Zelensky says Ukraine will resume strikes on Russian oil refineries

Mixed · 2Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with the Financial Times, published on Thursday 15 October 2026, that Ukraine will resume strikes on Russian oil refineries. 1 2 Mixed · 2"The block (on attacking refineries) is out. We're done," he told the newspaper. 1 2 Mixed · 2Hours later, Ryazan governor Pavel Malkov said on Telegram that a massive Ukrainian drone attack had started a fire at an oil refinery in the region. Russia's defence ministry said Ukraine had attempted a large-scale attack on the refinery and that a fire broke out after drone debris fell on the site; it said air defences downed four Ukrainian Flamingo missiles and 69 drones, according to the Independent. Kyiv did not publicly comment at first, but a senior Ukrainian official, speaking anonymously, confirmed to the Independent that Ukraine had hit the Ryazan refinery. 3 4

Left · 1Meduza added that Malkov cancelled classes at 14 schools and 25 kindergartens in Ryazan because of the drone attack and said a warehouse and vehicles at another enterprise in the city were damaged; Russia's defence ministry said 69 drones and four Flamingo cruise missiles were used. 5 Right · 1The Washington Examiner said the Ryazan strike was the first since Trump declared the energy ceasefire on Sunday, and that Moscow never agreed to the deal; it described the ceasefire as "unilaterally declared" by Trump and the Starlink and intelligence restrictions as "allegedly" imposed by the US. 6 Centre · 1Deutsche Welle said Russia also reported Ukrainian attacks on an oil processing plant in Saratov, and that Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed Ukraine was "coming into serious conflict with the peace efforts of the United States and American negotiators". 7

Mixed · 2The pause followed an energy truce announced by US President Donald Trump. Reuters said Ukraine halted strikes on refineries and other energy infrastructure for two days, citing Zelensky's earlier post on X. Meduza said Ukraine had not struck Russian energy facilities for three days, at the request of the United States. 1 2 Left · 1Meduza reported that Trump said on 11 October that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to an energy truce, and that Zelensky soon said Ukrainian forces had "received all relevant orders". It said Russia's Defense Ministry then reported strikes on communications and energy infrastructure in Kyiv, and that Moscow's attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure killed more than 100 civilians over the past week. 2 Centre · 3Reuters reported that Zelensky said on Wednesday that Russian attacks had left 600,000 people without power; the BBC said the Kremlin never said it agreed to the truce, and Newsweek said Trump's announcement took both sides by surprise. 8 9 10

Mixed · 2Zelensky said that despite Ukraine's pause, its forces received no US early warnings of incoming Russian ballistic missiles, and that Starlink service had been slowed or restricted across the country. According to Reuters, he said this hampered frontline operations and medium-range strikes on Russian military sites. 1 2 Mixed · 2He said US officials had warned that intelligence sharing would be blocked if the energy strikes continued. According to Reuters, the failure was later presented to Kyiv as a technical glitch, which Zelensky rejected: "It was not a technical problem, it was the will." 2 1 Centre · 1Anadolu Agency reported that Zelensky said he had told Trump Ukraine would "destroy" Russia's ballistic missile launchers if Starlink opens on Russian territory, and called the Starlink decision "100% the decision of American side", saying he thought it was "about SpaceX" rather than the military. It added that Serhii Beskrestnov, a freelance adviser to Zelensky on defence technology, said Starlink speeds in Ukraine had been limited to 100 mph (161 kph) without warning, disrupting a number of missions. 11

Centre · 3The BBC said Elon Musk appeared to deny a technical fault, and Reuters said Musk posted that Starshield, the military version of Starlink, is owned and controlled by the US government, which decides on any speed limits; the BBC added that Trump denied halting intelligence-sharing. NBC News said Musk also wrote overnight that it was "time for Zelenskyy to go". 9 10 12 Mixed · 2Asked whether Ukraine could halt energy strikes to repair relations with Washington, Zelensky said he could agree only in exchange for more US-made Patriot interceptors, which he called the "minimum" acceptable. 1 2 Right · 1Reuters said Zelensky criticised Washington's eagerness to make business deals with Moscow and Trump's apparent admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin. It added that on Saturday Trump called for Ukraine to replace Zelensky and criticised Ukraine's attacks on Russian oil infrastructure, a day after announcing a diesel supply deal with Russia to ease fuel prices that have risen since the US-Israeli war with Iran began in February. 1

Centre · 2The BBC reported that Zelensky called the deal to release 300,000 tonnes of Russian diesel to the US and global market effectively an investment in Russia's war effort, and said "Definitely it will be gas" when asked about the next deal; it said Trump is seeking lower fuel prices before the midterm elections. Asked by Piers Morgan on Wednesday night whether he felt betrayed by Trump, Zelensky answered "yes", according to Newsweek and the BBC. 9 8 Mixed · 2The BBC said Ukraine has faced a Patriot interceptor shortage since the Iran war consumed stockpiles, and NBC News said Zelensky told the FT that fighting without the US would be "very difficult". 9 12 Left · 1Meduza, citing Axios, reported that Trump is counting on Zelensky to observe the energy truce, and that a White House source said: "Trump is really mad. He feels Zelensky is taking the U.S. for granted." 2

Left · 1Al Jazeera said Trump has denied that the US stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine, and described the energy ceasefire as one Trump announced unilaterally and that was not publicly confirmed; it also reported Musk wrote "Time for Zelensky to go". 13 Left · 1Al Jazeera put the Ryazan refinery about 180 kilometres (110 miles) south of Moscow, said the US had cited a deal to buy 1.8 million tonnes of Russian diesel as a way to ease fuel prices, and said Zelensky was due to meet European leaders in Brussels on Thursday to press for tougher sanctions; the EU has pledged $50 billion for Ukraine next year against the $175 billion Kyiv plans to spend on defence. 13 Left · 1CBC, carrying Reuters reporting, said the Ryazan refinery is owned by Rosneft, accounts for almost five per cent of Russia's refining throughput and has been hit by drones several times in recent months. 14

Left · 1Ukraine's air force said 580 Russian drones attacked overnight, 536 of them shot down; the governor of Kirovohrad region said more than 360 drones hit it in the largest Russian attack on that region of the war, killing three and wounding six, and Naftogaz said a gas-extraction facility in Poltava region was hit. 14 Left · 1ABC News (Australia) said Trump's public comments have focused mainly on Ukraine's refinery attacks, that he said at the weekend the strikes "damn well better stop", and that he first angered Kyiv by lifting sanctions on Russian diesel before calling for Zelensky's replacement; it described the dispute as the biggest rift between Kyiv and Washington since the February 2022 invasion. 15 Mixed · 2The New York Post framed the move as Zelensky "openly" defying Trump's "ban" on refinery strikes, saying Ukraine had complied with the ceasefire for three days while Moscow launched more than 100 attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure over the past week, according to Zelensky; the Kremlin said Ukraine's targeting of Russian energy ran counter to US peace efforts and that the scope of the energy ceasefire had never been determined. 16 15

Right · 1Just the News, citing NBC News and an unnamed Ukrainian defence ministry source, said Starlink functionality, which Ukrainian officials said SpaceX had interrupted, had been restored as of Thursday. 17 Mixed · 2Deutsche Welle said Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the US agreement to buy Russian diesel "a very risky decision", and noted Trump had lifted sanctions on Russian oil; 12 US senators, including six Republicans, urged Trump to drop the diesel deal, according to a CBC headline link. 7 14 Right · 1Separately, Ukraine's military said it damaged six Russian Su-34M aircraft in an overnight Neptune missile strike on the Borisoglebsk airfield in Voronezh region; Reuters could not independently verify the battlefield reports. 4

Left · 2Russia disputes that Ukraine paused. Meduza said Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak claimed on 14 October that Ukraine had struck refineries in Saratov and Ryazan, though Ryazan authorities and eyewitnesses had reported no strike then and the Saratov claim was unconfirmed. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there had been no Ukrainian moratorium and "There is nothing new here", while Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called Ukraine's strikes a "direct and crude challenge to President Trump", according to the AP. The AP said it could not independently verify either side's claims. 5 18 Left · 2In the Piers Morgan interview, Zelensky also said "we are losing a strong partner", that it was "painful when President Trump chooses one side, not our side", and that Starlink was blocked at 1am, a decision that would bring "a lot of human losses"; he added that Ukraine was "not selling our country" in any peace deal, according to the AP and the Daily Mirror. The Mirror reported that Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski asked Musk whether he was "playing politics with your products again". US midterm elections are on 3 November, with fuel prices a major issue, according to the AP. 19 18 Centre · 1The AP, carried by the Times of India, put the Ryazan refinery about 300 kilometres southeast of Moscow (Al Jazeera's figure was about 180 km south), said Astra posted a photograph of the blaze, and said Zelensky travelled to Brussels for a two-day EU summit, planning to meet NATO chief Mark Rutte, French President Emmanuel Macron and the prime ministers of Poland, Denmark and Belgium. 20

Centre · 1Hindustan Times, citing AFP, said Zelensky called the US-Russia diesel deal a "weak decision" that would encourage Russia to prolong the war, and that European allies also criticised it; it reported Trump said on Wednesday that "Putin wants to make a deal more than Zelenskyy", that he was "not sure" Russia had violated the ceasefire, and that there had been "violations on both sides". 21 Left · 1In an interview with Newsmax aired on Thursday, Trump called Ukraine's renewed strikes a "disgrace", saying "All he's doing is making the world oil price higher"; he also said "I'm not a big fan of Zelenskyy" and, per the Guardian, that he finds him more difficult to deal with than Putin. 22 Right · 1Reuters said Ukraine hit a refinery southeast of Moscow that helps supply the capital. 23

Left · 1The Guardian reported that British defence secretary Wes Streeting said US counterpart Pete Hegseth had assured him Starlink was restored, though the cause of the disruption was unclear. European leaders backed Zelensky in Brussels, and the Kremlin accused Ukraine of derailing US peace efforts. 22 Right · 1Reuters said EU leaders were set to rally around Zelensky at a Brussels summit on Friday 16 October; Dutch prime minister Rob Jetten said of Trump's remarks "This is not the right language", while Putin said Ukrainian refinery attacks had caused "nothing particularly significant". 23