Russia and Ukraine Halt Energy Attacks
In a rare de-escalation, Russia and Ukraine have agreed to stop attacking each other's energy infrastructure. The limited agreement is designed to avert a winter humanitarian crisis and stabilize European energy markets, even as broader ceasefire talks remain stalled.
This is not the first attempt at such a truce; a 30-day agreement to halt attacks on energy infrastructure was brokered by the United States in March 2025. However, both sides subsequently accused the other of violating the pause on energy-related strikes. Russia began its systematic, large-scale campaign against Ukraine's energy sector in September 2022, initially targeting facilities in the Kharkiv region. These attacks, utilizing a combination of cruise missiles and drones, quickly spread nationwide. By mid-November 2022, a massive strike left roughly 10 million Ukrainian consumers without electricity. The aerial assaults have aimed to collapse Ukraine's national grid, creating a humanitarian crisis by disrupting heat, water, and power during the harsh winter months. In January 2026 alone, Russian forces conducted near-daily attacks on energy infrastructure, causing prolonged outages for millions as temperatures remained below freezing. Since the start of 2026, Russia has launched over 217 attacks against the Ukrainian energy sector. Ukraine began targeting Russian oil refineries as early as June 2022, but significantly escalated its campaign in 2025. In 2025, Ukraine carried out 120 attacks on Russian energy facilities, 81 of which were on oil refineries. This strategy aims to cripple Russia's main source of revenue for its war effort and disrupt fuel supplies for its military. The Ukrainian drone strikes have had a significant financial impact, costing the Russian oil sector over $13 billion in 2025 from direct damage and lost profits. These attacks have hit approximately 55% of Russian oil refineries, contributing to domestic fuel shortages and forcing Moscow to restrict gasoline exports.
