Ukrainian Drone Strikes Hit Russian Gas Plant, Trump Suggests Territorial Concessions

Ukrainian drones struck a major gas processing plant in southern Russia today, causing a fire and halting gas intake from Kazakhstan, while former U.S. President Donald Trump indicated Kyiv may need to cede territory to achieve peace with Moscow.

The Orenburg plant, operated by Gazprom and located near the Kazakh border, is a key facility with an annual capacity of 45 billion cubic meters. Regional Governor Yevgeny Solntsev reported a workshop fire and damage, and Kazakhstan’s Energy Ministry confirmed the plant is temporarily unable to process gas from Kazakhstan due to the attack. Ukraine’s General Staff stated a “large-scale fire” erupted, damaging a gas processing and purification unit, as Kyiv continues to target Russian energy infrastructure it claims funds the war effort. Disruptions to gas processing could impact energy supplies in the region.

Trump, in a Fox News interview conducted Thursday and aired today, suggested Russia has already “won certain property” and that Ukraine might have to relinquish land for a peace deal. “He’s going to take something,” Trump said, adding the U.S. shouldn’t deplete its own weapons stocks aiding Ukraine. He remained noncommittal about providing requested Tomahawk missiles, expressing concern about U.S. readiness, despite previously signaling greater openness to helping Ukraine win. For more on the geopolitical implications of the conflict, see analysis from the Council on Foreign Relations.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian prosecutors allege Russia is modifying aerial bombs to strike deeper into Ukraine, with a new rocket-powered bomb, the UMPB-5R, reportedly used in an attack on Lozava. Russian strikes also injured at least 11 people in the Dnipropetrovsk region and hit a coal mine, though no injuries were reported among the miners. Ukraine’s General Staff also claimed a drone strike damaged the Novokuibyshevsk oil refinery in the Samara region. Russia’s Defense Ministry reported downing 45 Ukrainian drones overnight. The escalating attacks highlight the ongoing intensity of the conflict and the increasing risk to civilian infrastructure, as detailed by the United Nations.

Officials say the situation remains fluid, and further assessments of the damage to the Orenburg plant are underway.