Ukraine's military said it destroyed six Russian fighter aircraft at a military base, according to Corriere della Sera, which carried the claim in its live coverage of the war on Thursday, 15 October 2026. The same report quoted President Volodymyr Zelensky saying Ukraine would restart its campaign against Russian oil refineries.
The refinery strikes have already resumed. A senior Ukrainian official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to make public statements, confirmed to Corriere della Sera that Kyiv hit the Ryazan refinery in Russia during an overnight attack. The strikes came hours after Zelensky announced the end of a short truce on energy infrastructure, a pause that Moscow had rejected, the outlet reported.
The renewed attacks were also reported by Il Post, which said Ukraine had begun targeting Russian refineries again, and by Il Sole 24 ORE, which reported a Ukrainian attack using drones and missiles on a refinery in the Ryazan region.
Why it matters
The exchange points to a war entering a harder phase on two fronts at once: energy infrastructure and air power. Ukraine's decision to resume refinery strikes reverses a brief lull that had been floated as a possible de-escalation step, and it lands as Washington pushes for a negotiated path.
The Kremlin's response was blunt. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, quoted by Tass via Corriere della Sera, said the United States is making intense efforts to resolve the situation in Ukraine but is being blocked by Kyiv's reluctance, and by what he called Zelensky's personal unwillingness to pursue peace. Peskov said no moratorium on Ukrainian attacks against Russian energy facilities had been in place in recent days, and that Kyiv's continued strikes clash with American peace efforts.
Peskov also addressed Russian diesel sales on world markets, saying an arrangement between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump would have a positive but incomplete effect on stabilizing oil markets, according to Interfax via Corriere della Sera.
Starlink service returns after disruption
On the battlefield communications side, the restrictions affecting Starlink in Ukraine have eased. Access to the Starshield package, the high-speed service intended for military use, has resumed and is continuing, according to Unian via Corriere della Sera, citing defense ministry sources. Military units in the field confirmed that Starlink is working again, the report said. The reasons for the previous day's restrictions remain officially unexplained.
The disruption had been widely noted. ANSA reported that Ukrainian media said Starlink had started working again.
Diesel exports, LPG limits and frozen assets
Russian officials offered new detail on energy trade. First shipments of diesel to the United States could take at least two to three weeks, Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Novak said on the sidelines of an event in Moscow, according to Corriere della Sera. Russian companies are reportedly ready to begin exporting immediately, but contracts with American partners must be signed first.
Novak also said Russia's Energy Ministry is reviewing proposals to restrict exports of liquefied petroleum gas, with a final decision to depend on current market conditions, speaking on the sidelines of Russian Energy Week. The outlet RBC reported that the government, on a proposal from the Federal Antimonopoly Service, will consider banning LPG exports by non-producers through the end of 2026. According to that report, such a measure would help secure sufficient domestic supply during periods when processing plants undergo maintenance — a term used in Russia for repairs following Ukrainian attacks.
In Brussels, the European Council got underway, and the question of Russian assets immobilized in Europe under sanctions drew a sharp response from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Arriving at the summit, Merz said those are frozen assets in Europe and should stay frozen in Europe, calling it a matter for Europe to decide. The Financial Times reported overnight that the United States proposed to the EU that some frozen Russian assets be released and moved into a financial vehicle under Washington's supervision to revive peace talks, adding that European delegates had already rejected the plan, according to Corriere della Sera.
Black Sea fire leaves eight missing
Romanian authorities launched search and rescue operations off the Black Sea coast after a fire broke out aboard a ship. Eight people are missing and four were rescued, Corriere della Sera reported. The cause of the fire aboard the Wine Trader, a chemical products tanker flying the flag of San Marino and traveling from Tunisia to Romania, is not yet clear.
The incident comes amid a recent series of drone attacks on vessels in the Black Sea, raising fears that the war could spread further. Romania's defense ministry said a group of aerial targets was detected overnight near Snake Island, in Ukraine, and that a drone briefly entered Romanian airspace at 1:34 a.m. southeast of Sulina before disappearing from radar. Romania's naval authority said 12 people were aboard the ship when the fire started, about 24 kilometers southeast of the port city of Sulina. Similar drone incursions have occurred this month in the exclusive economic zones of Romania and Bulgaria, both NATO and European Union members.
What to watch
Whether Ukraine sustains its refinery campaign — and how Moscow and Washington respond — will shape the next stage of the war and the parallel diplomatic track.
