Ukraine proposes energy truce to Russia, says Zelensky

Ukraine has relayed its proposal for a mutual ceasefire on striking energy targets to Russia via US mediators, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

"If Russia is ready to stop striking our energy sector, we will be ready to respond in kind," Mr Zelensky said in his evening address.

"And this proposal of ours - conveyed through the Americans - has been communicated to the Russian side," he added.

It comes after Ukrainian drones sparked a fire overnight at the Sheskharis oil terminal in Russia's Black Sea port of Novorossiysk marking one of the most significant attacks on Russia's energy infrastructure during the more than four-year-old conflict.

Russia’s defence ministry said that Ukraine targeted facilities at the maritime transhipment complex in Novorossiysk, damaging a mooring point for the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) and causing four oil product reservoirs to catch fire, Russian media reported.

The CPC, which carries the bulk of Kazakhstan’s oil exports to international markets, said earlier that export volumes had not been affected. The terminal handles around 1.5% of global oil supply, according to industry estimates.

"The Kyiv regime deliberately attacked facilities of the international oil transportation company Caspian Pipeline Consortium in order to inflict maximum economic damage on its largest shareholders – energy companies from the United States and Kazakhstan," the Russian defence ministry said. The CPC terminal exports oil from Kazakhstan, and its shareholders include US energy giants Chevron and ExxonMobil.

Separately, the fire at Sheskharis engulfed the main pier of Russia’s oil pipeline monopoly Transneft, according to sources.

The two main berths affected can service tankers of up to 250,000 metric tons deadweight and vessels of up to 90,000 tons. The impact on loading operations was not immediately clear. Transneft did not respond to requests for comment.

Sheskharis typically loads between 600,000 and 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day and exported 19.8 million tons of oil products last year, the sources added.

Ukraine has significantly intensified drone attacks on Russia’s energy facilities, targeting ports and terminals along the Black Sea and Baltic Sea in an effort to reduce Moscow’s oil revenues, a critical source of economic support for Russia’s war effort.

The attacks come amid a series of Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities. Overnight, Russia launched a drone attack on the southern port city of Odesa, killing three people, including a child, and injuring 16 others, Ukrainian officials said. Residential buildings, energy infrastructure, and a kindergarten were damaged, leaving around 16,700 households without electricity.

Odesa regional governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram: "Overnight, Odesa came under another heavy attack by the enemy. The damage to homes and critical infrastructure is extensive, and repair work will take time." Residents reported drones striking rooftops and central parts of apartment buildings, blocking escape routes.

Russian authorities also reported injuries to at least eight people in Novorossiysk, including two children, during Ukrainian drone attacks, with some residential buildings damaged. Russia did not confirm if the port itself was struck.

Air defence units in Russia said they had shot down 148 Ukrainian drones over a three-hour period, and emergency crews were working to restore power to nearly half a million households affected by the attacks.

In eastern Ukraine, all 41 miners trapped underground after a Ukrainian strike on the Bilorechenska coal mine in Luhansk region have been safely evacuated, Russian-installed officials said. Power has been restored to the mine, and none of the workers were injured.

Mr Zelensky said on social media that Russia launched 140 drones in overnight attacks and struck energy infrastructure across several regions, including Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Dnipro, reiterating his call for stronger air defences.

"Russia has no intention of stopping," Mr Zelenskiy said. "During the past week, over 2,800 attack drones were used, along with nearly 1,350 guided aerial bombs and more than 40 missiles of various types."

The overnight strikes underline the intensifying conflict between Ukraine and Russia, with both sides increasingly targeting energy infrastructure as a strategic and economic lever in the protracted war.