Ukraine carries out more drone strikes, including on a refinery: Another day, another drone attack by Ukraine that targeted a Russian oil refinery.
According to the Kyiv Independent, Ukraine targeted Russia’s Ryazan oil refinery with an overnight drone attack. Telegram videos showed what the Independent described as “explosions and a large fire near the facility,” although the publication said it could not independently verify the footage.
T-84 Tank from Ukraine War. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Ukraine Tanks. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
The Telegram footage, the Independent said, depicted “Russian air defenses operating, followed by a powerful explosion and a bright glow illuminating the night sky.”
Ryazan Oblast Governor Pavel Malkov did confirm, according to the report, that the region had been hit overnight with a drone barrage. The report added that the attack left parts of Ryazan without electricity, and that windows were shattered at a school in the area.
According to Ukrainska Pravda, which cited Ukrainian military intelligence, Ukraine’s attacks have rendered 15 out of Russia’s 38 main refineries inoperable, with 12 more having to reduce their output. As a result, the report said, several Russian oil companies, including Slavneft-YANOS, Kirishineftegazsintez, Ryazan Oil Refinery, Gazpromneft-Moscow Oil Refinery and Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez, have suffered economically.
The Washington Post had more on the attack, noting that the refinery is one of the largest in Russia, having processed 14 million tons of crude oil in 2024, just under 5 percent of Russia’s refining capacity. The refinery supplies the Moscow region.
Against Trump’s Advice
As noted by The Post, the strike on a refinery, which was the third by Ukraine in the last week, went against warnings from President Donald Trump for Ukraine to stop attacking Russian oil facilities.
Trump, last month, had pushed for an “energy ceasefire” between Russia and Ukraine, believing that higher diesel prices were driven by the conflict and specifically those refinery attacks. Ukraine balked, including when Trump prematurely announced that an agreement had been reached between the sides for such a ceasefire, and then Trump announced an oil deal and sanctions relief for Russia.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has been hit with significant strikes by Russia this week, which have led to both power and water outages. The Post cited Ukraine’s Energy Ministry as stating that Kyiv and nearby areas have suffered “extensive damage to energy infrastructure [that] has forced operators to impose grid restriction.”
The attacks, meanwhile, come ahead of some potentially significant diplomatic talks.
Talks Incoming
On Thursday, First Lady Melania Trump is set to host representatives of both the Russian and Ukrainian sides at the White House, after the First Lady brokered a “localized” ceasefire and humanitarian exchange in the Russian-held town of Oleshky in Southern Ukraine.
Next week, representatives of Ukraine and Russia will hold their first direct talks in months in Abu Dhabi, with the United States mediating. Ukraine’s European allies are not scheduled to join in the Abu Dhabi meeting.
Per Al Jazeera, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this week that he hopes those talks, described as “adviser-level talks,” ultimately lead to a three-way meeting of himself, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Donald Trump.
“We are counting on the fact that work in this format and our other diplomatic steps will open the way to a trilateral format at the level of leaders,” the Ukrainian leader said during a visit this week to Berlin, ahead of the upcoming Abu Dhabi talks.
Ahead of that meeting, Al Jazeera said American envoys will travel to Brussels this week to meet with representatives of NATO, the European Union, the U.K., France and Germany. The parties, the report said, will discuss “security guarantees for Ukraine and Europe’s post-war security architecture.” The Ukrainian leader has said that Ukraine needs an additional 70 billion euros in aid next year.
According to Al Jazeera, these are among several key summits set for the coming weeks and months. Trump, Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping may meet at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen on November 18 and 19, while the Coalition of the Willing, a group of European allies of Ukraine, is also set to meet around the same time in Berlin.
The G20 will be meeting in Florida in December.
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
