Ukraine resumes strikes on Russian energy and military sites, ending US-backed pause
In the night of October 15, a military airfield in Borisoglebsk and a site in Ryazan, likely an oil refinery, were attacked, according to Ukrainian monitoring channels and the Ryazan governor. The strikes came shortly after President Zelensky said in a Financial Times interview that Ukraine would resume attacks on Russian oil refineries and abandon the pause Washington had pushed for.
Key points
- A military airfield in Borisoglebsk was attacked overnight on October 15, according to Ukrainian monitoring channels Supernova+ and Exilenova+.
- Those channels reported that Tomahawk missiles were used in the Borisoglebsk strike.
- Ryazan Oblast governor Pavel Malkov confirmed a massive drone attack on the region and a fire on the territory of an oil refinery.
- The Russian Ministry of Defense reported shooting down 166 Ukrainian drones over several oblasts, including Voronezh and Ryazan, but did not claim to have intercepted any missiles.
- Classes in schools and kindergartens in parts of Ryazan were cancelled for security reasons.
- In a Financial Times interview, President Zelensky said Ukraine will resume strikes on Russian oil refineries and will no longer observe the US-backed pause.
- Ukraine had not officially commented on the October 15 strikes at the time of publication.
Why it matters
The overnight strikes represent an explicit break with the US-brokered energy ceasefire announced by President Trump on October 11 and signal Ukraine's readiness to absorb the costs Washington had threatened, including cuts to intelligence sharing and Starlink access. A fire at one of Russia's five largest refineries would be a significant blow to Russian refining capacity, while a reported Tomahawk strike on a military airfield points to a deeper strike capability than drones alone provide. Moscow's silence on missile interceptions contrasts with the high drone count it claims to have downed, leaving the scale of the damage uncertain.
What happened
In the night of October 15, multiple Russian regions came under attack. Ukrainian monitoring channels Supernova+ and Exilenova+ reported that a military airfield in Borisoglebsk was struck with Tomahawk missiles. In Ryazan, a fire broke out that, according to Exilenova+ citing local residents, likely hit an oil refinery; Ryazan Oblast governor Pavel Malkov later confirmed a massive drone attack and a fire on the territory of an oil refinery, as well as damage to a warehouse and vehicles at another, unnamed enterprise. The Russian Ministry of Defense said it had downed 166 Ukrainian drones over a number of oblasts, including Voronezh and Ryazan, but did not report intercepting any missiles. Voronezh governor Oleksandr Gusev had not reported on the consequences for his region at the time of publication, though he had posted about a drone attack threat after midnight. Classes in schools and kindergartens in the Oktyabrsky and part of the Sovetsky districts of Ryazan were cancelled for security reasons. The Ukrainian side had not commented on the events at the time of publication. The attacks followed a Financial Times interview in which President Zelensky said Ukraine would resume strikes on Russian oil refineries and abandon the US-backed pause, citing Washington's restrictions on intelligence sharing and on Starlink satellite internet access for Ukrainian forces.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Both Ukrainian-language sources frame the story around successful or possibly successful strikes deep inside Russia, at both a military facility and an oil refinery. They cite Ukrainian monitoring channels for the Tomahawk missile claim and note that the Russian defense ministry did not report any missile interceptions. The two outlets place the strikes in the context of Zelensky's stated decision to end the US-backed pause and read the attacks as a political signal that Ukraine is willing to resume energy-site strikes despite Washington's pressure to stop them.
Where reporting differs
Sources differ on whether a fire actually occurred at the Ryazan oil refinery: governor Malkov confirmed a fire on the territory of the refinery, but earlier reporting cited only unconfirmed resident accounts, and the fact was not yet officially acknowledged at that stage. Sources also differ on whether missiles reached Russian territory: Ukrainian monitoring channels reported Tomahawk strikes on the Borisoglebsk airfield, while the Russian defense ministry reported shooting down drones only and mentioned no missile interceptions.
Background
On October 11, US President Donald Trump announced an 'energy ceasefire' requiring both Ukraine and Russia to stop strikes on oil refineries; Washington warned Kyiv it could curtail intelligence sharing and weapons sales if strikes on Russian energy infrastructure continued. The Office of the President of Ukraine denied Russian claims of strikes on Russian refineries on October 14, with Zelensky saying Ukraine had not hit Russian oil facilities for three days. Zelensky later said the decision to lift the pause followed US restrictions on intelligence sharing and on Starlink satellite internet access for Ukrainian forces. The Ryazan oil refinery is one of Russia's five largest, with refining capacity of up to 18 million tonnes of oil per year; Ukrainian forces last reported hitting it in September 2026.