KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine has resumed strikes on Russian oil refineries, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the Financial Times in an interview published Thursday, ending a brief pause Kyiv had observed at Washington’s urging.
“The block [on attacking refineries] is out. We’re done.”
Hours later, Ukrainian drones attacked a refinery in Russia’s Ryazan region, about 300 kilometers (180 miles) southeast of Moscow, The Associated Press reported. The strike started a fire at the refinery, Russia’s Defense Ministry and Ryazan Gov. Pavel Malkov said, according to AP. A senior Ukrainian official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly confirmed that Ukraine had hit the refinery, AP reported.
Malkov said classes in schools and kindergartens in two districts were cancelled because of the drone attacks, according to Reuters. The Ryazan refinery, owned by Rosneft, accounts for almost 5% of Russia’s total oil refining throughput, Reuters reported.
The resumption followed a heavy night of Russian attacks. In a post on X on Thursday morning, Zelenskyy said more than 850 Shahed drones had been launched at Ukraine from the start of Wednesday through 9 a.m. Thursday, with dozens of hits recorded. He said three people were killed in Kropyvnytskyi and three more in the Dnipro region.
Ukraine’s Emergency Services said three people were killed and six injured in the Kirovohrad region, which includes Kropyvnytskyi, after an attack lasting more than 10 hours, according to AP. The Ukrainian Air Force said air defenses stopped 536 Russian drones, with impacts recorded at 31 locations, AP reported.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses downed 166 Ukrainian drones overnight and that its forces hit two vessels carrying military cargo, according to AP.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine had paused energy strikes for several days after President Donald Trump announced an energy ceasefire and a deal to buy Russian diesel. He told the Financial Times, according to Reuters, that Ukrainian officials were warned U.S. intelligence sharing could be blocked if the strikes continued, and he dismissed the later explanation that Starlink disruptions were a technical problem.
Asked whether Ukraine could halt the strikes again to repair relations with Washington, Zelenskyy said he could agree only in return for more U.S.-made Patriot interceptors, which he called the minimum acceptable, Reuters reported.
