Ukraine paused attacks on oil refineries for 3 days as Russia continued strikes on energy infrastructure, Zelensky says
During those days, Ukrainian forces acted "a little more cautiously," but were not ordered to refrain from responding to Russian strikes, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed that his nation paused attacks on Russian oil refineries for three days during an energy truce, despite Russia continuing to strike Ukrainian energy infrastructure. The truce began on October 11, when U.S. President Donald Trump announced it unilaterally. Zelensky expressed surprise at Trump's announcement and stated that Kyiv was prepared to comply with the ceasefire.
However, Russia persisted in attacking Ukraine's energy infrastructure, prompting Kyiv to request a de-escalation of Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities as a condition. During the initial 72 hours of the truce, Ukraine refrained from targeting Russian oil refineries while focusing on other targets. Despite this, Zelensky noted that the truce did not yield positive results, as there was no appreciation from Russia for the three days of restraint.
Ukraine did, however, adopt a more cautious approach during this period, targeting data centers and locations with concentrated Russian ballistic missiles. The president emphasized that Ukraine's responses were aimed at countering the Russian aggression. Additionally, Ukraine refrained from targeting ships carrying diesel fuel from Russia to the U.S., as per a new agreement announced by Trump on October 9.
However, Trump later postponed action on a bill introduced by U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, which would have imposed tariffs on Russian goods and imports from countries aiding Russia's oil and gas industry. Meanwhile, the U.S. Treasury Department issued a general license suspending sanctions on Russian diesel fuel until April 2027.
Despite these developments, Ukraine faces growing uncertainty heading into winter, as Russian attacks have severely damaged its energy infrastructure, leaving the power system under significant strain.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
