Topic: Gas
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Babiš blasts Trump's diesel deal with Putin as 'slap' to Europe at EU summit in Brussels
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived at an EU leaders' summit in Brussels on 16 October 2026, where Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš publicly criticised Donald Trump's diesel agreement with Vladimir Putin, calling it a 'slap' to Europe. Zelensky told journalists in Brussels that Putin does not want real peace talks and warned that concessions on Russian diesel could be followed by gas deals and sanctions relief. The summit comes amid reports that Trump has shifted from mediator to a party doing deals with Moscow, and that Washington has pressured Kyiv over strikes on Russian oil refineries.
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Russian strike hits Naftogaz gas facility in Poltava region, operations suspended
Russia attacked a Naftogaz gas production facility in Poltava Oblast overnight on October 15, 2026, suspending operations and causing a fire and equipment damage. Acting CEO Serhiy Fedorenko said no staff were injured because personnel were in a shelter during the strike. The attack comes days after a similar strike on Naftogaz infrastructure in Kharkiv Oblast, and as the company faces a sharp escalation in assaults on its energy assets.
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Ukraine's military intelligence publishes data on 20 vessels in Russia's sanctions-evading 'shadow fleet'
Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) of the Ministry of Defence has published information on 20 maritime vessels that export Russian oil, oil products and liquefied natural gas or refuel sanctioned ships. All 20 are under UK or Ukrainian sanctions, and one is also sanctioned by the US. The intelligence service called on international partners to tighten controls on ship sales, block servicing of the sanctioned fleet at foreign shipyards and cut off Russia's energy-export revenues.
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Nord Stream sabotage trial: Kuznetsov's defense to cite two military commanders as witnesses
The defense of Ukrainian national Serhii Kuznetsov, who is standing trial in Hamburg for the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline sabotage, plans to present written sworn testimony from two of his military commanders, including a figure described as the likely organizer of the entire operation. Kuznetsov himself will not testify; his lawyers argue that as a servicemember he is not authorized to disclose details of his activities. He denies involvement in the sabotage, and Ukraine officially rejects the accusations against him.
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US and Russia discussed American investor for Nord Stream, but White House denies talks and Germany pushes back
Reuters reported that US presidential envoy Jared Kushner and Kremlin-linked adviser Kirill Dmitriev have discussed attracting an American investor to restore the Nord Stream gas pipelines, meeting in Moscow and New York in recent weeks. The White House said any Russia deals must go through US development finance and Treasury bodies and that there have been no recent Nord Stream-specific talks. Germany said the pipelines are under European sanctions and that Berlin has no wish to approve their resumption.
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Cargo vessel carrying Ukrainian grain struck in Black Sea near Romania; two crew killed
The cargo ship Royad Mammadov, carrying grain from the Ukrainian port of Izmail to Italy, caught fire in the Black Sea near the Romanian coast on 5 October after what President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said was a strike by two Russian drones. Eleven of the 13 crew members were rescued by Romanian vessels; two people were killed, according to Romania's Interior Ministry.
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Ukraine says Russia used civilians, including children, as cover while retreating through gas pipeline near Kupiansk
Ukraine's National Guard 'Khartiia' corps says reconnaissance drones recorded Russian forces on 27 September leading nine civilians — including children, elderly people and one person on crutches — out of the Kupiansk community in Kharkiv Oblast through the 'Shebelinka — Ostrohozk' gas pipeline. Khartiia says men of military age in civilian clothes walking alongside the group were Russian soldiers who had removed their uniforms, and that the children and elderly were forced to walk more than 10 kilometres inside the pipe. Ukrainian forces saw the group but did not open fire because of the civilians present; the military says the footage will be passed on for a war crimes investigation. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha publicly characterized the actions as the use of Ukrainian civilians as a 'human shield' and as gross violations of international humanitarian law.
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Ukraine says it obtained Russian plans for winter strikes on energy infrastructure, details defensive preparations
Ukraine's Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said Ukrainian intelligence obtained two Russian documents detailing Moscow's planned strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure this winter. The documents contain tables specifying targets, weapons and munition allocations. Shmyhal described protective construction and tripled reserve stockpiles, and said Ukraine will continue deep strikes on Russia if energy attacks continue.
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Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces report 38 energy nodes struck in latest wave of "Crimean Switch off"
Commander Robert "Madyar" Brovdi said on September 23 that Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces struck 38 additional energy nodes on Russian and occupied territory as part of operation "Crimean Switch off." The reported strikes include gas distribution stations in occupied Crimea, substations in occupied Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, and a facility on Russian territory. Since July 6, the operation has hit 412 energy nodes in total.
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Russian drone attack damages schools, hospital, railway and homes in Konotop
Russian forces carried out a massive drone attack on the city of Konotop in Sumy Oblast overnight on September 18, damaging schools, a kindergarten, medical facilities, the railway, residential houses, shops, gas distribution infrastructure and power lines. Two women were injured. Konotop mayor Artem Semenikhin reported the consequences.
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Ukraine better prepared for winter energy strikes than last year, PM tells YES forum
Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky told the YES 2026 conference in Kyiv that Ukraine is significantly better prepared for Russian attacks on energy infrastructure than last winter, while warning that full protection is impossible and the coming months will be difficult. He outlined contingency planning and decentralized support for regions and said the government must prepare for a prolonged war, even if a ceasefire is reached.
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Trump–Putin call fuels peace hopes as Ukraine reports $27bn shortfall and deep drone strike hits Russia
US President Donald Trump said after a phone call with Vladimir Putin on 8 September that Putin wants a deal to end the war, raising the prospect of bilateral or trilateral leader-level meetings. US, Ukrainian and European officials publicly doubted Putin's seriousness, while Ukraine disclosed it needs an additional $27 billion to get through the year. The diplomatic activity coincided with a Ukrainian drone strike on a facility in Russia's Yamal region, described by Kyiv as its deepest inside Russia since 2022, and Russian attacks on multiple Ukrainian regions that killed at least six people.