Ukraine launched its strike on a Russian oil refinery in the Ryazan region Thursday, following a pause in the barrage of attacks on energy companies in the country that Kyiv said Moscow has ignored. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has voiced his outrage over US President Donald Trump for allegedly “betraying” him in the middle of tensions rising between Kyiv and Washington, prompting the strike.
The drone attack caused a fire at the refinery, around 300 kilometres (180 miles) south-east of Moscow, said Russia’s Defence Ministry and local governor Pavel Malkov. Another version of the incident was published by Russian news outlet Astra, in the form of a picture.
A senior Ukrainian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, saying they could not comment on the incident, acknowledged the Ukrainian’s hit on the facility.
The attack came after Trump called for Russia and Ukraine to end attacks on energy infrastructure on Sunday. Ukraine agreed to that, Zelensky also said, adding that Moscow was still bombing its people even though it had agreed to a ceasefire.
During the interview, which was published Thursday in the Financial Times, Zelensky announced Ukraine would resume attacks on Russian oil refineries. She then heard him quote, “We’re finished.”
Zelensky also spoke of the lack of support Ukraine recently experienced from Western intelligence about Russian ballistic missile attacks. He also falsely claimed that Ukraine had been subject to the export, sale or delivery of US-made ‘restrictions’ on the use of their Starlink communication terminals, which are crucial for Ukraine’s military efforts.
The developments could further aggravate tensions with Trump, whose stance on the conflict has sparked renewed tensions with Kyiv.
On Thursday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Ukraine had “never ceased” attacking Russian refineries.
What is not in dispute is that neither side could verify the details of what happened entirely themselves and both adhered to their legions of critics who questioned the degree of energy compliance with the proposed energy truce.