Ukraine resumes Russian refinery strikes after brief energy truce, reports say
In short
Ukraine resumed attacks on Russian oil refineries on October 15 after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a brief energy-infrastructure truce was over, US outlets reported. Russian officials reported an attack and fire at a Ryazan-region refinery; an unnamed senior Ukrainian official confirmed a hit to The Associated Press.
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Ukraine resumed attacks on Russian oil refineries on October 15 after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared that a short-lived energy-infrastructure truce was over, NBC News and The Associated Press reported. Russia's defence ministry said a refinery in the Ryazan region southeast of Moscow had been targeted overnight. An unnamed senior Ukrainian official confirmed to AP that Ukraine had hit the refinery. [ 6 , 7 ]
The Russian ministry said air defences downed four Ukrainian Flamingo missiles and 69 drones attacking the refinery, according to AP's report carried by The Boston Globe. It said falling drone fragments sparked a fire. NBC separately reported a fire at a refinery in the western Ryazan region, citing governor Pavel Malkov, and the ministry's statement that Ukraine had attempted a major attack. The reports did not establish the extent of damage. [ 6 , 7 ]
The attack followed Zelenskyy's comments to the Financial Times that restrictions on attacking Russian refineries were no longer in place. The New York Times reported that he had paused such strikes to comply with a US demand. NBC said Ukraine held off attacks for three days after President Donald Trump's unilateral energy-ceasefire announcement but accused Russia of repeatedly attacking its power grid. [ 1 , 5 , 6 ]
CNBC reported that Zelenskyy, in a separate interview with Piers Morgan, said Ukraine had refrained from both attacks and retaliation for three days before Russia launched a major assault on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. He expressed frustration with Trump's dealings with Vladimir Putin and restrictions on military satellite communications. NBC reported that in-motion functionality through Starshield had been restored on October 15, citing an unnamed Ukrainian defence ministry source. [ 4 , 6 ]
Why it matters
Zelenskyy said Ukraine had held off attacks for three days but accused Russia of continuing to attack its energy infrastructure. The renewed strikes came amid his public frustration with US policy and restrictions on military communications services.
Key facts
- NBC and The Associated Press reported renewed Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries on October 15. [ 6 , 7 ]
- Zelenskyy told the Financial Times that the restriction on attacking refineries was over, NBC reported. [ 1 , 5 , 6 ]
- Russia's defence ministry said Ukraine attacked a refinery in the Ryazan region and that drone fragments caused a fire. [ 7 ]
- An unnamed senior Ukrainian official confirmed to AP that Ukraine hit the refinery overnight. [ 7 ]
- Zelenskyy said Ukraine had refrained from attacks and retaliation for three days before Russia launched a major assault on its energy infrastructure. [ 4 , 6 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- The extent of damage at the Ryazan refinery is not established in the supplied reports. The reports describe a fire and attribute interception figures to Russia's defence ministry; they do not provide an independent damage assessment.