Ukraine to restart strikes on Russian oil refineries, Zelensky says

ByFlorence Freeman and Maia Davies. 15 October 2026, 09: 11 BST.

Key points

• Sources in Ukraine's Ministry of Defence informed the BBC early on Thursday that Starshield services – the military-focused version of Starlink – had been restored.
• Striking a more defiant tone than lately, the Ukrainian president informed the newspaper his American counterpart had an affinity for autocratic leaders like Russia's Vladimir Putin.
• While Russia had continued striking Ukrainian energy infrastructure, the Ukrainian president remarked he had restricted such attacks for three days at Washington's behest.
• He previously remarked he would agree to the so-called "energy ceasefire" unveiled by US President Donald Trump on Sunday if Moscow additionally abided by it.
• After Washington appeared to withdraw key elements of its backing, zelensky agreed that he felt betrayed by the US when asked by Piers Morgan on Wednesday night.

As he accused the US of withdrawing crucial backing, ukraine will resume strikes on Russian oil refineries, Volodymyr Zelensky has remarked.

While Russia had continued striking Ukrainian energy infrastructure, the Ukrainian president remarked he had restricted such attacks for three days at Washington's behest. "We're done, " he informed the Financial Times, external.

Zelensky additionally accused the US of withdrawing intelligence-sharing on Russian strikes to pressure Kyiv into ending the attacks altogether after it struck a agreement to import Russian diesel, and noted restrictions to Starlink satellite services employed by Ukraine's military were deliberate.

In practice, the Kremlin remarked Ukraine had "attempted a large-scale attack" on an oil 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 had caused a fire at the site in Ryazan.

Zelensky meanwhile remarked dozens of Ukrainian cities had come under Russian attack previously day.

But he accused Russia of ignoring the proposed accord within hours of it being unveiled, with strikes leaving hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians without power. The Kremlin never remarked it agreed to the agreement.

Notably, the Ukrainian leader informed the FT that Ukrainian office-holders had been informed by US counterparts that "if you will not stop, we will block intelligence".

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

After Starlink unexpectedly restricted the speed at which drones could fly while still maintaining internet connection on Tuesday, there were suggestions a technical glitch was to blame. But owner Elon Musk appeared to deny this, suggesting it was the Trump administration's doing. Trump denied halting intelligence-sharing.

"It was not a technical problem, it was the will, " Zelensky informed the FT.

They remarked office-holders were still working to clarify "the reasons and circumstances behind yesterday's restrictions".

Zelensky spoke to the FT during a visit to London on Wednesday which additionally included a gathering with Prime Minister Andy Burnham in Downing Street – who confirmed the UK would speed up delivery of lightweight multirole missiles to Kyiv.

European leaders have additionally rallied around Zelensky, with the matter anticipated to dominate their summit in Brussels afterwards on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian president informed the newspaper he would now only halt strikes on Russian oil infrastructure – which Kyiv states are vital to cutting off revenue streams to its war machine – if the US supplied more Patriot air defence missiles.

Ukraine has suffered a shortage of the US-made defences since the outbreak of the Iran war consumed stockpiles.

He remarked it was not up to him to mend US-Ukrainian relations given the events of the past week. "We didn't destroy any relationship."

Tensions have previously frayed between the two leaders. After returning to the White House last year, the pair shared a fiery Oval Office session in which Trump implied Zelensky was the main block to a peace agreement.

Zelensky has since walked a careful diplomatic line, showing willingness towards US-brokered deals while stressing that the terms of any peace accord must be just.

As the US effectively investing in Russia's war effort, but he criticised the agreement between Russia and the US to release 300, 000 tonnes of diesel to the US and global marketplace, struck last week.

After months spent grappling with the political consequences of the Iran war, that accord was the latest effort by Trump to lower fuel costs in the US ahead of the midterm elections.

That conflict has sent the cost of petrol – and in particular diesel – skyrocketing, souring his standing with the American public.

Zelensky informed the FT: "The question will be: when will the next agreement be? Maybe it will be gas. Definitely it will be gas."

With Russia continuing to strike Ukraine, Zelensky suggested the disruptions to US backing were no coincidence.

High-speed internet via Starlink satellites is applied by the Ukrainian military to guide drones and communicate with the front line. Ukrainian authorities have stated they were not cautioned before a speed limit was imposed on the uplink.

Its sister service Starshield is provided under a US Department of Defense (DoD) contract.

Musk denied that his firm SpaceX was responsible for restrictions on the system, suggesting the US administration could be responsible for the slowdown.

He wrote on Wednesday that the systems were owned and controlled by the US administration and "any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately."

In practice, the Trump administration has not commented on the matter. The BBC has approached the White House and the DoD for comment.

Taken together, the developments around ukraine to restart strikes on Russian oil refineries, Zelensky says point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.