Russia claimed on Sunday that its forces struck the Kremenchuk oil refinery in Ukraine’s central Poltava region, alleging the facility was a key supplier of fuel to Ukrainian troops in the eastern Donbas region.
In a statement, Russia’s Ministry of Defence said the overnight operation involved missiles launched from both sea and air, as well as strike drones, describing the attack as “successful.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky strongly condemned the strike, calling it a “vile” assault on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
“Unfortunately, there was damage to the energy infrastructure,” Zelensky said in his nightly address. “This is Russia spitting on everything the international community is trying to do to end this war.”
He noted the attack came despite U.S. requests for Ukraine to refrain from striking Russian energy targets, suggesting Moscow is exploiting Western restraint.
The Kremenchuk refinery has been a vital logistics hub for Ukraine’s military, particularly in supporting frontline operations in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions—territories that Russia claims as its own and largely occupies.
Meanwhile, Russia’s defence ministry also reported that its troops had seized control of the village of Malynivka in the Donetsk region, which it refers to as Ulyanovka.
Russian forces were also said to have advanced into Ukrainian positions in Sumy, inflicting what Moscow described as “heavy losses.” Although Sumy is not among the territories formally annexed by Russia, it has hinted at creating a buffer zone in the area.
In contrast, Zelensky announced on Saturday that Ukrainian troops had retaken the village of Andriivka in northeastern Sumy, as part of an ongoing effort to repel Russian forces. He said that Russia had amassed around 53,000 troops in the region, signaling potential escalations in the days ahead.
