Ukraine resumes refinery strikes in Russia as Zelenskiy criticises US intelligence withdrawal
Ryazan’s governor reported a refinery fire after a Ukrainian drone attack, as Zelenskiy said Kyiv would no longer hold back strikes on Russian oil facilities.
Ryazan, Russia. Ukraine renewed its attacks on Russian refineries with a strike in the Ryazan region on Thursday, according to regional governor Pavel Malkov. The attack followed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s criticism of a withdrawal of US intelligence, which he described as dangerous.
Governor reports refinery fire
Malkov wrote on Telegram that a large-scale Ukrainian drone assault on the region had caused a blaze at an oil refinery. He said emergency personnel were at the site and the extent of the damage was being evaluated.
Kyiv had held back from striking Russian refineries following US President Donald Trump’s unexpected announcement on Sunday of an energy ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia. Trump had blamed Ukrainian refinery attacks for pushing up diesel prices internationally.
In a Financial Times interview published on Thursday, Zelenskiy said Ukraine’s patience was exhausted.
“The block (on attacking refineries) is out. We’re done,” he told the newspaper.
Zelenskiy challenges Russia’s continued attacks
On Wednesday, Zelenskiy said Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure had cut electricity to 600,000 people. He warned that Kyiv would not keep its own attacks on hold indefinitely unless Moscow also stopped, and accused Trump of favouring Russia.
Ukrainian officials also complained that, despite Kyiv’s pause in refinery strikes, they had received no American advance warnings of approaching Russian ballistic missiles in recent days.
US-Russia dealings draw criticism
Speaking to the Financial Times, Zelenskiy criticised Washington’s enthusiasm for business agreements with Moscow, as well as what he viewed as Trump’s admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump had urged Ukraine on Saturday to replace Zelenskiy and sharply criticised its strikes on Russian oil facilities. His remarks came a day after he announced an agreement with Russia for diesel supplies intended to bring down fuel prices, which have surged since the US-Israeli war with Iran started in February.
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