As Trump and Zelenskyy talk about potential energy truce, Russia and Ukraine unleash new wave of strikes

Ukraine and Russia traded fresh strikes on their respective energy infrastructure overnight, underscoring the gap between the high-level talk of an energy ceasefire in the ongoing war and the reality on the ground.

Ukraine struck two Russian oil refineries, while Russia launched a barrage of missiles at southern Ukraine, hitting several targets, including an oil and gas facility that officials say is now so badly damaged it cannot be restored.

The strikes come as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepares to meet U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The two leaders spoke by phone on Sunday, and Trump reportedly raised concerns several times about soaring diesel prices. Zelenskyy said afterward that there are “ideas on the table for bringing peace closer, starting with strong de-escalation steps.”

But Zelenskyy has also said any agreement must protect Ukraine’s food exports and critical infrastructure, not just energy facilities.

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The Kremlin has previously said it is open to a moratorium on attacks against energy infrastructure, but has insisted that Western sanctions must also be lifted.

Last week, Trump said both sides had agreed to an energy ceasefire. But the agreement appeared to exist largely on his social media feed, because strikes continued.

For many Ukrainians, this has left little reason for optimism.

“I don't really believe in it, I don't, because there are rockets flying,” said Mykola Nechyporenko, a 55-year-old energy worker who spoke to CBC News as he and a crew repaired a damaged electrical cable in Kyiv on Tuesday, ahead of the winter.

“This whole process is uncontrollable.”

Strikes deepen pressure on Russia's fuel supply

Overnight, Ukraine hit a refinery in Russia’s Samara region, about 500 kilometres southeast of Moscow, as well as a refinery in Ufa, more than 1,100 km from the capital.

Those strikes followed what Moscow's mayor called Ukraine's largest drone attack yet on the capital. On the weekend, Kyiv launched more than 400 drones at a refinery in the city. 

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The attacks are part of a broader Ukrainian campaign against Russia’s energy infrastructure. In recent months, repeated strikes have contributed to fuel shortages, prompting Moscow to ban diesel exports and begin importing fuel from other countries, including India.

In a recent report, the International Energy Agency (IEA) says Russia’s gasoline output is down 20 per cent compared with 2025 levels, while diesel production is estimated to have fallen by nearly 30 per cent.

The IEA says Russia has 32 major refineries, some of which have been attacked as many as 15 times since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

In the first eight months of 2026, a Russian refinery was hit, on average, once every three days, according to the agency.

The disruption is being felt by Russian drivers. Videos posted on social media have shown shortages at gas stations, with frustration at times boiling over into fistfights at the pumps.

The pressure on fuel supplies has also contributed to higher diesel prices internationally, according to the IEA.

Russia targets Ukraine's energy system

While Ukraine strikes deep inside Russia, Moscow has kept up its attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

Overnight, Russia launched several ballistic missiles at southern Ukraine, including at an energy facility in the Poltava region.

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The facility is owned by Naftogaz, Ukraine’s largest oil and gas company. The company said at least five missiles struck the site. It had already been shut down, but Naftogaz said the latest damage was so severe that it would no longer be possible to restore and operate the facility.

The state-owned company also operates a network of gas stations, called Ukrnafta. Some are now being fortified with barriers in an effort to reduce damage if they come under attack.

Russia has already targeted several gas stations with drones, including one in the city of Boryspil on Aug. 20.

“There was an alert, and we went with the others behind the petrol station and then there was an explosion in the air and shrapnel came down,” said Valentyn Krasnopir, 63, whose leg was severely injured in the strike. He spoke to CBC News on Saturday from a hospital bed in Kyiv.

Krasnopir said he has lost hope in negotiations.

Iryna Panina, 36, feels the same sense of exhaustion. She was startled awake overnight by what she described as the sound of an aircraft falling, followed by a large explosion.

The windows in her apartment were blown out and furniture was thrown across the floor when a neighbouring five-storey building was hit in the attack. The first floor of that building caught on fire. Two people were injured, and all of the residents were evacuated.

On Tuesday afternoon, as residents gathered alongside emergency crews to try and start the cleanup, air defences rang out in the Ukrainian capital as crews attempted to shoot down a swarm of Russian drones.

“This war has continued too long for us. I don't know what to say, because we are all tired of this and we want some peace,” Panina said in an interview with CBC News.

“I think most of us don't believe in these [Trump/Zelenskyy] meetings. Just talking … that's all. I don't think that something will change.”

New challenge for Ukraine's air defences

The latest attacks come as Ukraine faces another challenge on the battlefield: Russia’s use of jet-powered drones.

Kyiv has adopted a strategy of sending multiple waves of drones toward a target at once in an effort to overwhelm Russian air defences. But Ukrainian forces are struggling to intercept Russian jet-powered drones, which travel too quickly for some of the country’s existing systems.

The attacks have raised concerns about another difficult winter if Russia continues to target Ukraine’s energy grid.

“It's like a neverending story,” said Panina.

“I think we will make some damage for [the Russians], they will for us, and how long it takes? I don't know."