Ukraine Refinery Strikes: Zelensky Says ‘We’re Done’
The ukraine refinery strikes have resumed after a brief pause, with Kyiv hitting an oil refinery in Russia’s Ryazan region on Thursday following a defiant interview by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declaring the self-imposed halt finished.
In an interview with the Financial Times published Thursday, Zelensky said Ukraine’s patience had run out after days of restraint. “The block (on attacking refineries) is out. We’re done,” he told the newspaper.
Zelensky Declares the Pause Over
Zelensky said Ukraine had refrained from attacking Russian refineries for several days at Washington’s request, after US President Donald Trump announced a surprise energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine on Sunday. Trump had blamed the Ukrainian strikes for pushing up diesel prices on global markets.
The frustration in Kyiv had been building. Russia kept striking Ukrainian energy infrastructure despite the ceasefire announcement, leaving 600,000 people without power on Wednesday, and Russian attacks killed more than 100 civilians over the past week, according to the president.
Trump escalated the pressure on Saturday, calling for Ukraine to replace Zelensky and railing against the attacks on Russian oil infrastructure, one day after announcing a diesel supply deal with Moscow.
Ryazan Refinery Hit as Tensions Mount
The Ryazan regional governor, Pavel Malkov, said a major Ukrainian drone attack sparked a fire at an oil refinery in the region. “The material damage is now being assessed. Emergency services are working at the scene,” he said in a post on Telegram.
Zelensky also accused Washington of a “dangerous” withdrawal of intelligence support. He said US officials warned Kyiv that intelligence sharing would be blocked if the energy strikes continued — a threat later brushed off as a technical glitch — while Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite communications were slowed across the country, hampering frontline operations. “It was not a technical problem, it was the will,” he said.
Asked whether Ukraine would consider halting the energy strikes again to repair relations with the White House, Zelensky said he could only agree in return for more US-made Patriot interceptors, calling that the “minimum” that would be acceptable.
*Source: NBC News*