Key facts
- Russian strikes on October 13 and 14 cut power to at least 600,000 people in Ukraine.
- President Zelensky said Russia launched 39 ballistic missiles and more than 120 drones at Kyiv and Kharkiv.
- The strikes damaged at least 26 power facilities and four oil and gas sites.
- At least three deaths were reported in Kyiv.
- US President Donald Trump claimed an "energy ceasefire" was in effect.
- Ukraine's air defenses detected missiles only as they neared the city, according to Zelensky.
Russian strikes on October 13 and 14 cut power to at least 600,000 people in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced, four days after the Trump administration licensed imports of Russian diesel while pressing Ukraine to stop striking Russian refineries. Zelensky said Russia launched 39 ballistic missiles and more than 120 drones at Kyiv and Kharkiv, damaging at least 26 power facilities and four oil and gas sites. Outages could spread further, he said, as a ballistic missile hit Kyiv's CHP-4 power plant on Tuesday evening. DTEK reported emergency outages in several districts, and Al Jazeera reported at least three deaths in Kyiv.
Russia's Defense Ministry stated 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. Trump announced an "energy ceasefire" on Sunday, claiming 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, and Zelensky said Monday that Russia had already violated that.
Trump's October 9 diesel post lists volumes of diesel to be exported and mentions neither strikes nor a ceasefire. The Kremlin's account of the call contains no commitment from either side to halt strikes. The Treasury's General License 135 runs to April 7, 2027. 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 suggested 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.