Ukraine struck a Russian oil refinery in the Ryazan region on Thursday, October 15, after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv was ending its pause on attacks against Russian energy targets, drawing a sharp rebuke from U.S. President Donald Trump.
The strike followed a brief halt after Trump announced an energy ceasefire on Sunday; Kyiv said it had observed the pause for three days, but Moscow continued hitting Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Zelenskyy told the Financial Times that Ukraine’s restraint was over, saying, “The block [on attacking refineries] is out. We’re done.” Ryazan regional governor Pavel Malkov said a major Ukrainian drone attack caused a fire at the refinery, though the extent of damage was not immediately clear.
The Rosneft-owned facility, southeast of Moscow, accounts for nearly 5% of Russia’s refining capacity and helps supply the capital. Russian strikes on Ukrainian power facilities in the days after Trump’s announcement knocked out electricity for hundreds of thousands of people, according to Reuters. Trump told Newsmax that Ukraine’s renewed attacks were “a disgrace,” arguing they would push up global oil prices and hurt diesel supplies.
He also said he found Zelenskyy harder to negotiate with than Russian President Vladimir Putin. The dispute adds strain to already tense U.S.-Ukraine relations as Washington presses for an end to the war and Kyiv argues that Russia has not honored the proposed pause.