Ukraine has resumed attacks on Russian oil refineries, with a drone strike triggering a fire at a facility in the Ryazan region, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared an end to Kyiv’s pause on targeting Russian energy infrastructure.
The renewed strikes come amid growing frustration in Kyiv over continued Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities following US President Donald Trump’s announcement of an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.
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In an interview with the Financial Times published on Thursday, October 15, Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukraine would resume attacks on Russian refineries.
“The block (on attacking refineries) is out. We’re done,” he told the newspaper.
Ukraine had temporarily suspended strikes on Russian energy infrastructure following Trump’s announcement of the proposed ceasefire.
RUSSIAN REFINERY HIT AS UKRAINE RESUMES STRIKES
Pavel Malkov, governor of Russia’s Ryazan region, said a Ukrainian drone attack had sparked a fire at an oil refinery on Thursday.
“The material damage is now being assessed. Emergency services are working at the scene,” Malkov wrote in a statement on Telegram.
The extent of the damage and the facility’s operational status were not immediately clear.
Ukraine has repeatedly targeted Russian oil refineries and other energy infrastructure during the war, seeking to disrupt fuel supplies and revenue that help support Moscow’s military operations.
Russia, meanwhile, has continued attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities. Zelenskyy said Russian strikes had left approximately 600,000 Ukrainians without electricity on Wednesday.
ZELENSKYY CRITICIZES WASHINGTON OVER INTELLIGENCE RESTRICTIONS
The resumption of Ukrainian strikes comes amid mounting tensions between Kyiv and Washington over military assistance, intelligence sharing and US efforts to reach agreements with Moscow.
Zelenskyy criticised what he described as Washington’s willingness to pursue commercial arrangements with Russia while pressing Ukraine to limit attacks on Russian energy infrastructure.
He also disputed the suggestion that reported disruptions to military satellite communications were simply technical problems.
“It was not a technical problem, it was the will,” he told the Financial Times, referring to restrictions that Ukraine said had affected its access to satellite communications.
Ukrainian officials also reported that they had not received expected US early-warning alerts before some recent Russian ballistic missile attacks.
According to Zelenskyy, Ukrainian military officials had been warned by their American counterparts that intelligence sharing could be restricted if Kyiv continued attacking Russian energy facilities.
The circumstances surrounding the reported restrictions and their operational consequences remain contested.
DISPUTE OVER US-RUSSIA DIESEL ARRANGEMENT
The tensions have also been fuelled by Trump’s announcement of an arrangement involving Russian diesel supplies intended to ease pressure on fuel prices.
The arrangement has drawn criticism from Kyiv, which argues that allowing Russian energy supplies into markets could provide Moscow with additional revenue while Ukraine continues to face attacks.
Trump has criticised Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure, arguing that they contribute to rising fuel prices.
Zelenskyy has also questioned the rationale for pressuring Ukraine to suspend such attacks while Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities continue.
Despite the tensions, Zelenskyy has indicated that Kyiv remains open to reconsidering a suspension of energy strikes under certain conditions.
In his interview with the Financial Times, he said Ukraine could consider halting such attacks if it received additional US-made Patriot air-defence interceptors.
He described the proposed arrangement as the minimum condition that would be acceptable to Kyiv.
The Patriot system is among the weapons Ukraine relies on to defend against Russian missile attacks, including strikes threatening cities and critical infrastructure.
