Strikes Continue Despite the Truce
Zelensky said Russia hit "our gas stations, energy infrastructure, and other facilities," and that 33 people were injured in the strikes across the country. Ukraine's state news agency Ukrinform reported blackouts in the city of Izyum after a Russian strike destroyed power grids. Energy and railway infrastructure in western Ukraine was also targeted overnight.
On Monday, Ukraine's state-owned grid operator Ukrenergo reported new power cuts in Kharkiv, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia, caused by damage to equipment from Russian attacks. Electricity rationing has been introduced in parts of the country to avoid overloading damaged equipment.
Zelensky told Fox News that Ukraine did not attack while Russia did. "I think it was Putin's answer to President Trump," he said. On X, he called the strikes proof that Russia was "unwilling to accept an energy ceasefire." On Monday evening, Kyiv's mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram that a drone hit a 25-story residential building in the Darnytskyi district. Several cars in the courtyard were on fire, and one person was killed and 11 injured.
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday that Ukraine does not deserve the "respite" a ceasefire would bring.
Trump's Push and the Wider Context
When Trump first announced the truce, Zelensky said it was "news to him" that a ceasefire was in effect. Even so, he backed the idea as a "major step toward ending the war, if the Americans truly step in now and make sure Russians respect the energy ceasefire." Asked about it on Monday, Trump said the two sides agreed "because I said you agree," adding that the war "has to get settled." He called it "a disaster if you see the numbers."
Fuel prices have climbed amid global conflicts ahead of the US midterm elections, and on Friday Trump announced a plan to import Russian diesel into the US. He has been urging Ukraine to stop hitting Russian oil infrastructure so Russia can deliver on the recently struck deal to release diesel to the US and global market. The deal temporarily undoes US sanctions on energy imports, which Zelensky described as a "gift" to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
For months, both countries have traded strikes on energy infrastructure, disrupting supplies on both sides. Moscow says the sites it hits are legitimate targets because they support Ukraine's military effort. Zelensky has described Ukraine's deep strikes inside Russia as an effort to "reduce Russia's ability to finance the war."
Both sides have stepped up attacks ahead of the coming winter. In 2026, 273 strikes on Russian-controlled oil and gas facilities were recorded, more than double the 124 logged over the same period in 2025. Data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data project (Acled) shows 2.4 times as many reported Russian attacks affecting Ukraine's energy network so far this year.
Mixed Reactions Abroad
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Britain "strongly supports President Trump's call today for a sustained energy ceasefire to start now." France, Canada and the EU also voiced support. Europe's response was mixed, though. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc would welcome a ceasefire "when it holds," adding at a meeting of EU foreign ministers on Monday: "We haven't yet seen that Russia will stick to it." Estonia's foreign minister was blunt, saying the ceasefire was "not working."
