Ukraine struck the Ryazan oil refinery on Thursday, October 15, ending a three-day pause in attacks after President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv would no longer observe a proposed energy truce that Russia had continued to violate, deepening tensions with Washington.
Russian officials said the overnight drone attack sparked a fire at the facility, about 300 kilometres southeast of Moscow; a senior Ukrainian official also confirmed the strike to The Associated Press. The pause followed U.S. President Donald Trump’s October 11 announcement of an energy ceasefire, but neither Moscow nor Kyiv had publicly confirmed a formal agreement. Zelensky said Ukraine had held back from striking Russian refineries at Washington’s request while Russian forces continued attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, including power facilities.
In an interview published Thursday, he said the restriction on refinery strikes was over. The renewed strike could further strain Kyiv’s relationship with the Trump administration, which has pressed Ukraine to stop targeting Russian refineries. Zelensky has also accused the United States of weakening Ukraine’s defenses, citing alleged disruptions to intelligence sharing and limits on military satellite communications—claims that add to a broader dispute over U.S. support.