Ukraine resumes refinery strikes as Trump objects and Russian attacks cut power
Ukraine resumed strikes on Russian oil refineries on Oct. 15 after pausing attacks on energy sites for three days. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Oct. 16 that the resumption was a "disgrace" and that it keeps global energy prices elevated. Reuters
Trump had declared an energy ceasefire on Oct. 11. On the weekend before Oct. 16, he announced that Ukraine and Russia had agreed not to target each other's energy facilities. Al Jazeera Ukraine observed the pause for three days and then returned to striking Russian refineries on Oct. 15.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a Financial Times interview that the suspension of attacks on Russian refineries had ended. Ukraine hit an oil refinery southeast of Moscow around Oct. 15. Reuters On Oct. 16, Russia publicly acknowledged a Ukrainian drone strike on a major oil refinery earlier that week and broadcast images of the attack. Reuters
Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy system intensified during the same period. Over a 24-hour period around Oct. 14, Russia launched 850 drones and 39 missiles that struck 30 energy targets across 19 regions. On Oct. 13, five ballistic missiles struck Kyiv's Thermal Power Plant No. 4, causing power outages. Zelenskiy said Ukraine's partners did not share intelligence that the five missiles were headed toward Kyiv.
Russian drone attacks reported on Oct. 16 killed three people in Ukraine and cut power to hundreds of thousands. Reuters Ukraine's Energy Ministry said repair crews had restored power to more than 1 million people who had lost it as a result of Russian attacks.
The fighting over energy has overlapped with disputes over U.S. policy. On Oct. 9, Trump invited Russia to sell 1.8 million tonnes of diesel to the global market by the end of the year to help bring down transport prices. Days before Oct. 9, Trump signed the Lindsey Graham Act into law, giving him the ability to punish countries buying Russian oil with secondary sanctions, penalties directed at third-country buyers. A bipartisan group of U.S. senators called on Trump to rescind the diesel deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as reported on Oct. 13. Zelenskiy publicly criticized the diesel deal in remarks reported on Oct. 16. The European Union Council agreed a $90 billion Ukraine Support Loan in December 2025.
Ukraine also reported disruption to satellite navigation used for air defence. Starshield, the military element of the Starlink satellite network owned by SpaceX, capped Ukraine's use of its navigation services at 160 km/h around Oct. 14. That limit mattered because Russian Geran-4 jet-powered drones fly at speeds exceeding 500 km/h. Zelenskiy said six in 10 Russian drones are now jet-powered. Elon Musk stated that Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the U.S. government and that limits on speed or usage are decided by the U.S. military and ultimately POTUS. Sources at Ukraine's Defence Ministry said Starshield services for Ukraine had begun to return to normal on Oct. 15. Ukraine's air force intercepted more than 4,700 drones and missiles during September.
On the ground, Ukraine's Operation Vivaldi reclaimed occupied territory in Donetsk in the week ending Oct. 16. Zelenskiy told journalist Piers Morgan in the week of Oct. 16 that it was a pity Ukraine was losing a strong partner, referring to the U.S., and that it was painful Trump chooses one side, not Ukraine's side.
