Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Russia attacked six Ukrainian energy facilities within hours of US President Donald Trump's announcement that Moscow and Kyiv had agreed to an energy ceasefire. According to Zelensky, the strikes targeted gas stations, power infrastructure and other installations despite Trump's insistence that the truce would take effect immediately.
The Ukrainian leader told Fox News that his country had held its fire while Russia continued its assaults. He described the timing of the attacks as a direct message from Russian President Vladimir Putin to the White House, suggesting Moscow was deliberately testing the credibility of the newly announced deal.
Trump had declared on Sunday that both sides had reached an understanding to halt strikes on energy infrastructure, framing the arrangement as a significant step toward de-escalation. The announcement came amid rising global fuel prices driven by multiple international conflicts, and just days after Trump unveiled a plan to allow Russian diesel imports into the United States.
Zelensky said the proposal could represent a major breakthrough in ending the war, but only if Washington genuinely enforces compliance. He stressed that American involvement would be essential to ensuring Russia respects the terms of any energy truce.
The consequences of the reported strikes were felt almost immediately. Ukraine's state news agency Ukrinform said blackouts hit the city of Izyum after Russian attacks destroyed power grids. Energy and railway infrastructure in western Ukraine were also targeted overnight, according to officials.
Ukraine's state-owned grid operator Ukrenergo confirmed new power cuts in the Kharkiv, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions, citing damage to energy equipment. The operator said electricity rationing had been introduced in parts of the country to prevent damaged systems from becoming overloaded.
Zelensky said 33 people had been injured in the strikes on energy facilities across Ukraine. In a post on X, he argued the attacks were proof that Russia was unwilling to accept an energy ceasefire in good faith.
The violence extended beyond energy infrastructure. On Monday evening, Kyiv's mayor Vitali Klitschko reported on Telegram that a drone had struck a 25-story residential building in the Darnytskyi district of the capital. Several cars in the building's courtyard caught fire, and officials confirmed one person was killed and 11 others were injured.
Emergency services also responded to a Russian drone strike on a residential building in Kharkiv, north-eastern Ukraine, on Monday, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Images from the scene showed rescue workers standing amid rubble and smoke as they searched for survivors.
The Kremlin has consistently argued that the energy installations it targets are legitimate military objectives because they support Ukraine's defence operations. Moscow's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said on Monday that Ukraine does not deserve the respite that a ceasefire would provide, signalling continued Russian opposition to any pause in hostilities.
Ukraine has likewise carried out strikes deep inside Russian territory, which Zelensky has characterised as an effort to reduce Moscow's ability to finance its war effort. For months, the two sides have exchanged attacks on energy infrastructure, disrupting supplies on both sides and raising fears about winter heating and power availability.
Analysis by BBC Verify has found that both sides have intensified their attacks on energy targets in the lead-up to winter. In 2026, BBC Verify recorded 273 strikes on Russian-controlled oil and gas facilities, more than double the 124 documented over the same period in 2025.
Separate data aggregated by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data project, a global conflict monitor, showed 2.4 times as many reported Russian attacks affecting Ukraine's energy network so far this year compared with the previous year.
International reactions to the ceasefire proposal have been mixed. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Britain strongly supports Trump's call for a sustained energy ceasefire to begin immediately. France, Canada and the European Union also expressed general support for the initiative.
However, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas struck a more cautious tone, saying the bloc would welcome an energy ceasefire only when it actually holds. Speaking after a meeting of EU foreign ministers on Monday, she noted that Brussels had not yet seen evidence that Russia would comply. Estonia's foreign minister was more blunt, stating plainly that the ceasefire was not working.
The episode underscores the difficulty of translating high-level diplomatic announcements into reality on the battlefield. While Trump has urged Ukraine to stop striking Russian oil infrastructure so that Moscow can fulfil its diesel export commitments to the US and global markets, Kyiv appears reluctant to halt operations that it views as strategically vital.
The diesel deal temporarily lifts US sanctions on Russian energy imports, an arrangement Zelensky has described as a gift to Putin. Critics argue that easing restrictions without guaranteed reciprocity could undermine leverage over Moscow while offering little immediate relief to Ukraine.
With winter approaching and energy infrastructure already damaged on both sides, the stakes are particularly high. Any sustained halt to attacks could ease pressure on civilian populations and stabilise fuel markets, but only if both parties honour their commitments. The coming days are likely to determine whether the announced ceasefire becomes a genuine turning point or simply another failed attempt at de-escalation.
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