SpaceX speed limits paralyzed some Ukrainian drone operations for 10 days
Ukraine early Friday struck an oil refinery in Russia’s Samara region, ending a two-week pause in attacks on Russian refineries, The Wall Street Journal reported. Photos and video footage posted on social media showed columns of smoke rising into the sky over the Novokuibyshevsk refinery. The strike came despite heavy pressure from the Trump administration to halt such operations.
Ukrainian forces last hit an oil refinery on Oct. 15 and had not struck Russian oil infrastructure of any kind since Oct. 20. The pause followed repeated demands by Trump and other U.S. officials to stop hitting refineries.
Trump has publicly blamed Ukraine’s strikes for high global fuel prices, which energy experts mostly attribute to the U.S.-Iran war. Earlier this month, Trump also called for Zelensky’s removal and blamed him for Russia’s continuing war on Ukraine.
Kyiv also faced pressure from SpaceX, which on Oct. 14 imposed speed limits on Ukraine’s military-grade version of the Starlink satellite internet service. The speed limit paralyzed some drone operations for 10 days, until SpaceX restored the service on Oct. 24.
Ukraine’s military had been exercising caution about refinery strikes because of the delicate diplomatic situation with the U.S., Defense Minister Evgeniy Khmara told President Zelensky recently, according to a person familiar with the matter. Zelensky accepted the caution but said the military was free to change its stance, the person said.
“Our guys tried to be a little more careful during these days. But they do not have an order” not to hit refineries, Zelensky told reporters in Kyiv on Tuesday.
The decision to strike Novokuibyshevsk came despite advice from European allies for Kyiv to hold off until after the U.S. midterm elections, to reduce the recent tensions between Zelensky and Trump.
Zelensky has said Ukraine wants more protection for its own energy infrastructure — which Russia has been systematically destroying with missile and drone attacks ahead of winter — in exchange for halting refinery strikes.
Ukraine’s campaign against Russian refineries is aimed at undermining oil revenues that help finance Moscow’s invasion of its smaller neighbor. Kyiv fears that ending the strikes would allow Russian President Vladimir Putin to prolong his war on Ukraine.