‘Russians are trying to cause blackout’: Zelensky accuses Moscow of ‘deliberately’ striking Ukraine’s energy sector

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of “deliberately” attacking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, despite US President Donald Trump’s announcement of an energy ceasefire last week. He said that Moscow has carried out 76 attacks on the country’s energy, oil and gas sectors since then.

In a post on X, Zelensky said, “Since the American President announced the energy ceasefire a week ago, Russia has deliberately attacked Ukraine’s energy and oil and gas sectors 76 times. Last night alone, there were strikes on substations in the Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, and Odesa regions. Tens of thousands of families remain without power.”

The Ukrainian president also reported a strike on an agricultural enterprise in the Volyn region on Sunday morning, adding that emergency and other essential services were working at the site.

Zelensky cites thousands of Russian aerial attacks

Zelensky said Russia had launched almost 2,700 attack drones, 1,700 aerial bombs and 66 missiles against Ukraine over the past week. Most of the missiles, he claimed, were ballistic. He alleged that energy facilities were the primary targets, accusing Moscow of trying to plunge Ukraine into a nationwide blackout.

“The main targets of these strikes are energy facilities – the Russians are trying to cause a blackout,” Zelensky said.

Ukraine calls for greater pressure on Moscow

Zelensky urged Washington to recognise what he described as Russia’s failure to reciprocate efforts to ease sanctions or reach agreements. He argued that concessions were encouraging Moscow to continue fighting rather than pursue peace.

“It is Russia that must face pressure for peace to have a chance,” he said, calling on Ukraine’s international partners to maintain pressure on Moscow.

Trump’s ‘energy ceasefire’ that wasn’t

The developments come a week after Trump announced an “energy ceasefire” between Russia and Ukraine on October 11, saying it was “effective immediately”. However, neither Kyiv nor Moscow confirmed it. Zelensky said that Trump’s announcement was “news” to him, although he said that Ukraine would abide by it if Moscow did the same.

However, just hours later, Kyiv accused Moscow of striking at least six of its energy infrastructure facilities just hours after the announcement. Following Russian attacks, the Ukrainian president earlier declared that Kyiv will no longer abide by US President Donald Trump’s energy ceasefire that demanded a halt to attacks on energy infrastructure.

Trump-Zelensky tensions

Trump’s announcement came amid a growing rift between Kyiv and Washington over a US-Russia diesel agreement. Zelensky has criticised the easing of restrictions on Russian diesel exports, arguing that it could benefit Moscow without securing concessions.

Trump had repeatedly warned Kyiv against targeting Russia’s oil refineries, saying that it has led to a rise in fuel prices in the US ahead of the upcoming November 3 midterm elections. Meanwhile, reports suggested that US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner had also raised the possibility of limiting intelligence-sharing with Ukraine if the refinery attacks continued. A US official denied that a threat had been made.

Later in an interview with Newsmax, Trump claimed that the Ukrainian president “doesn’t want to settle” the ongoing war with Russia, adding that while both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky would like to see the war end, “but I think I find Zelensky to be more difficult to deal with than Putin.”