Ukraine defies Trump and launches one of its biggest drone attacks on Russia this year

By Tim Lister and Daria Tarasova-Markina, CNN

(CNN) — Ukraine launched one of its biggest drone attacks this year on Russia overnight on Saturday, hitting a key oil terminal in defiance of US President Donald Trump’s demand it stop hitting Russian energy infrastructure.

There have been growing tensions between Ukraine and the US in recent days, prompting fears in Kyiv it could lose essential support as it approaches another winter under relentless Russian attack.

But Ukraine is keeping up long-range strikes into Russia. Russia’s defense ministry said it shot down 1,015 Ukrainian drones overnight into Sunday over various parts of the country.

One target was the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal, according to Russian authorities. The terminal can handle up to 12.5 million tons per year. Ukraine’s Fire Point company, which makes the drones used in the attack, said there was a fire on the terminal’s grounds following the strike.

A logistics centers in St. Petersburg was also attacked, according to Ozon, a Russian distribution company. One person was killed and five wounded by the attacks, with residential homes damaged as well, according to local authorities.

Ukraine’s strikes come amid President Volodymyr Zelensky’s deteriorating relationship with Trump, who last week called Kyiv’s strikes on Russian oil refineries a “disgrace.”

A week ago Trump said Russia and Ukraine had agreed to stop attacking each other’s energy infrastructure, as the White House tries to relieve pressure on oil and diesel prices ahead of crucial midterm elections.

Neither Kyiv nor Moscow acknowledged such an agreement. Ukraine briefly halted such attacks, but has since resumed them — while Russia never stopped pounding Ukraine’s energy plants and cities.

Eleven people were killed and nearly 50 injured across Ukraine in Russian missile and drone attacks in the 24 hours to Sunday morning, according to Ukrainian authorities, including what they called a massive attack on energy facilities in the Odesa region.

“Since the American President announced the energy ceasefire a week ​ago, Russia has ​deliberately ‌attacked ​Ukraine’s energy and oil and gas sectors ⁠76 times,” Zelensky ​wrote on X Sunday.

“America should see that Russia is not taking any reciprocal steps in response to sanctions relief or agreements,” Zelensky said. “On the contrary, they take every signal of an opportunity to make money as proof that their bet on war is paying off and they can keep fighting.”

Trump has waived sanctions on imports of Russian diesel and on Friday invoked a waiver exempting Russia from sweeping economic penalties mandated by the US Congress, sparking criticism even from Republicans.

Zelensky has also said that the Ukrainian military’s access to the Starlink system to guide its short-range and battlefield drones remains curtailed.

“The maximum speed today is 161 kilometers per hour. After that, based on what I’ve seen and heard in the reports, Starlink shuts down, and we lose the drone,” he said Saturday.

Zelensky said the restrictions have an impact on Ukraine’s defenses as well. “Unfortunately, we can’t currently use Starlink or Starshield any more in our country to shoot down jet-powered shaheds,” referring to the drone that have wrought so much damage in Ukraine.

Starshield is a more advanced system designed for government and national-security needs.

“The restrictions are in effect on Ukrainian territory, but they do not apply within the European Union. In other words, this is a planned operation… to restrict us, cut us off and prevent us from defending ourselves and protecting our people,” the Ukrainian president said Saturday.

The Trump administration denies restricting the service.

Last week Kyiv also said it was now facing Russian ballistic missile attacks without any alerts from allies. US satellite networks have been critical in providing the Ukrainian military with warnings of incoming missiles.

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