Ukraine has resumed its attacks on Russian oil refineries as the six-day humanitarian ceasefire that allowed hundreds of civilians to flee the occupied city of Oleshky was due to end late Sunday. Kremlin officials said the raids restarted on Friday. Ukrainian officials told the Kyiv Independent they never agreed to a demand from Jared Kushner to pause such strikes for 30 days.
Russian state media reported that Ukrainian long-range drones set fire to the Kstovo refinery in Nizhny Novgorod oblast overnight, soon after a major strike against another refinery in Samara oblast owned by the Russian state energy giant Rosneft. Kremlin officials complained that Kyiv was now 'simply ignoring' American wishes.
A local ceasefire, brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump, provided the first few days of peace in the Kherson region in four years. The truce allowed the evacuation of hundreds of residents from Oleshky, a front-line city seized by Russia in the early days of its 2022 full-scale invasion.
'We came back from hell,' said Viacheslav, who arrived with his wife Olha and their adult children by coach in northern Ukraine on Saturday. Olha described their life under occupation as 'horror'. She told the BBC that those too afraid to go out in the city had resorted to cooking garden weeds to survive. Up to 6,000 people were believed to still be living in Oleshky and its surrounding areas, with 1,700 in the city itself. A convoy of 25 buses was brought in for up to 750 evacuees.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has not acknowledged the latest refinery attacks, instead saying his armed forces had hit a defence industry enterprise in Russia's Rostov region. He said Ukraine was obliged to retaliate for a Russian campaign that has cut electricity to hundreds of thousands of households, with Kyiv experiencing power cuts lasting eight to 10 hours after a critical thermal power plant was damaged. Zelenskyy said Russia was suffering record losses, with 54,400 military personnel killed and wounded in October, and that Ukraine had recaptured 96.2 square kilometres of territory last month.
Ukrainian observers said the Russian military had used the truce to reinforce its positions in Oleshky. The town sits on the left bank of the Dnipro River, opposite Kherson, which Ukraine recaptured in 2022. The Pope expressed hope that the cooperation during the ceasefire would strengthen the willingness of both sides to engage in dialogue.
Trilateral talks involving Russia, Ukraine and the US are likely to take place later this month, with Kremlin officials saying Vladimir Putin was willing to talk directly with Zelenskyy by phone. They added that European leaders who support Ukraine should not be involved in any such call. There is little prospect of a wider breakthrough, however, with Putin maintaining maximalist demands for Ukrainian territory.
For those who escaped Oleshky, a new challenge awaits. 'There are still a lot of people left there, living under those conditions,' Olha said. 'If we managed to survive in hell, we'll survive here too.'
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The resumption of strikes shows Ukraine is willing to act independently of US pressure, testing the alliance ahead of the US midterm elections.
- The evacuation of Oleshky, while a humanitarian success, highlights the ongoing suffering of civilians trapped in occupied territory.
- The end of the ceasefire risks a renewed Russian offensive in the Kherson region, potentially escalating the conflict further.
Background
The six-day local ceasefire in Oleshky was the first significant truce since 2022, brokered by the US First Lady Melania Trump. Oleshky, seized by Russia in February 2022, had been under constant shelling with dwindling supplies. The truce allowed the evacuation of hundreds of residents via Belarus into northern Ukraine, with emotional reunions for families who had not seen each other for years. The ceasefire was due to end on Sunday night.
Key Perspectives
- Ukraine (President Volodymyr Zelenskyy): Obliged to retaliate against Russia's campaign of drone and missile strikes on energy infrastructure; has not acknowledged the specific refinery attacks, saying his forces hit military targets.
- Russia (Kremlin officials): Kyiv is ignoring US wishes; Vladimir Putin is willing to talk directly with Zelenskyy by phone without European leaders present, but maintains maximalist territorial demands.
- United States (Donald Trump/Jared Kushner): Pressured Ukraine to pause refinery strikes for 30 days, according to reports; Trump has blamed Zelenskyy for the rise in global fuel prices and lifted sanctions on Russian diesel.
- Pope Francis: Expressed hope that the ceasefire could pave the way for broader peace efforts.
What to Watch
- Trilateral talks planned for later this month involving Russia, Ukraine and the US.
- Whether the US imposes consequences for Ukraine's defiance on the refinery strikes.
- The fate of the remaining residents of Oleshky and whether Russia launches a renewed offensive in the Kherson region.
Checked
11 claims in this story checked against 2 sources: 11 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedUkraine has resumed attacks on Russian oil refineries as the Oleshky ceasefire nears its end.World news | The Guardian: “Ukraine has resumed its attacks on Russian oil refineries in defiance of pressure from Donald Trump ahead of the US midterm elections, with a ceasefire in the occupied town of Oleshky due to end late on Sunday.”
- SupportedUkrainian officials said Kyiv never agreed to Jared Kushner’s demand for a 30-day pause in refinery strikes.World news | The Guardian: “Ukrainian officials, however, told the Kyiv Independent newspaper that they never agreed to a demand from Jared Kushner, the US president’s son-in-law, to pause refinery strikes for 30 days.”
- SupportedThe six-day humanitarian ceasefire was due to end late Sunday.World news | The Guardian: “The latest attacks came as a six-day local ceasefire brokered by the US first lady, Melania Trump, was due to come to an end in the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky.”
- SupportedKremlin officials said the raids on Russia restarted on Friday.World news | The Guardian: “The raids on Russia restarted on Friday, Kremlin officials said, complaining that Kyiv was now “simply ignoring” US wishes.”
- SupportedRussian state media reported that Ukrainian long-range drones set fire to the Kstovo refinery overnight.World news | The Guardian: “Russian state media said on Sunday Ukrainian long-range drones had set fire to the Kstovo refinery in Nizhny Novgorod oblast overnight”
- SupportedKremlin officials said Kyiv was “simply ignoring” American wishes.World news | The Guardian: “Kremlin officials said, complaining that Kyiv was now “simply ignoring” US wishes.”
- SupportedViacheslav said, “We came back from hell.”BBC News: “her husband Viacheslav put it this way: "We came back from hell."”
- SupportedOlha described life in Oleshky as “horror”.BBC News: “Olha has one word to describe what life has been like in the front-line city of Oleshky over the past few years: "Horror".”
- SupportedOlha said, “If we managed to survive in hell, we'll survive here too.”BBC News: “"If we managed to survive in hell, we'll survive here too."”
- SupportedZelenskyy said 54,400 military personnel were killed and wounded in October.World news | The Guardian: “Zelenskyy said Russia was suffering record losses, with 54,400 military personnel killed and wounded in October”
- SupportedZelenskyy said Ukraine recaptured 96.2 square kilometres of territory last month.World news | The Guardian: “He said Ukraine recaptured 96.2 sqkm (37 sq miles) of its territory last month”