Ukraine Recap: Two die in Russia oil field blast

A blast in a northern Russia oil field killed two people and injured at least five others, the state news agency Tass reported Monday, citing authorities. 

The cause of the explosion was not immediately identified. It occurred at the Talinskoye oil field near Nyagan town in Khanty-Mansiysk region, the Moscow-based Izvestia newspaper reported, citing an unidentified source. The explosion also touched off a forest fire near the field.

Ukraine said a forced inspection by the Russian navy on a Turkish cargo vessel threatened shipping in the Black Sea. 

“These actions exemplified Russia’s deliberate policy of endangering the freedom of navigation and safety of commercial shipping in the Black Sea,” Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The Russian navy on Sunday opened fire on the dry-cargo vessel Sukru Okan, which was bound for the Ukrainian Danube port of Izmail, to force it to stop for checks. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy made an unannounced visit to troops near the Russian-occupied city of Soledar in Ukraine’s east, as officials in Kyiv cited some military gains in the south. Russia’s central bank meanwhile called an extraordinary meeting Tuesday after the ruble crashed through the level of 100 to the dollar for the first time since March of last year as Russia’s war in Ukraine drags on and international sanctions hit trade.