Russia burns as Zelensky defies Trump’s orders with huge explosion at oil depot.TA
US President Donald Trump insisted that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to stop striking each other’s energy infrastructure.
Reported explosion at a Russian oil depot (Image: X)
Ukraine has reportedly struck an oil depot in Russia despite warnings from US President Donald Trump.
More than 500 drones are believed to have been launched at Vladimir Putin’s Russia overnight and video footage showed the aftermath of what appeared to be a devastating strike. The attack marks the first Ukrainian strike on energy infrastructure since Trump declared an “energy ceasefire” just days earlier.
Earlier this week, Trump insisted that Russia and Ukraine agreed to stop striking each other’s energy infrastructure.
The US also threatened to cut intelligence and freeze the PURL weapons mechanism if Kyiv were to resume energy strikes.
Kyiv responded with: “We will burn Russian refineries.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian forces had struck at least six Ukrainian energy facilities since the US president declared the truce on Sunday. Energy infrastructure has been a repeat target by both countries.
Ukraine has increasingly targeted Russian oil refineries and logistics with long-range strikes in response to Russian attacks since the war started more than four-and-a-half years ago. Russia has repeatedly tried to knock out Ukraine’s power and heat in successive winters.
On Tuesday, the UK’s foreign affairs ministry said Zelensky would arrive in the UK during the morning and UK called on international partners to step up sanctions on Russia and increase pressure on Putin to respect the US calls for an energy ceasefire.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said, ahead of his meeting with Zelensky, “Our rock-solid support to Ukraine is vital for keeping us safe here in the UK and ensuring those on the frontlines have the equipment they need to push back Russia.
“My message to the Ukrainian people could not be clearer, we are with you for as long as it takes, and we will go further and faster in our support to back your courageous fight for peace in Europe.
“It is not just the right thing to do, but it’s the necessary thing to do. Russia’s aggression cannot be allowed to succeed on our continent.”
New driveway rule and ban under Andy Burnham this October
Andy Burnham has already overseen driveway rule changes this October, and more motoring updates are on their way.
Andy Burnham is overseeing new changes for EV owners (Image: Getty)
Andy Burnham will oversee two major motoring rule changes this October as part of drastic changes for electric car owners, although some road users will be banned from making savings. The Prime Minister has altered VAT rates on domestic electricity bills, slashing fees from 5% to 0% in a move that experts suggest could save EV owners with a driveway up to £40 per year. Labour’s updates don’t stop there, with new cross-pavement solution rules set to come into effect from October 21 in a boost for those without a driveway or off-street parking space.
Under the changes, Labour will allow homeowners and renters to install cable solutions, such as pavement gullies, to connect an EV charger from their house to their car. This previously required traditional planning permission, but the new updates will mean motorists won’t need this to take advantage of the savings.
This will ensure those without access to a driveway can still charge at the discounted 0% domestic rates, rather than the more expensive 20% VAT charged on public charging plugs. However, one set of road users will not be allowed to take advantage of the new cross-pavement solution due to a late legislative change.
The Government has decided that those living in conservation areas will not be allowed to make changes and will still require full planning permission. It is understood there are around 10,000 conservation areas around England alone, with the new rule set to affect as many as 3.5million people who don’t have a driveway.
A Government spokesperson told The Times: “We want to support households without off-street parking to access domestic electric vehicle charging, but it’s vital that we continue to protect the special character of our conservation areas.
“People in conservation areas without off-street parking can still apply for planning permission to install a cross-pavement solution. Local authorities also have powers to grant blanket permission for these installations in an entire area if they choose to.”
Labour is changing rules around EV charging (Image: Getty)
New cross-pavement solutions will see drivers install gullies under footpaths (Image: DfT)
Despite the changes, local highway authorities will still need to approve a cross-parking cable installation. This should take just a couple of weeks compared to several months under the previous planning permission requirement. Daniel Briggs, CEO at frontline worker car discount company Motorfinity, has warned this still risked a “postcode lottery”.
There is concern that some councils are likely to be quicker than others at approving works which could leave some EV owners plugging in at expensive public chargers for longer than they need.
He said: “Scrapping planning red tape is an overdue win for fair access to EV charging, making it easier for those wanting to make the switch from petrol to EV. That said, the bottleneck hasn’t entirely vanished. The decision has shifted parking planning permission approval to local highway authorities, which could create a postcode lottery of enforcement.”
