Ukraine has resumed drone attacks on Russian oil refineries despite pressure from US President Donald Trump, The Guardian reported on Sunday. The strikes come days before the US midterm elections. The Kremlin said the raids restarted on Friday.
Russian state media said on Sunday that Ukrainian long-range drones had set fire to the Kstovo refinery in Nizhny Novgorod oblast overnight. That attack came soon after a major strike on another big refinery in Samara oblast. The Samara plant is owned by the Russian state energy giant Rosneft.
The Wall Street Journal had reported that Ukraine gave in to White House pressure to stop bombing Russian energy sites. However, Ukrainian officials told the Kyiv Independent that they never agreed to pause refinery strikes for 30 days. The demand had come from Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law. Kremlin officials complained that Kyiv was now "simply ignoring" US wishes. Trump has blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for rising global fuel prices. Last month, he lifted US sanctions on Russian diesel.
Zelenskyy has not acknowledged the latest refinery attacks. The Guardian said this appeared to be an attempt to avoid angry US reprisals. Instead, he said Ukrainian forces had hit a missile-making defence plant in Russia's Rostov region. He said they also destroyed a Pantsir missile system. According to Zelenskyy, Ukraine had to retaliate for Russian drone and ballistic missile attacks on its energy facilities.
Russia hit four Ukrainian regions overnight, cutting power to hundreds of thousands of households. Kyiv had power cuts of eight to 10 hours on Sunday after a key thermal power plant was damaged. Zelenskyy said on Telegram that Russia was trying to exploit Ukraine's shortage of ballistic missile interceptors. He also said 54,400 Russian troops were killed and wounded in October. He called it the highest monthly figure since the full-scale war began and said that "Russia is losing."
Meanwhile, a six-day local ceasefire in the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky was due to end late on Sunday. The truce was brokered by US first lady Melania Trump. Hundreds of residents were reunited with loved ones, and both sides called the evacuation a success. Ukrainian observers say Russia used the pause to reinforce its positions. They expect a renewed Russian assault. The pope said he hoped the cooperation would strengthen both sides' willingness to talk.
Trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US are likely later this month. Kremlin officials said Vladimir Putin was willing to speak directly with Zelenskyy by phone, without European leaders. Putin still demands all of Donetsk oblast and more territory in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. The Guardian noted that a wider breakthrough therefore looks unlikely.