By Tim Lister and Daria Tarasova-Markina, CNN
(CNN) — Ukraine launched one of its biggest drone attacks this year on Russia overnight on Saturday, hitting a key oil terminal in defiance of US President Donald Trump’s demand it stop hitting Russian energy infrastructure.
There have been growing tensions between Ukraine and the US in recent days, prompting fears in Kyiv it could lose essential support as it approaches another winter under relentless Russian attack. President Volodymyr Zelensky told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” the US siding with Russia would be a “historic mistake.”
But Ukraine is keeping up long-range strikes into Russia. Russia’s defense ministry said it shot down 1,015 Ukrainian drones overnight into Sunday over various parts of the country.
One target was the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal, according to Russian authorities. The terminal can handle up to 12.5 million tons per year. Ukraine’s Fire Point company, which makes the drones used in the attack, said there was a fire on the terminal’s grounds following the strike.
A logistics centers in St. Petersburg was also attacked, according to Ozon, a Russian distribution company, as well as a data center for the Russian VKontakte social media platform.
One person was killed and five wounded in the attacks, with residential homes damaged as well, according to local authorities.
“They shot one down right above us: there was one bright flash, and it shook us up quite strongly,” a 41-year old resident of St. Petersburg told CNN.
“I heard a roar, got everyone out of their beds, took the cat, and we hid in the bathroom,” another said.
Ukraine’s strikes come amid President Volodymyr Zelensky’s deteriorating relationship with Trump, who last week called Kyiv’s strikes on Russian oil refineries a “disgrace.”
A week ago Trump said Russia and Ukraine had agreed to stop attacking each other’s energy infrastructure, as the White House tries to relieve pressure on oil and diesel prices ahead of crucial midterm elections.
Neither Kyiv nor Moscow acknowledged such an agreement. Ukraine briefly halted such attacks, but has since resumed them — while Russia never stopped pounding Ukraine’s energy plants and cities.
Eleven people were killed and nearly 50 injured across Ukraine in Russian missile and drone attacks in the 24 hours to Sunday morning, according to Ukrainian authorities, including what they called a massive attack on energy facilities in the Odesa region.
“Since the American President announced the energy ceasefire a week ago, Russia has deliberately attacked Ukraine’s energy and oil and gas sectors 76 times,” Zelensky wrote on X Sunday.
Trump has waived sanctions on imports of Russian diesel and on Friday invoked a waiver exempting Russia from sweeping economic penalties mandated by the US Congress, sparking criticism even from Republicans.
In an interview Sunday with NBC’s Meet the Press, Zelensky said the waiver strengthened Putin’s war against Ukraine while Moscow was failing on the battlefield. He said it was “more support for Russian aggression.”
Zelensky also repeated that the Ukrainian military’s access to the Starlink system to guide its short-range and battlefield drones was still curtailed.
“It was a message from the American government” to limit the speed at which Ukrainian drones could fly, Zelensky said.
The Trump administration has denied the service is restricted.
Zelensky said that intelligence sharing had been blocked by the US side for three days during ballistic missile attacks but had since been restored. US satellite networks have been critical in providing the Ukrainian military with warnings of incoming missiles.
Zelensky was also asked about Trump’s comments that he was more difficult to deal with than Russian President Vladimir Putin and replied it was “better to have partners who are very open and clear than to have those who are killers, even with a smile on their face.”
Zelensky said he wanted to trust Trump and hoped he would change his attitude to Putin.
Asked if Trump was an ally of Ukraine, Zelensky said: “I hope so.”
The-CNN-Wire
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