Zelensky says Ukraine resumes refinery strikes, Musk calls for his resignation

Kyiv ends its refinery pause

Volodymyr Zelensky told the Financial Times that Ukraine will resume strikes on Russian oil refineries after a three-day pause that followed a US request. In the interview he said the ban on attacks against Russian refineries had been lifted and that Ukraine had had enough. He argued that Russia kept striking Ukrainian energy infrastructure during the pause, and accused the United States of withholding intelligence on Russian attacks to press Kyiv into stopping. Donald Trump had proposed a moratorium on attacks on refineries and energy facilities on Saturday, 10 October, a proposal that came alongside the lifting of sanctions on Russian crude. Moscow and Kyiv have since accused each other of not respecting it.

Starlink outage and the intelligence dispute

Zelensky said the disruption to Starlink satellite internet was not a technical problem but a matter of will, and that US officials had warned Ukrainian military commanders they would block intelligence if the strikes did not stop. Ukraine's Defence Ministry sources told Ukrainska Pravda that Starshield, the military version of Starlink, had resumed working, while the ministry was still clarifying the reasons for the restrictions imposed the previous day, 14 October. Kyiv reported slowdowns and limits that reportedly hit some drone missions, particularly terminals used for long-range operations that need reliable high-speed connections. Zelensky also warned that if attacks continued and Starlink failed, people would inevitably die.

Musk calls for Zelensky to leave

Elon Musk wrote on X that the massacre would continue and that it was time for Zelensky to leave, replying to a post about Zelensky's interview with Piers Morgan. That post had suggested Zelensky's main concern was the end of the war and the holding of presidential elections. Musk rejected direct responsibility for the disruption and separated the commercial Starlink service from the military Starshield system. He said any limit on speed or use of Starshield is decided by the US military and ultimately by the US president.

Moscow's reaction

Sergei Lavrov, speaking in Baku ahead of a Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia meeting, called Ukraine's move a direct and rude challenge to Trump, who he said had actively backed the arrangement. He argued that peace efforts had steadily backslid since the Anchorage summit in August 2025 and that the outcome would now depend on the actions of the armed forces. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there had been in essence no moratorium from Ukraine, since attacks on Russian refineries and energy facilities continued in recent days. Ryazan governor Pavel Malkov reported a refinery fire after a massive drone attack, with no information yet on casualties or damage.

Diesel deal and shadow-fleet sanctions

Trump announced a deal with Vladimir Putin in early October for Russia to supply more than 300,000 tonnes of diesel to the US and global market, a move Zelensky said Moscow would exploit to step up attacks on Ukraine. According to Zelensky's statement on social media, six people were killed in Russian attacks on the Kirovohrad and Dnipropetrovsk provinces, and more than 850 Shahed drones were counted between midnight and 9.00 that morning. Separately, a US official told Reuters that Washington is weighing easing sanctions on shadow-fleet tankers that carried oil from Russia, Iran and Venezuela, in an effort to lower shipping costs that have reached record levels. Talks focus on letting non-sanctioned oil move on previously sanctioned vessels.