An oil refinery in Ryazan in Russia burns after a Ukrainian drone strike, September 5, 2025

Friday’s Coverage: Trump Administration Phasing Out Security Support for Eastern Europe

UPDATE 0721 GMT:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has jabbed at Vladimir Putin’s refusal of face-to-face talks to end Russia’s invasion.

On Wednesday, Putin fended off the meeting, sought by Ukraine’s partners and Donald Trump, “If Zelensky is ready, let him come to Moscow.”

Zelensky replied yesterday in an interview with the US outlet ABC News, laughing and shaking his head: “I can’t go to Moscow when my country’s under missiles, under attack, each day. I can’t go to the capital of this terrorist.”

UPDATE 0713 GMT:

At least six civilians have been murdered and at least 11 injured, including a child, by Russian attacks across Ukraine over the past day.

Air defenses intercepted 68 of 91 drones launched by Russia overnight. Eighteen drones struck eight locations.

In the Donetsk region in the east, four civilians were killed. In the Kherson region in the south, two were slain as a high-rise building, eight houses, and a car were damaged.

Casualties were also reported in the Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv regions.

UPDATE 0657 GMT:

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Kyiv’s Independence Square on Friday evening, protesting Parliamentary bills that would impose tougher criminal penalties on soldiers for disobedience.

On Thursday, the Verkhovna Rada passed the first reading of a draft law reinstating criminal liability for soldiers using illegal weapons. Another draft law 13452 increases liability for military personnel who disobey orders.

“Service is not slavery!” the crowd chanted. They held signs such as “Repression is not discipline” and “We must protect those who protect us.”

The rally called for clear terms of military service and the appointment of a military ombudsman.

UPDATE 0651 GMT:

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe reports 2,577 Ukrainian soldiers are in Russian captivity.

An OSCE expert mission carried out the survey as part of its monitoring of the rights of prisoners of war.

The experts plan to publish a report at the end of September outlining Russia’s “violations of its commitments to the OSCE, abuses and human rights violations, war crimes, and other breaches of international humanitarian law”.

UPDATE 0640 GMT:

Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney has called for “maximum pressure” on Russia, as Vladimir Putin refuses to halt his invasion of Ukraine.

Putin “has not yet come to terms with the need for peace”, Carney said at a press conference in Ontario. “Mr. Putin is the cause of this war, he’s the reason for the killing. He is not going to dictate the terms of the peace.”

The Prime Minister said coalition pressure on Russia will include new sanctions, armament of Ukrainian forces, and support for Kyiv “when there is a cessation of hostility”.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Ukraine has further damaged Russia’s oil industry with a strike on one of the four largest refineries in the country.

Drone attacks early Friday hit the Rosneft refinery, the company’s largest, in Ryazan. Residents said they heard explosions around 2 a.m., followed by a large fire lighting up the sky, in the city 180 km (120 miles) southeast of Moscow.

The fire reportedly hit the AT-6 unit, which accounted for nearly half of the plant’s total output. The refinery is now running at just 23% of capacity, with a full restart not expected for at least two weeks.

The complex was was also struck August 2. Two of three main refining units suspended operations after the assault.

The facility handles about 5% of Russia’s total oil refining, producing 2.3 million tons of gasoline and 3.4 million tons of diesel last year.

Ukraine also hit an oil depot in the Russian-occupied Luhansk region in the east. The extent of the damage has not been established.

The commander of Ukraine’s drones, Robert “Madyar” Brovdi, said, “Gasoline [in Russia] is becoming scarce, while gas and oil are quickly running out.”

Putin: We Have A Gasoline Shortage

Addressing an economic conference in Vladivostok, Vladimir Putin acknowledged that Russia is facing a gasoline shortage.

He did not refer to the Ukrainian strikes. Instead, he said supply of new enterprises can be challenging, and noted that demand for gas is expected to rise significantly in the far east in coming years.

In August, Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian refineries cut output by 17%.

Putin denied that Russia’s invasion economy is stagnating, despite a report from the Central Bank that the country is technically in recession.

He defended the high interest rate, currently at 18%, to try and check inflation.

A Central Bank graph this week showed Russia’s GDP shrank for two consecutive quarters. The CEO of Sberbank, German Gref, said the economy is in “technical stagnation”, calling for a cut in the interest rate.

Russian news agencies were briefed this week that the economy is projected to grow by 1.2% in 2025, compared to 4.3% last year. Growth is expected to halt completely by the end of the year.

“The recession has happened,” said economist Evgeny Kogan.