Six Injured in Russian Strikes on Zaporizhzhia and Chernihiv as Zelenskiy Ties a Halt in Refinery Attacks to a Stop in Power Grid Strikes
Russian strikes injured six people in Zaporizhzhia and Chernihiv overnight, according to Ukrainian officials, while President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine would stop hitting Russian oil refineries only if Moscow stops striking power infrastructure.
A Russian strike on the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia injured four people overnight, regional governor Mykhailo Semikin said on Telegram on Monday, according to Reuters. Two more people were injured in Russian strikes on the Chernihiv region, Ukraine’s emergency service said on the same messaging app.
Russia’s defence ministry said on Telegram that it hit a power station in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, a warehouse in the surrounding region, and another power station in the Khmelnitskiy region. The ministry also said it targeted port infrastructure in Chornomorsk and a cargo vessel en route to Odesa that it said was used for military purposes.
Zelenskiy sets a condition for halting refinery strikes
The United States has pressed Ukraine to suspend strikes on Russian oil refineries, which it argues added to high energy prices, Reuters reported. The issue is sensitive for the Trump administration amid its war on Iran and with midterm elections approaching next month.
In an interview aired on Sunday, Zelenskiy said that in order for Kyiv to halt the refinery strikes, Moscow must stop hitting power infrastructure. As an alternative, he said the United States should allow the use of Starshield over Russia to detect missile launch sites, or supply Ukraine with Patriot missiles.
A local ceasefire in Oleshky is set to start Tuesday
Separately, Russia’s defence ministry accused Ukraine on Monday of striking the Russian-controlled town of Oleshky in southern Ukraine with artillery and drones ahead of a planned local ceasefire this week. The ministry said the strikes had thwarted the delivery of food and medicine and stopped people leaving.
Ukraine and Russia said on Friday they had agreed on a ceasefire in Oleshky that would go into effect on October 27, allowing the delivery of aid and the evacuation of residents through humanitarian corridors. Russia’s ministry said Ukraine had struck the town 18 times with artillery fire and carried out more than 120 drone attacks on it and the main roads around it in the last week since October 19.
Reuters said it could not independently verify that assertion, and there was no immediate response from Ukraine, which has in the past accused Russia of not letting aid in or people out.
Reporting based on coverage by Reuters.
