner traveled to Moscow and Kyiv seeking to revive negotiations. The talks produced no breakthrough, according to the AP. Russia resumed heavy missile and drone attacks on Kyiv shortly after the American delegation left Ukraine, killing five people and wounding 35 on Tuesday, Reuters reported.
A Familiar Pattern, a European Intelligence Source Says
A European intelligence source told Fox News Digital that the combination of diplomacy and escalating strikes reflects a longstanding dilemma for Western governments dealing with Moscow.
“You have to talk, you have to explain,” the source said, arguing that communication is necessary to prevent misunderstandings.
But the source said Russian officials often read Western outreach in a different light.
“Whenever you talk with them, they consider that this is a Western weakness,” the source said, adding that the assessment was based partly on informal contacts with Russian officials.
The source also said Putin’s recent emphasis on Russian “military progress in Ukraine” appeared aimed in part at Washington, meant to project strength as U.S. officials work to restart talks.
The Civilian Toll Keeps Rising
Russia continued its own long-range campaign against Ukraine on Wednesday. Russian drones struck the Starokozache border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova, killing two civilians and wounding three, while a separate wave of attacks on Kyiv killed one person and wounded 14, Reuters reported.
The United Nations said last month that Russian attacks killed or wounded more Ukrainian civilians in July than in any month since March 2022, with 437 killed and more than 2,600 wounded. More than 16,800 Ukrainian civilians have been killed and over 51,000 wounded since the invasion began in February 2022, according to the U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine. Moscow has repeatedly denied deliberately targeting civilians, saying its strikes hit military and military-related sites.
