Ukraine has resumed attacks on Russian oil infrastructure, with a Ukrainian drone strike causing a fire at an oil refinery in the Ryazan region, according to the regional governor.
The strike came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Kyiv would no longer maintain a pause on attacks against Russian refineries unless Moscow stopped targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Ukraine had refrained from striking Russian refineries since US President Donald Trump announced an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine on Sunday. Trump had argued that attacks on Russian oil facilities were contributing to higher diesel prices on global markets.
However, Zelenskiy said Russia had continued attacking Ukrainian energy infrastructure, leaving about 600,000 people without electricity. He warned that Ukraine would not continue observing the suspension if Russia did not reciprocate.
“The block on attacking refineries is out. We’re done,” Zelenskiy told the Financial Times in an interview published on Thursday.
Ryazan Governor Pavel Malkov said a major Ukrainian drone attack had caused a fire at an oil refinery in the region. Emergency services were working at the site while authorities assessed the damage.
The escalation has also exposed growing tensions between Kyiv and Washington. Zelenskiy criticised what he described as US efforts to improve business ties with Moscow and accused Trump of showing favourable treatment toward Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Ukrainian officials have also complained that they have not received recent US early warning information about incoming Russian ballistic missiles. They said disruptions affecting Starshield, the military version of Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite communications system, had also affected Ukrainian military operations.
Musk said Starshield is owned and controlled by the US government, which determines any restrictions on its speed or use.
Zelenskiy said Ukrainian officials had been told that US intelligence support could be restricted unless Kyiv stopped attacking Russian energy infrastructure. He rejected Washington’s explanation that the suspension of intelligence support was linked to a technical problem.
Zelenskiy said Ukraine could consider another suspension of attacks on energy facilities, but only in exchange for additional US made Patriot air defence systems, describing the demand as the minimum condition for such an agreement.
The renewed strikes could complicate US efforts to establish an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine and increase pressure on Washington to find a broader arrangement to halt attacks on critical infrastructure.
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