Kyiv, 15 October, 2026 (Kamran Raja): Ukraine has resumed attacks on Russian oil refineries as tensions between Kyiv and Washington deepen over US President Donald Trump’s approach to the ongoing war. Ukrainian drones struck a refinery in Russia’s Ryazan region, around 300 kilometers southeast of Moscow, early Thursday, triggering a fire, according to Russian officials and a senior Ukrainian official. The strike came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared an end to a brief truce, accusing Moscow of continuing aerial attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure despite Trump’s call for both sides to halt such operations. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov described Ukraine’s strikes on oil facilities as a direct challenge to Trump, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed that Kyiv had never stopped targeting Russian refineries. Zelenskyy expressed frustration over reported restrictions on Ukraine’s access to Western intelligence and US-made Starlink communications, saying these developments had weakened his country’s defensive capabilities. He also criticized an agreement involving Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin concerning Russian diesel imports, arguing that it could help Moscow sustain its invasion of Ukraine. In an interview with British journalist Piers Morgan, Zelenskyy said he felt betrayed by recent

US decisions and warned that Ukraine was losing a strong partner. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy was scheduled to meet European Union leaders in Brussels after visiting London, where he secured pledges of additional support from British Prime Minister Andy Burnham. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas reaffirmed Europe’s support for Ukraine, stating that pressure should be directed at the aggressor rather than the victim. Separately, Ukrainian emergency officials reported that three people were killed and six injured in a Russian drone attack on the central Kirovohrad region. Zelenskyy said Russia launched more than 850 drones against Ukraine overnight, targeting 15 regions, while the Ukrainian Air Force reported intercepting 536 drones, with impacts recorded at 31 locations. Zelenskyy also claimed that a Ukrainian missile destroyed six Russian military aircraft at an airfield in southwestern Russia. Russia’s Defence Ministry, meanwhile, said its air defences had downed 166 Ukrainian drones and that Russian forces had struck two vessels carrying military cargo. The latest exchanges highlight the escalating conflict and growing uncertainty over the future of US support for Ukraine as diplomatic efforts to end the war remain stalled.