Russian strikes on October 13 and 14 cut power to at least 600,000 people in Ukraine, Zelenskyy said, four days after the Trump administration licensed imports of Russian diesel while pressing Ukraine to stop striking Russian refineries.
Zelenskyy said Russia launched 39 ballistic missiles and more than 120 drones at Kyiv and Kharkiv. He said the strikes damaged at least 26 power facilities and four oil and gas sites and that outages could spread further on Wednesday. A ballistic missile hit Kyiv’s CHP-4 power plant on Tuesday evening, according to Zelensky, and DTEK reported emergency outages in several districts. Al Jazeera reported at least three deaths in Kyiv. Russia’s Defense Ministry said it struck seven Ukrainian energy facilities and a data center.
Zelensky said Ukraine’s air defenses detected the missiles only as they neared the city and that partners gave no early warning.
Over the weekend, the Trump administration reportedly warned Kyiv and European allies it could suspend intelligence sharing and European purchases of US weapons if Ukraine did not halt its strikes on Russian energy facilities.
Also over the weekend, Trump announced an energy ceasefire, insisting that both parties had agreed, while Zelensky denied those reports and the Kremlin did not confirm it. A White House official told Axios the proposal covered only oil refineries, “refinery for refinery.” Zelensky said Monday that Russia had already violated that.
Trump’s October 9 diesel post lists the volumes (300,000 tons immediately, 500,000 in November, 1 million after that) and mentions neither strikes nor a ceasefire. The Kremlin’s account of the call, as reported by Reuters, contains no commitment from either side to halt strikes.
The Treasury’s General License 135 runs to April 7, 2027 and does not authorize debits to the accounts at US financial institutions of Russia’s central bank, National Wealth Fund and Ministry of Finance. The White House did not say at the announcement who would pay for the diesel. Asked whether Russia could use the proceeds to buy weapons, Trump said the diesel was “not for us.”
Trump blamed Zelensky for high diesel prices on October 10, saying he “wants to make problems for our farmers, our ranchers with diesel fuel.” He told reporters: “Don’t hit refineries. There’s plenty of targets.” He added: “I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal.”
The IEA estimates Ukraine’s refinery strikes have cut Russian diesel output by about 30%. Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said Russian exports would rise in November and December as refineries return from maintenance.
By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com
More Top Reads From Oilprice.com
- Trump Announces “Massive” Greenland Oil Exploration Plans
- Oman Overtakes U.S. as India’s Top LNG Supplier in September
- Aramco’s New Chinese JV Refinery Gets First Saudi Crude Cargo
