'Putin and his family might "jump" out of a window'

As Ukraine's long-range strikes spark more petrol shortages and chaos, Vladimir Putin and his family might 'jump' out of a window, according to a senior Estonian minister.Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna made the comment in an interview with the RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND) on the topic of Russia's faltering performance in the war with Ukraine.'Even among the oligarchs, more and more are doubting Putin's war,' Tsahkna said.'Many who spoke of victory a year ago no longer believe it,' he added.It comes as Ukraine is striking Russian energy infrastructure at an unprecedented rate, with Volodymyr Zelensky's intensified drone campaign triggering Moscow's worst fuel crisis in decades.More than half of Russia's regions have been forced to impose strict limits on fuel sales, with disgruntled residents queueing for hours and getting into dramatic brawls at petrol stations.'Putin could change his goals and enter into serious negotiations – if he acts rationally,' Tsahkna said.'It's just as possible that one day he'll jump out of a window with his family. After all, things like that happen in Russia,' he added. Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the Security Council via videoconference at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, July 10 Since the beginning of 2026, Russia's refineries have been hit at least 194 times, an 11-fold increase from the same period the previous year, according to data from Rochan Consulting, a Polish analytical group monitoring the war As Kyiv tightens the noose on oil supplies by targeting Russia's refineries and tankers, new filling station fights are eruptingSince the beginning of 2026, Russia's refineries have been hit at least 194 times, an 11-fold increase from the same period the previous year, according to data from Rochan Consulting, a Polish analytical group monitoring the war. In June, Kyiv hit Moscow's sole oil refinery several times, sparking huge blazes that sent clouds of smoke billowing over the capital.The intensification of Kyiv’s aerial campaign comes as Zelensky announced that his forces would make a concerted push this summer to try to compel the Kremlin dictator to end his years-long war of aggression.The Ukrainian leader said his military was carrying out 'a 40-day influence operation' with its long-range strike units to try and force Putin to the negotiating table.'By now, every Russian feels that this war isn't happening somewhere far away, but has reached their own country,' Tsahkna said.On the efforts of the US president to broker peace, the minister said 'Putin primarily wasted Trump's time', adding that 'the talks have effectively failed'.About whether Russia would consider an imminent attack on Poland or the Baltic states, Tsahkna dismissed the idea. 'I consider a large-scale invasion in the coming weeks to be out of the question. Russia lacks the resources for that,' he said. Nevertheless, Tsahkna issued a clear warning: 'Russia remains a dangerous country, and provocations are always possible.' Thick plumes of smoke with flames rise from an oil refinery following a Ukrainian drone attack in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict, in Moscow, Russia, June 18 Ukrainian drones have set the Mikhailovskaya oil depot ablaze in the southern Russian region of Stavropol Ukraine claimed to have attacked 14 tankers of Russia's shadow fleet on July 12 The major Mikhailovskaya oil depot in Stavropol was ignited in a fireball followed by towering flames, further denuding Russian suppliesAs Kyiv tightens the noose on oil supplies by targeting Russia's refineries and tankers, new filling station fights are erupting.Multiple drivers joined a brawl in Penza amid accusations of motorists jumping the queue.In Moscow, a woman driver was in tears as she claimed a knife-wielding man had slashed her tyres, accusing him of leapfrogging her in the line.In fear inside her car, she asked him: 'Are you an idiot or something? What are you doing?'She said: 'This guy just ran out, threatened me with a knife, and slashed my tyres because he thought I was cutting in front of him at the petrol station.'Tension is exploding over chronic and worsening shortages of petrol and diesel due to precision Ukrainian strikes on key oil facilities which are now causing serious harm to the economy.On Monday, 15 more ships - mainly shadow fleet tankers breaking Western sanctions - were hit by kamikaze drones in the Sea of Azov.This takes the toll to more than 100 in the past eight days, and further strangles supplies to annexed tourist region Crimea.Images show tankers being hit and in flames amid a total failure of Russian air defences.Overnight drones also struck the Kavkaz oil and passenger port linking Russia to the Black Sea peninsula.Ukraine has vowed to stop the strikes if Putin halts his debilitating war - but he refuses to do so, at an increasing cost to Russians.In a spectacular new strike Monday, the major Mikhailovskaya oil depot in Stavropol was ignited in a fireball followed by towering flames, further denuding Russian supplies.Dozens of key refineries and oil storage sites have been put out of action.Russian sources also said that 350 Ukrainian drones were flying towards Moscow.Air defences downed many of the incoming unmanned planes but debris from one crashed into residential building in Pionersky, Moscow region, killing three and injuring others.Russian rage over the strikes on oil supplies spilled over onto pro-Putin’s propaganda TV shows.Leading Kremlin trumpeter Vladimir Solovyov demanded harsh revenge strikes on Ukraine.'They're attacking our ships in the Sea of Azov, and they're telling NATO countries we don't care, we'll attack in the Mediterranean too,' he ranted.'Why aren't we destroying every ship heading to and from [Ukraine]?'Not just the ports, but any shipping connected to Ukraine should be destroyed, and we don't care what flag they're flying...'And what's more, we have submarines….What's stopping us from using submarines to destroy ships heading for Ukrainian ports?'Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said that it had foiled a series ‌of attempted large-scale Ukrainian drone attacks against two military air bases deep ​inside Russia, state news agency ​TASS reported. TASS cited the FSB as ⁠saying in a statement that Ukrainian ​secret services had attempted to strike ​the Shagol and Ukrainka air bases, in Russia's Ural mountains and its far east, ​respectively, and that the perpetrators ​of the attacks had been detained.It said ‌that ⁠Ukraine had used balloons and drones to deliver containers full of drones into Russia's Bryansk region, which were ​then ​to be ⁠transported to the two targets.The foiled operation appeared to ​resemble a 2025 attack ​on ⁠Russian military air bases, including the Ukrainka base, which destroyed around 10 ⁠Russian ​aircraft, according to the ​United States.