Ukraine Fires 100+ Drones at Russian Refineries, Ignoring Trump's Pleas

Ukraine has restarted long-range drone attacks on Russian oil refineries, ignoring pressure from US President Donald Trump just days before US midterm elections [276576]. Russian state media reported on Sunday that Ukrainian drones set fire to the Kstovo refinery in Nizhny Novgorod overnight, shortly after another major attack on a large refinery in Samara owned by Russian state energy giant Rosneft [276576]. The Kremlin said Kyiv is "simply ignoring" US wishes [276576].

The renewed campaign comes as Russian forces continue to strike Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian attacks hit energy facilities in at least four regions overnight, leaving tens of thousands of people without power [276537]. A United Nations (UN) commission has ruled that Russia's strikes on Ukraine's power grid amount to crimes against humanity, marking a significant legal step in documenting the war's impact on civilians [272914].

Russian missiles also struck a university campus in Kyiv and the Southern Bridge in two separate waves of overnight attacks [272914]. In the southern Kherson region, a ceasefire in the occupied town of Oleshky is set to end on Sunday evening [276576]. The region's governor said Russia has used "everything but nuclear weapons" against civilians, with drone attacks now striking the area up to 6,500 times every week despite about 140,000 residents remaining in Kherson [275483].

On the battlefield, Ukraine's Azov Brigade said it has struck more than 100 Russian trains in occupied Donbas over the past four months, targeting large diesel locomotives with small drones [275488]. Ukraine's Navy also reported that a Neptune missile strike destroyed two Russian Su-34 bombers, a key part of Russia's tactical aviation fleet used to drop guided aerial bombs on Ukrainian positions and settlements near the front line [275506].

In the northeastern Sumy Oblast, Russian attacks have damaged 165 schools since the start of the full-scale invasion, prompting local authorities to move classrooms underground. Thirteen underground schools are already operating in the region, nine more are under construction, and another 14 are at the design stage [275504].