Key facts
- Russia did not target Ukrainian energy facilities on Tuesday.
- Ukraine has not hit Russian refineries for two days, since Trump announced the ceasefire.
- Russia continued to strike cities with ballistic missiles and drones overnight.
- Four people were killed by Russian strikes in Kharkiv.
- Ukraine's air force said damage was recorded at 17 locations overnight, downing 88 of 108 drones.
Russia did not strike any Ukrainian energy targets on Tuesday, marking the first time since US President Donald Trump announced an "energy ceasefire." This occurred while Russia continued to hammer cities with ballistic missiles and drones overnight, causing casualties and damaging infrastructure.
Russia's defense ministry made no mention of Ukrainian energy facilities in its daily summary of strikes. A Kremlin spokesman confirmed ongoing contacts regarding the energy ceasefire but offered no further details. However, one missile landed just over a kilometer from a heating plant in Lviv.
Trump's ceasefire announcement on Sunday followed his earlier decision to lift U.S. sanctions on Russian diesel exports, allowing Russia to supply nearly 2 million metric tons of diesel in an effort to lower U.S. fuel prices. Reuters and other media have reported that U.S. officials threatened to cut off intelligence sharing and weapons sales to Ukraine if it continued strikes on Russian oil refineries.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated that Ukraine had not attacked Russian refineries for two days, coinciding with Trump's ceasefire announcement. He also noted that Russia had continued its attacks on energy and critical infrastructure during this period, having struck six Ukrainian energy sites on Monday. It remains unclear if Russia deliberately avoided energy infrastructure on Tuesday.
Trump has linked Ukrainian attacks on Russian diesel exports to rising U.S. diesel prices, a concern for his Republican party ahead of the midterm elections. Analysts, however, attribute the price increase more significantly to the war in Iran.
Ukrainian officials reported four fatalities and at least a dozen injuries across the country due to Russian strikes, including in Kharkiv where a residential building was hit. The Ukrainian air force indicated it had not received prior surveillance warnings before six ballistic missiles were fired at Kyiv late Monday. Investigations into the causes are underway. Intelligence regarding preparations for ballistic missile attacks is typically part of U.S. assistance to Ukraine.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha remarked that the U.S. request to halt attacks on Russian refineries demonstrated Ukraine's strengthened position. He alluded to a past comment from Trump suggesting Ukraine "don't have the cards," contrasting it with the current situation where Ukraine is "not playing your cards." Zelenskiy has expressed support for an energy truce but accused Moscow of violating it, stating that Ukraine would respond if Russia did not agree to an energy ceasefire this winter.
The Ukrainian air force reported damage at 17 locations overnight and that air defense units had downed 88 out of 108 Russian drones. A cargo terminal in the Mykolaiv region and transport infrastructure in Dnipropetrovsk were damaged. In Kharkiv, a hospital in the Khmelnytskyi region was also damaged.