728 x 90

Russia accuses Ukraine of attacking oil refinery after Zelensky says strikes to resume

Russia accuses Ukraine of attacking oil refinery after Zelensky says strikes to resume

The Kremlin said Kyiv had “attempted a large-scale attack” on a refinery south of Moscow early on Thursday. According to Russia’s defence ministry, four missiles and dozens of drones were intercepted and the falling debris caused a fire at the site in Ryazan. Zelensky said dozens of Ukrainian cities had come under Russian attack in

The Kremlin said Kyiv had “attempted a large-scale attack” on a refinery south of Moscow early on Thursday.

According to Russia’s defence ministry, four missiles and dozens of drones were intercepted and the falling debris caused a fire at the site in Ryazan.

Zelensky said dozens of Ukrainian cities had come under Russian attack in the past day.

He previously said he would agree to the “energy ceasefire” announced by US President Donald Trump on Sunday if Moscow also abided by it.

But he accused Russia of ignoring the proposed deal within hours of it being announced, with strikes leaving hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians without power. The Kremlin never said it had agreed to the deal.

Zelensky agreed that he felt betrayed by the US when asked by Piers Morgan on Wednesday night, after Washington appeared to withdraw key elements of its support.

European leaders have rallied around the Ukrainian president. Italy’s Defence Minister Guido Crosetto told the BBC that the US restricting its intelligence-sharing with Kyiv would be a “complete mistake”.

“Because it is a fundamental form of support. This means denying a country any chance of defending itself.”

He added: “Peace will be achieved when [Russian President Vladimir] Putin will be convinced that there is a stalemate… that he cannot advance anymore. But if he sees a weakness on the Ukrainian front, if the United States takes its resources away, then Putin will think he can win, and so he will continue the war.”

Zelensky told the FT that Ukrainian officials had been told by US counterparts that “if you will not stop [the strikes], we will block intelligence”.

Ukraine’s military relies on US early-warning alerts of incoming Russian aerial attacks to mount air defences, limiting successful strikes, while Starlink internet links are used throughout its war effort to guide drones and protect its skies.

There were suggestions a technical glitch was to blame for the sudden Starlink restrictions on Tuesday evening, but owner Elon Musk appeared to deny this and suggested it was the Trump administration’s doing.

“It was not a technical problem, it was the will,” Zelensky told the FT.

Trump has denied halting intelligence-sharing. Starlink’s sister service Starshield is provided to Ukraine under a US defence department contract. The BBC has approached the US authorities for comment.

For more tech updates, stay tuned to our blog.

Posts Carousel

Latest Posts

Top Authors

Most Commented

Featured Videos