Russia accused Ukraine of attacking an oil refinery south of Moscow early Thursday, after President Volodymyr Zelensky announced he would resume strikes on Russian energy infrastructure. The Kremlin said its air defences intercepted four missiles and dozens of drones targeting the facility in Ryazan, with falling debris causing a fire. Zelensky told the Financial Times he had paused such attacks for three days at US request while Russia continued striking Ukrainian power stations. "We're done," he said.
Zelensky also levelled accusations at the United States. He claimed Washington withdrew intelligence-sharing on Russian aerial strikes to pressure Kyiv into halting attacks permanently, particularly after the US struck a deal to import Russian diesel. He further alleged that restrictions imposed on Starlink satellite services used by Ukraine's military were intentional, not technical glitches. Ukrainian defence sources told the BBC that some Starlink functionality had resumed by Thursday morning, including Sharpshield's "operation while on the move" capability, though it remained unclear whether all speed restrictions on drone operations had been fully lifted.
President Vladimir Putin said Kyiv had also attempted to strike refineries on Wednesday, which Ukraine denied, and claimed the damage had been minimal. Zelensky countered that dozens of Ukrainian cities had come under Russian attack in the past day, leaving hundreds of thousands without power. He previously said he would accept a proposed "energy ceasefire" announced by US President Donald Trump on Sunday only if Moscow abided by it. The Kremlin never confirmed it had agreed to such terms.
Zelensky told the FT that US officials had warned him: "If you will not stop the strikes, we will block intelligence." Ukraine's military relies on US early-warning systems to defend against Russian aerial attacks. Trump denied halting intelligence-sharing. Elon Musk, owner of Starlink, appeared to deny a technical fault was responsible, suggesting the Trump administration was involved. Zelensky said he would now resume strikes unless the US supplied additional Patriot air defence missiles.
European leaders rallied behind Ukraine. Italy's Defence Minister Guido Crosetto told the BBC that US restrictions on intelligence-sharing would be a "complete mistake," as it would deny Ukraine any chance to defend itself. NATO chief Mark Rutte met Zelensky during a two-day Brussels summit Thursday and discussed implementing an energy ceasefire alongside continued allied support. In a separate incident, seven crew members went missing after a drone attack set a chemical tanker on fire off Romania's coast. Moscow said it had struck two cargo ships carrying military supplies to Ukraine's Odesa port.