Defiant Zelensky resumes strikes on Putin’s oil depots after Trump’s ‘betrayal’ as Musk calls for Ukraine leader ‘to go’

Ukraine has resumed strikes on Russian energy facilities after President Volodymyr Zelensky said he felt “betrayed” by US President Donald Trump over a Russian diesel agreement and restrictions on satellite services used by Ukrainian forces.

According to The Sun, a refinery in Russia’s Ryazan region was struck on Thursday, October 15, marking Ukraine’s first reported attack on an energy facility since Trump announced an “energy truce” on Sunday. The report also described an overnight strike on a Russian airbase in the Voronezh region and a renewed fire at a fuel terminal in Rostov-on-Don, where a blaze had previously burned for five days.

Zelensky told the Financial Times that Ukraine had refrained from targeting refineries for three days before ending that restraint. “The block [on attacking refineries] is out. We’re done,” he said. In a separate interview with Piers Morgan Uncensored, Zelensky criticised Washington’s agreement to import Russian diesel and questioned the direction of US policy.

Asked whether he felt betrayed by Trump’s recent decisions, he replied: “Really, yes. It’s painful when President Trump chooses one side, not our side,” Zelensky said. “I think his advisers are wrong. I don’t know who is pushing him. Not to the right side, this is not the right side of history.” Zelensky warned that reduced American support could leave Ukraine more vulnerable to attacks and worsen conditions during winter.

He also criticised restrictions affecting satellite connectivity used by Ukrainian forces, including military services associated with SpaceX’s Starlink and Starshield systems. “I am sure they knew what they did, absolutely,” he said, while also expressing hope that the disruption might have a technical explanation. “I hope that it’s a mistake, maybe huge technical problem,” he added.

SpaceX owner Elon Musk denied responsibility for the restrictions, saying such decisions rested with the US military and “ultimately Potus”. Reacting to renewed Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil facilities, Musk wrote: “And so the slaughter continues. Time for Zelensky to go.” Former Ukrainian defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov said efforts were underway to restore the affected satellite services.

Ukrainian military radio technology specialist Serhiy Beskrestnov said high-speed terminals and services operating under military-specific programmes had been interrupted without warning. “Our armed forces did not receive a warning about these restrictions and this led to the failure of a number of missions,” he said. “It’s clear that this action cannot be a coincidence and is connected to the current political situation.”

His assessment of the cause was not independently established in the report. The dispute followed Russian missile attacks on Ukraine earlier in the week. According to the report, at least six people died and more than 600,000 were left without electricity, with damage reported in Kyiv, Rivne and Odesa.

Trump’s diesel agreement with Russia, announced last Friday, would allow millions of barrels of Russian oil to be sold to the United States and other markets, the report said. He subsequently criticised Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, linking them to rising global fuel prices, and announced an immediate energy ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv.