Zelensky says Ukraine will resume strikes on Russian oil refineries

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine will resume long-range strikes on Russian oil refineries, ending a brief pause it had observed at the request of the United States. In an interview with the Financial Times, reported by Meduza on October 15, 2026, Zelensky said: "The block is out. We're done."

How the pause began

On October 11, 2026, US President Donald Trump announced on social media that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to an immediate energy-sector ceasefire. According to Ukrainian officials cited by the Kyiv Independent and ABC News, Zelensky's own office learned of the announcement from social media and had not been given prior confirmation that Russia had actually agreed to such a truce.

Zelensky nonetheless ordered Ukraine's armed forces to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries and energy facilities. Outlets gave slightly different lengths for the pause: the Kyiv Independent and Pravda.ua reported that Zelensky said on October 13 that Ukraine had held off for two days since Trump's announcement, while Meduza's October 15 report described a three-day pause.

Why Ukraine says it is resuming strikes

Zelensky said Russia did not reciprocate. He said Russian forces carried out more than 200 strikes on Ukrainian electricity facilities and 17 strikes on gas and oil infrastructure over the preceding week, according to figures he gave that were reported by the Kyiv Independent. Casualty figures varied slightly by outlet: the Kyiv Independent cited Zelensky putting the toll at over 150 killed and 700 wounded, while Meduza reported more than 100 civilians killed over the past week, citing the same Financial Times interview.

Among the Russian strikes Zelensky cited were attacks on Kharkiv's CHP-5 power plant and a power plant in Kyiv, which the Kyiv Independent and Pravda.ua reported took place in the days immediately following Trump's October 11 announcement. Zelensky said the attacks showed that Russia did not consider itself bound by the announced truce, according to the Kyiv Independent.

Zelensky also argued the proposed truce was structurally unbalanced. Ukraine operates only one oil refinery, which has already sustained heavy damage, while Russia has numerous refineries that Ukrainian long-range strikes have targeted throughout the war. He said any genuine ceasefire would need to cover the wider energy grid, not refineries alone, according to Pravda.ua and the Kyiv Independent.

Pressure from Washington

Trump had publicly pressed Ukraine to stop hitting Russian refineries, according to ABC News, and separately announced an arrangement for the United States to import 300,000 tons of Russian diesel fuel. Meduza, citing Zelensky's interview with the Financial Times, reported that American officials had warned Kyiv that intelligence-sharing with Ukraine could be curtailed if the refinery strikes continued; ABC News separately reported that Ukrainian officials expected intelligence-sharing on Russian missile launches could be scaled back for the same reason.

Zelensky told the Financial Times, as reported by Meduza, that he would only agree to an extended halt on refinery strikes in exchange for additional US Patriot air-defense interceptor missiles, which he described as the minimum Ukraine would need. He also said recent disruptions to Ukraine's access to Starlink satellite communications were not a technical issue but a deliberate decision, telling the FT: "It was not a technical problem, it was the will."

A White House source told Axios, as cited by Meduza, that Trump was frustrated with Kyiv and believed Zelensky was taking US support for granted. ABC News separately reported that when Trump suggested Zelensky be replaced, Zelensky said leadership decisions were for the Ukrainian people, proposing elections could be held after a 60-day ceasefire agreed to by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

What is known and what remains unclear

• Zelensky has said publicly Ukraine is resuming refinery strikes; reporting on the exact date operations restarted or resumed targets has not been independently confirmed by all outlets.
• Figures for Russian strikes and Ukrainian casualties during the pause differ slightly between Ukrainian and Western outlets citing the same Zelensky statements.
• It remains unclear whether the US will follow through on reduced intelligence-sharing with Ukraine, or whether additional Patriot missile shipments will be approved.
• The status of any wider Russia-Ukraine energy truce, and whether Moscow considers itself bound by Trump's October 11 announcement, has not been confirmed by the Kremlin in the sources reviewed.

Background

Ukraine has used long-range drones to strike Russian oil refineries at various points since 2024 as part of a campaign to reduce Moscow's fuel-export revenue and military fuel supply. Russia, in turn, has repeatedly targeted Ukraine's power generation and gas infrastructure, particularly during the colder months, an approach officials in Kyiv say is intended to pressure the civilian population.