Ukraine to Resume Russian Refinery Strikes as Zelensky Alleges 3-Day US Intelligence Pressure
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Oct 15
Ukraine to Resume Russian Refinery Strikes as Zelensky Alleges 3-Day US Intelligence Pressure
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Oct 15
Summary
Three days after pausing attacks at Washington’s request, Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine will resume strikes on Russian oil refineries because Russia kept hitting Ukrainian energy sites.
Zelensky said US officials warned Kyiv that intelligence support would be blocked if the strikes did not stop, and he linked a Starlink slowdown to political pressure rather than a technical fault.
Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians lost power after Russia allegedly ignored the US-announced energy ceasefire within hours, while the Kremlin never said it had accepted the deal.
Patriot missile shortages have deepened as the Iran war drained US stockpiles, and Zelensky said he would halt refinery strikes again only if Washington supplied more air-defense missiles.
The dispute adds to a widening rift with Donald Trump, whom Zelensky accused of favoring autocratic leaders, after the US also struck a 300,000-tonne Russian diesel deal aimed at easing fuel prices.
Are Ukraine’s refinery attacks causing lasting damage to Russia’s fuel system, or are weak sanctions enforcement and higher prices blunting their impact?
If Ukraine resumes refinery strikes, will Russia’s war economy crack first or will Ukraine’s air-defense shortage become the bigger threat?
Did pressure over intelligence and Starlink push Kyiv into a losing trade-off between hitting Russian oil revenue and protecting Ukrainian cities?