Flames rise from the Slavneft-YANOS oil refinery after Ukrainian drone strikes, Yaroslavl, Russia, May 8, 2026 (Euromaidan Press)
Monday’s Coverage: Zelensky — Our “Long-Range Capabilities Are Significantly Changing the Situation”
UPDATE 0804 GMT:
During their summit last weekend, Chinese leader Xi Jinping told Donald Trump that Vladimir Putin might ultimately “regret” his decision to invade Ukraine, claim “several people familiar with the US assessment“.
Putin is meeting Xi in Beijing on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has hailed a 10% drop in Russia’s refined oil amid Kyiv’s strikes on Moscow’s facilities.
In his nightly address to the nation, Zelensky said Russian companies are being forced to shut down oil wells. He noted that the Kremlin’s budget deficit this year has already surpassed its planned gap for all of 2026.
Putin has, of course, built a war chest – but certainly not enough to fight indefinitely. Every one of our responses, every joint step of pressure together with our partners, pushes Russia closer to ending its war.
In just recent months, Russia’s oil refining has dropped by 10%, and Russian oil companies are being forced to shut down their oil wells.
As for Russia’s overall state revenues – thanks to our comprehensive pressure at all levels – within the first five months of this year,… pic.twitter.com/6Dz6VLiYqN
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 18, 2026
Overnight Ukraine’s drones targeted oil facilities in Yaroslavl, around 230 km (142 miles) northeast of Moscow and 700 km (435 miles) from the border.
Yaroslavl Governor Mikhail Yevrayev acknowledged the attack and announced traffic restrictions on a key highway to Moscow.
The attack reportedly struck an oil refinery in Russia’s Yaroslavl once again
The plant’s capacity is about 15 million tons of oil per year, and it produces gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel for military needs
Exilenova_Plushttps://t.co/InPf2OVOBo pic.twitter.com/fIypyWe7vm— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) May 19, 2026
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said four drones were downed over the capital, warning of “falling debris”.
Russia got some relief on Monday with the Trump Administration’s extension of a sanctions waiver on Russian maritime oil supplies.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had said that the waiver, instituted in mid-March amid the US-Israel War on Iran, would not be renewed. But he announced a 30-day extension: “This general license will help stabilize the physical crude market and ensure oil reaches the most energy-vulnerable countries.”
The Russian Government’s oil revenues fell 47% in January and February amid the US sanctions, launched on Moscow and its customers last November. They recovered in March amid the waivers, but fell again last month because of the Ukrainian attacks.
