KYIV: Ukraine struck an oil refinery in Russia’s Ryazan region early Thursday, hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv would no longer observe the energy ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump.
Trump announced on Sunday that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to halt attacks on energy infrastructure.
Ukraine says it suspended strikes on Russian refineries after that, but Moscow continued its missile and drone attacks, including on power stations, leaving hundreds of thousands without electricity.
Refinery on fire
Ryazan Governor Pavel Malkov said the drone attack started a fire at the refinery, about 300 km southeast of Moscow, and that emergency services were at the site.
The plant is owned by state-run Rosneft and handles nearly 5% of Russia’s refining, helping supply the capital.
A senior Ukrainian official confirmed the strike, saying it was a response to Russia’s heavy attacks this week that violated the truce.
Ukraine’s navy also said it destroyed six Russian Su-34M aircraft at the Borisoglebsk airfield in the Voronezh region using Neptune missiles. Zelensky said the aircraft were used to launch glide bombs.
“We’re done”
In an interview with the Financial Times, Zelensky said Ukraine’s patience had run out and that attacks on refineries would resume.
He also said recent restrictions on military Starlink terminals were a deliberate decision, not a technical fault.
Kyiv says the terminals now work in motion only up to about 160 kph, which is too slow for mid-range strike missions and interceptor drones.
Elon Musk said on X that the military version, Starshield, is controlled by the US government and ultimately by the president.
Zelensky said Ukraine had also been denied the usual warnings about Russian ballistic missile launches, which rely on US satellite systems.
Trump has denied withholding intelligence. Zelensky said Washington had told Kyiv that the intelligence would be blocked unless it stopped hitting Russian energy sites.
He added that he could consider halting such strikes only in return for more Patriot interceptors, which he called the “minimum.”
Moscow’s response
The Kremlin said Ukraine’s attacks on Russian energy facilities undermine US peace efforts and claimed Kyiv never stopped them.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called the strikes a challenge to Trump. Neither side’s claims could be independently verified.
Rift with Washington
The dispute is among the sharpest between Kyiv and Washington since the 2022 invasion. Trump, who is under pressure over record diesel prices, blames Ukrainian strikes for raising global fuel costs.
Last week he lifted sanctions on Russian diesel and called on Ukraine to replace Zelensky.
In an interview with Piers Morgan, Zelensky said he felt betrayed and that Ukraine was losing a strong partner.
Washington has already halted its own weapons supplies to Ukraine, though European allies can still buy US arms on Kyiv’s behalf. Europe has no ready alternative to Starlink or US missile-detection satellites.
Russian barrage continues
Zelensky said Russia launched more than 850 drones between midnight and Thursday morning, hitting 15 regions. Ukraine’s Air Force said it intercepted 536, but impacts were recorded at 31 locations.
Three people were killed and six injured in the Kirovohrad region, and a gas extraction facility in Poltava was damaged.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said it shot down 166 Ukrainian drones overnight.
Turning to Europe
Zelensky, who won new pledges of support from UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham in London, will attend an EU summit in Brussels on Friday. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Europe believes in pressuring the aggressor, not the victim, to end the war.
