Russia Accuses Ukraine of Refinery Attack as Zelenskyy Resumes Strikes

Zelenskyy Resumes Energy Infrastructure Strikes

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that a brief pause on striking energy sites is over, following fresh Russian attacks. According to the BBC, Russia accused Ukraine of launching a large-scale attack on an oil refinery south of Moscow, where falling debris caused a fire after air defenses intercepted missiles and drones in Ryazan.

Zelenskyy stated that he had restricted attacks for three days while Russia continued striking Ukrainian energy infrastructure, declaring to the Financial Times that "We’re done." He indicated he would only halt strikes on Russian oil infrastructure if the US supplied more Patriot air defense missiles.

US Support and Starlink Restrictions

The Ukrainian president criticized the US, accusing Washington of withdrawing intelligence-sharing and deliberately placing curbs on Starlink satellite services used by Ukraine’s military. Ukrainian defense sources told the BBC that some Starlink functionality, specifically Starshield’s operation while on the move, had subsequently resumed.

While the Trump administration denied halting intelligence-sharing, European leaders expressed concern. Italy’s Defence Minister Guido Crosetto told the BBC that restricting intelligence-sharing with Kyiv would be a complete mistake that denies a country the chance to defend itself.

Escalating Casualties Across Ukraine

Local officials reported that at least 13 people were killed across Ukraine in large-scale Russian attacks involving hundreds of drones. In the central region of Kirovohrad, at least three people died during what officials described as its largest attack since the full-scale invasion began in 2022. Additional deaths were reported in Donetsk, Kherson, and Volyn.

Source: Russia accuses Ukraine of attacking oil refinery after Zelensky says strikes to resume (source-feed timestamp 2026-10-15T15:09:15+00:00). AI-assisted report based on the cited linked article and its RSS feed; details were not independently verified.