Wainwright explosion at a Canadian military base kills at least seven and injures dozens as officials rule out terrorism and investigate the deadly fire.

Related: Carney Warns Against External Attempts to Divide Canada

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Wainwright Explosion Kills at Least Seven at Canadian Base

The Wainwright explosion at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta has left at least seven people dead and dozens injured, according to reports by CBC News and Global News.

The incident occurred on Saturday, October 17, during a live-fire training exercise at the military base, located approximately 200 kilometers southeast of Edmonton.

Canada’s Department of National Defence confirmed that a fire broke out in the training area at approximately 4:00 p.m. local time. The Canadian Armed Forces said the blaze resulted in fatalities and injuries but has not yet released an official casualty count.

Military sources cited by Canadian media said the explosion occurred when a munition used during the training exercise struck a natural gas line or gas well.

The impact reportedly triggered a large detonation and a fast-moving fire that spread beyond the boundaries of the training area.

High winds, with gusts reaching up to 100 kilometers per hour, helped the flames spread rapidly through dry grassland and nearby rural areas.

The Canadian Armed Forces said emergency responders from military and civilian agencies worked quickly to contain the fire and assist those affected.

By Saturday evening, the Municipal District of Wainwright said the fire was being held and that property and critical infrastructure had been protected. Authorities did not order an evacuation of residents in the surrounding area.

The Department of National Defence said the full extent of the impact remains under assessment. It added that casualty details will not be released until relatives have been notified.

The government has ruled out terrorism as a possible cause. Officials said there were no indications that the explosion was connected to an attack or deliberate act of violence.

The incident has nevertheless prompted a major investigation involving the Canadian Armed Forces, the Department of National Defence and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

🔥🇨🇦 Un "incidente grave" provocó un gran incendio en la base militar canadiense de Wainwright, Alberta.#teleSUR #Canadá pic.twitter.com/y9jylOuH7P

— teleSUR TV (@teleSURtv) October 18, 2026

Wainwright Explosion Triggers Major Emergency Response

Canadian Armed Forces statement | Alberta Health Services

The Wainwright explosion activated emergency protocols across hospitals in the Edmonton region.

Local health authorities declared a code orange alert, a designation used for external disasters or mass-casualty incidents.

Injured personnel were transported to hospitals including the University of Alberta Hospital and the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton.

Medical teams prepared for a large number of patients with burns, trauma injuries and respiratory problems caused by smoke and toxic gases.

Firefighters faced difficult conditions because the fire involved both explosive material and hydrocarbon infrastructure.

The combination of live ammunition, natural gas and dry vegetation created a complex emergency that required coordination among military firefighters, civilian fire departments and specialized rescue teams.

Strong winds made the fire difficult to control and increased the risk that flames could spread to nearby communities.

Authorities asked residents to avoid the area so that emergency vehicles could move freely and rescue operations could continue without obstruction.

The Wainwright area is home to one of Canada’s largest military training facilities. The base is used for live-fire exercises involving tanks, artillery, infantry units and other military equipment.

CFB Wainwright is also an important NATO training site. Allied forces from several countries use the installation for exercises designed to improve interoperability and combat readiness.

The base covers a vast rural area and includes training ranges, administrative facilities, housing and support infrastructure.

The explosion occurred during a routine training exercise, according to the Department of National Defence. Officials have not identified the unit involved or the type of munition used.

Investigators will need to determine whether the incident resulted from an error in targeting, a malfunction in the munition, inadequate safety procedures or an unexpected hazard related to the gas infrastructure.

The Canadian Armed Forces said the immediate priority is supporting those affected and notifying their families.

The names of the victims have not been released. Officials said identification and notification procedures are ongoing.

Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed on Sunday that four service members had died. He said dozens more were seriously injured and described the fire as one of the worst peacetime tragedies affecting Canada’s military on domestic soil.

“Our thoughts are with all the brave women and men affected,” Carney said.

The prime minister said his government was working closely with the Government of Alberta and local authorities.

He added that he and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith were in close contact, along with their respective ministers and relevant officials.

Defence Minister David McGuinty traveled to Edmonton on Sunday to monitor the investigation. He said the situation remained “very active and delicate.”

McGuinty said the Royal Canadian Mounted Police were participating in the investigation and that authorities would provide further information once the facts had been established.

🇨🇦 Al menos siete muertos y decenas de heridos dejó una explosión e incendio en la base militar CBF Wainwright en Alberta. #teleSUR #Canada pic.twitter.com/tSvGpCS0Bi

— teleSUR TV (@teleSURtv) October 18, 2026

Canada Investigates Military Training Safety

Canadian Armed Forces | Royal Canadian Mounted Police

The Wainwright explosion has raised questions about safety procedures during live-fire exercises at military bases.

Live-fire training is essential for preparing soldiers for combat operations, but it also carries significant risks when it takes place near explosive or flammable infrastructure.

Military authorities regularly conduct risk assessments before exercises to identify hazards, establish safety zones and coordinate emergency responses.

Investigators will examine whether those procedures were followed and whether the presence of gas infrastructure near the training area was properly identified.

They will also review weather conditions, ammunition handling, communication between units and the response of emergency teams.

The investigation could lead to changes in training protocols, safety distances, mapping procedures or the coordination between military and civilian authorities.

The incident occurred during a period when Canada has been increasing military preparedness amid global security tensions.

Canada is a member of NATO and has supported allied operations in Europe and other regions. The country has also increased investment in defense capabilities in response to international instability.

CFB Wainwright plays a central role in that effort because it provides space for large-scale training exercises involving Canadian and allied forces.

The base has hosted soldiers from NATO member states and partner countries. Its facilities allow forces to train in conditions that cannot easily be reproduced at smaller installations.

The explosion could therefore affect training schedules and force readiness in the short term.

Military authorities may suspend certain exercises while investigators examine the site and review safety procedures.

The incident also highlights the risks faced by military personnel during routine operations. Training accidents can occur even when soldiers are not deployed in combat zones.

The Canadian Armed Forces has expressed condolences to the families of those killed and injured.

Officials have asked the public to avoid speculation while the investigation continues. They have also urged people to rely on official statements rather than unverified reports circulating on social media.

Geopolitical Context

The Wainwright explosion has implications for Canada’s military readiness and its role within NATO.

Canada has increased its defense commitments in recent years amid tensions involving Russia, the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific region.

The country has contributed troops, equipment and training resources to NATO operations, while also maintaining a military presence in international missions.

CFB Wainwright is important to those efforts because it allows Canadian and allied forces to conduct large-scale exercises under realistic conditions.

A major accident at the base could affect the planning of future exercises and require additional investment in safety infrastructure.

The incident also highlights the connection between military training and energy infrastructure. Canada is a major producer of oil and natural gas, and many military facilities are located near pipelines, wells and other energy installations.

That proximity creates risks that must be managed through mapping, safety zones and coordination between military authorities and energy companies.

The explosion may prompt a review of those procedures across Canadian military bases.

The tragedy also has domestic political implications. Alberta has been the scene of debates over energy policy, provincial autonomy and Canada’s federal structure.

The incident occurred one day before Albertans voted in a referendum on separation from Canada. The explosion could affect public attention and political discussion in the province.

For now, the government’s priority is to support the victims and determine the cause of the disaster.

The Canadian Armed Forces has said it will release additional information only after families have been notified. Until then, the full human and operational impact of the Wainwright explosion remains under assessment.

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The US has resumed sharing intelligence on Russian ballistic missile launches with Ukraine after a pause of several days, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told NBC News on 18 October. The blackout fell on days when Russia was firing ballistic missiles at Ukraine. Limits on the Starlink satellite service that Ukraine’s forces rely on remain in place, he said.

Russia has leaned on ballistic missiles in this month’s strikes on Ukraine’s grid, firing 39 in a single attack, and Ukraine is short of interceptors to stop them. Washington has used its support as leverage, reportedly telling Kyiv to spare Russian refineries or lose US intelligence and arms.

Three days without warnings

The sharing had been blocked for some period of time before it was restored, Zelenskyy said on Meet the Press.

“We are very thankful for this. Now it works,” he said.

Ukraine gets other intelligence from Europeans and dozens of other partners, he explained. But only the United States has the data that tells Kyiv when Russia launches ballistic missiles.

“We didn’t get it during ballistic attacks during three days,” Zelenskyy said.

A timely warning gives Ukraine’s air defenses extra minutes to prepare and lets authorities alert civilians, Liga noted. Late on 12 October, Russian ballistic missiles hit Kyiv before the air-raid alert reached people, with no advance data on launches from Russian territory. The next day, US President Donald Trump said Washington was still sharing intelligence. Two days later, Zelenskyy said Kyiv had received no US warnings of incoming ballistic missiles while it paused its strikes on Russian refineries at Washington’s request. That pause followed the energy ceasefire Trump declared on 11 October, which Russia never confirmed.

Starlink still capped, Kyiv says

Starshield, the military version of Starlink, still cuts out above 161 km/h, Zelenskyy said, too slow for Ukraine’s interceptor drones to catch Russia’s jet-powered Shahed-type drones. NBC News, which aired the interview, separately reported that Starlink services had resumed at normal speed. He said Ukraine’s generals and government believe the order came from the US government and SpaceX carried it out, though he did not know who exactly made the call. Ukraine had instead asked SpaceX and Trump to open Starlink over Russia so it could hit ballistic missile launchers, he said.

“If [Trump] will personally decide to lift this decision, it will immediately work as it was before,” he said.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who appeared on the same show, called Zelenskyy’s charge “very reckless” and said Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had denied any administration role. Asked about the break in intelligence sharing, he said he did not know anything about it but that Zelenskyy should be “very careful about making statements like this that aren’t true.” Reuters had reported, citing three officials, that White House officials ordered the Pentagon to limit the service.

Asked whether Ukraine could win without the United States, Zelenskyy said it would be very difficult.

“But if the United States will support Putin, I mean, it’s unbelievable, it’s tragedy. It’s historic mistake and big tragedy,” he said.

He also said his team had received word that US negotiators wanted to meet, and that he had offered to meet in Brussels or London, hoping the US team would be ready this week.

The warnings are back, but they stopped once without explanation. Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s missiles still runs through decisions made in the US.

Ukrainian drones struck St. Petersburg’s oil terminal, a fuel depot, an Ozon distribution center, and a VK data center overnight, setting off fires across the city, monitoring channels reported. Russian outlet Meduza called it apparently the largest attack on the city and Leningrad Oblast since the war began. Russian officials acknowledged fires, damaged homes and substations, and power cuts.

Russia keeps fighting along the front while bombarding Ukrainian cities and the grid behind it. Ukraine’s long-range drones, in turn, target the oil exports and logistics that fund and supply that war, and Russia’s Baltic oil ports have been hit repeatedly this year. St. Petersburg is a symbolic place: Russia’s so-called second capital and Putin’s hometown.

Oil terminal and fuel depot on fire

Ukrainian forces struck the Petersburg Oil Terminal with FP-1 drones, starting a fire, Ukrainian drone maker Fire Point said. The company described the terminal as one of the region’s largest, handling 12.5 million tonnes of petroleum products a year, including for export.

Piter port and oil facility in one shot pic.twitter.com/KfptwkhsDS

— Exilenova+ (@Exilenova_plus) October 18, 2026

St. Petersburg Governor Aleksandr Beglov acknowledged fires at the terminal and in four city districts, adding that Pulkovo airport had restricted flights. By morning, firefighters were still battling blazes at the terminal, the Ruchyi oil depot, and industrial warehouses in the Kolpinsky district, he wrote. He claimed one person was killed and five injured. Ukrainian monitoring channel Exilenova+ reported that the Ruchyi depot had been burning since the night.

Ozon hub, VK data center, and a bridge

An Ozon distribution center in Kolpinsky district caught fire after the attack, the company said, Russian independent outlet Astra reported. Astra’s open-source intelligence analyst described it as one of Ozon’s busiest fulfillment centers in northwestern Russia, covering up to 79,000 m².

Ozon in St. Peterburg pic.twitter.com/tA9iwRJf7d

— Exilenova+ (@Exilenova_plus) October 18, 2026

FP-1 drones also hit a VK data center in Novosergiyevka, Leningrad Oblast, causing serious damage, Fire Point said. VK acknowledged a drone attack on the site but claimed its services were working normally. Leningrad Oblast Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko claimed air defenses downed 145 drones over the oblast alone. He acknowledged damage to the data center’s transformer equipment and warehouse complex, and minor damage to the Vostochnaya substation. Two other substations in Yanino went offline, cutting power to about 20,000 people, he said.

A drone also hit the cable-stayed bridge over the Korabelny fairway, part of a toll highway linking the city’s north and south, Exilenova+ reported, adding that the extent of the damage was still being clarified. The channel also reported a fire near a Russian Aerospace Forces radar company outside the village of Kaporskoye.

To reach St. Petersburg, Ukrainian drones had to cover 1,000 km across four Russian regions guarded by air defenses and electronic warfare, said Serhii Beskrestnov, adviser to Ukraine’s president on defense technology.

“And these are not cruise missiles with special systems, these are drones that fly at speeds of up to 200 km/h,” he wrote.

Strikes resume after a one-sided truce

The same night, Russia hit Ukraine’s grid again, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy counted 76 Russian strikes on energy since the ceasefire was announced. US President Donald Trump declared the truce on 11 October. Ukraine paused its refinery strikes for three days at Washington’s request, but Russia struck a Kharkiv power plant within hours and kept hitting the grid. Zelenskyy then said Ukraine was resuming strikes on Russian oil and would stop again only in exchange for more US interceptors for its Patriot systems. Trump called the renewed strikes “a disgrace” and said he found Zelenskyy “more difficult to deal with than Putin.”

Ukraine has hit the St. Petersburg area before. In July, drones set fire to Wildberries warehouses near the city. In August, Ukraine began striking Ozon hubs, starting in Samara Oblast. The hubs move dual-use goods such as electronics and drone components.

Russia has kept striking Ukraine’s energy sector throughout the week since US President Donald Trump announced an energy ceasefire, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on 18 October. From overnight into Sunday, Russian drones and a ballistic missile hit substations, homes, and industrial sites from Odesa to Volyn. They killed civilians and left tens of thousands of families without power.

Russia fights along the front line while hitting cities and the grid behind it with drones, missiles, and glide bombs. Ukraine says Moscow plans up to 1,000 such munitions against 60 key infrastructure sites this winter, and jet-powered drones partly free it to concentrate missiles on fewer targets, the Institute for the Study of War assessed. With Graham Act penalties on hold and US sanctions on Russian diesel suspended, Russia faces no new US cost for its strikes on Ukraine’s grid. Protecting and restoring the grid falls to Ukraine’s air defenses and repair crews.

Russia hit energy sites 76 times in a week

Zelenskyy counted 76 deliberate Russian strikes on energy and oil-and-gas facilities since Trump’s announcement. Overnight, Russia hit substations in Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, and Odesa oblasts, he said. In the past week, Russia fired almost 2,700 attack drones, 1,700 aerial bombs, and 66 missiles, most of them ballistic, mainly to cause a blackout. His message was aimed at Washington.

“America must see that Russia is not taking steps in return for the lifting of sanctions or deals. On the contrary, they take every signal that they can make money as proof that their bet on war is working and they can keep fighting,” Zelenskyy wrote.

Overnight, Russia launched one Iskander-M ballistic missile and 180 Shahed-type drones, 26 of them jet-powered, the Air Force reported. Air defenses downed or suppressed 152 drones, but strikes hit 20 locations.

Power cuts from Odesa to Ternopil

Strikes left about 24,000 consumers in Odesa Oblast without power, oblast head Oleh Kiper said. In Vinnytsia Oblast, the attack damaged critical infrastructure and forced emergency outages, oblast head Natalia Zabolotna wrote. Drones hit three energy facilities in Ternopil Oblast, one of them for the second time, and cut power to some consumers, oblast head Taras Pastukh said.

Civilians killed and injured

A Russian strike on Zaporizhzhia killed a 27-year-old woman and injured two others, including a 16-year-old, the State Emergency Service reported. In Poltava, an evening attack killed one person, injured four, and damaged 10 detached houses, city council secretary Kateryna Yamshchykova said.

A drone hit a high-rise in Odesa and set its roof on fire. A 13-year-old girl was hurt, city military administration head Serhii Lysak said, and Kiper put the number of injured at two.

In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Russian drones and artillery injured three people, oblast head Oleksandr Hanzha said. In Donetsk Oblast, Russian attacks killed seven civilians on Saturday, six of them in Sloviansk, oblast head Vadym Filashkin reported.

Fires in the west, alerts across the border

A morning drone strike set warehouse and production buildings ablaze at an enterprise in Manevychi, Volyn Oblast, oblast head Roman Romaniuk said. With heavy smoke blowing toward the town, Romaniuk urged residents to stay indoors, shut windows and doors, and switch off ventilation. A repeat strike set an enterprise in the district on fire again, the State Emergency Service said, adding that air tests found no dangerous concentrations outside the site. In Lviv Oblast, drone debris damaged a logistics warehouse and two houses, oblast head Maksym Kozytskyi said.

Polish military aircraft operated in Poland’s airspace twice during the attack, as the Government Security Centre warned residents of Lublin Voivodeship and later alerted Subcarpathian Voivodeship. In Lithuania, NATO jets failed to identify an object that apparently entered from Poland, Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas said.

A ceasefire Moscow never confirmed

Trump announced the energy ceasefire on 11 October, news that surprised Zelenskyy. A White House official said Russia was still weighing it. Hours later, Russia hit a Kharkiv power plant, and on 14 October it fired 39 ballistic missiles at the grid. Then Trump waived Graham Act penalties on buyers of Russian oil, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration wants 60 days to weigh the economic effects.

Defence Minister David McGuinty calls situation “delicate”; death toll remains unconfirmed

Casualties 'completely overwhelm' hospitals in Edmonton; flames spread beyond Canadian Forces Base Wainwright; authorities say incident under investigation, no cause provided

A deadly incident at CFB Wainwright overwhelmed Edmonton hospitals as strong winds fueled a major fire.

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A deadly incident at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta left at least seven people dead and dozens injured Saturday, triggering a major fire that spread into surrounding rural areas and prompted a large emergency response as strong winds hampered firefighting efforts.

RELATED: Carney Warns Against External Attempts to Divide Canada

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said officers were called to the base shortly after 4 p.m. Saturday following reports of a fire in a training area. Defense Minister David McGuinty confirmed the deaths and injuries but said authorities were still working to establish what had happened.

The scale of the casualties remained unclear late Saturday. Hospitals in Edmonton, about 180 kilometers (120 miles) northwest of the base, were receiving large numbers of patients as health-care facilities struggled to cope with the influx.

“This number of patients would overwhelm the city of Edmonton,” Warren Thirsk, an emergency department physician at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, told CBC News. “It is more patients than any of us want to count right now. It’s a disaster. It’s a one in every 15- to 25-year disaster.”

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Text Reads: A “serious incident” has triggered a large fire at the Canadian Armed Forces Base (CFB) Wainwright in Alberta. Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed the incident and stated that he is working closely with the Government of Alberta and local authorities.
🕯️ Minister of Defence David McGuinty confirmed that the event resulted in “fatalities and injuries.” The Department of National Defence indicated that it is closely monitoring the situation and will provide further details as they become available.
🏘️ The Municipality of Wainwright confirmed that the fire has spread beyond the base’s perimeter into the surrounding area and is being actively managed by authorities. No evacuation orders have been issued at this time.
🔥 CFB Wainwright is located approximately 210 kilometers east of Edmonton and is one of the most operationally active Canadian Army facilities in the country.

Meanwhile, firefighters battled the blaze into the night as powerful winds drove flames beyond the base and into nearby rural areas. A windstorm had battered large parts of Alberta during the day, with gusts reaching 100 kilometers per hour, toppling trees and sending signs and garbage cans flying.

By 11 p.m., the Municipal District of Wainwright reported that the fire was being contained and that property and critical infrastructure were protected. No evacuation order had been issued for residents of the district.

The town of Wainwright, near the base, has about 7,000 residents.

McGuinty, speaking to reporters in Ottawa, described the situation as “very, very active and delicate.” He said members of the Canadian Armed Forces were at the scene and that the RCMP was involved in the investigation.

“I cannot recall such an incident in my short time for sure as a minister, but I cannot recall an incident like this in recent memory,” he said.

“We will have more to say in the coming hours and days,” McGuinty added.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith described the fire as “significant and tragic,” saying it was affecting many military personnel. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said his province was sending assistance to Alberta but did not specify what resources would be deployed.

Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed support for those affected in a social media post, saying, “Our thoughts are with all the brave women and men affected.”

A serious incident creating a major fire has occurred at CFB Wainwright, in Alberta.

Our thoughts are with all the brave women and men affected.  

We are working closely with the Government of Alberta and local authorities. Premier Smith and I are in close contact as are our…

— Mark Carney (@MarkJCarney) October 18, 2026

Conservative opposition leader Pierre Poilievre said he had spoken with Carney and McGuinty to offer support. He urged people in the area to follow emergency instructions and keep roads clear for first responders.

The fire also disrupted advance voting ahead of Monday’s referendum on whether Alberta should begin a process that could lead to independence from Canada. Elections Alberta said two polling locations, in Lloydminster and Vermilion, closed early Saturday and that ballots were transported securely.

CFB Wainwright is one of Canada’s busiest military training bases. It houses the Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre, which conducts realistic battlefield exercises, and the 3rd Canadian Division Training Centre, which provides military training.

"Tens of thousands of families are without power," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov confirmed the attack, reporting fires at the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal, the Ruchyi oil depot, and industrial warehouses in the Kolpinsky District.

What kind of ceasefire allows bombing to resume without warning, vehicles carrying civilians to be struck, homes to collapse upon their inhabitants?

US President Donald Trump called Ukraine’s renewed strikes on Russian oil refineries a disgrace in an interview with Newsmax and questioned President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s will to settle the war on 15 October. His statements came after he made a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to allow Russian diesel back into the US ahead of the mid-term elections in the US.

Kyiv says its long-range strikes have knocked out more than half of Russia's refining capacity, one of the few levers it controls on Moscow's war income, according to Ukraine's Defense Ministry. This is part of efforts to reduce the aggressor's capabilities to launch assaults, including the latest, during which four Russian regions fired 39 Iskander-M, North Korean KN-23, hypersonic Zircon, and supersonic anti-ship cruise Oniks missiles, Zelenskyy said.

Trump criticizes Zelenskyy over oil prices while remaining silent on Russian strikes

Earlier, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine stopped refinery strikes for three days to meet US wishes after Trump announced an “energy ceasefire” on 11 October. At the same time, Russia struck a Kharkiv heat-and-power plant within hours of the announcement, he emphasized.

Meanwhile, in the interview with Newsmax, Trump said Zelenskyy is only pushing world oil prices higher.

“Well, I think that’s a disgrace,” he said.

He added that Ukraine has other options: “There are a lot of targets that you can hit.”

At the same time, Trump didn't say a word about Russian strikes on Ukraine's civilian buildings and power infrastructure ahead of the winter.

Trump compares Zelenskyy to a circus showman

The US leader said he is “not a big fan” of Zelenskyy. He claimed both sides “would like to see it end,” but that he finds Zelenskyy “more difficult to deal with than Putin.”

He also said that he believes the depletion of US ammunition stockpiles is linked to the aid provided to Ukraine under the Biden administration, rather than the war with Iran.

Ukraine has repeatedly offered to help the US counter Iranian drones during the operation. The New York Times reported that a Ukrainian team departed the day after the US made such a request.

Nevertheless, despite Kyiv’s offers and actions, Trump once again compared Zelenskyy to P. T. Barnum, the 19th-century American circus showman, saying that he received a tremendous number of Patriots and Tomahawks.

However, there is no public confirmation that Tomahawk missiles were transferred to Ukraine during the Biden administration.

Mark Rutte meets Vodolymyr Zelensky in Brussels ahead of European Union summit.

During a meeting on Thursday, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte tacitly asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to implement the “energy ceasefire” announced by U.S. President Donald Trump.

RELATED:

Ukraine Resumes Strikes on Russian Refineries: Zelensky

“Good to see President Zelensky in Brussels. We talked about the importance of implementing an energy ceasefire,” Rutte said in a social media message accompanied by a photograph with the Ukrainian leader, who is in the Belgian capital to attend a European Union summit on Friday as a guest.

Rutte also said they discussed “NATO allies’ continued support for Ukraine,” among other things through the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) mechanism, launched by the alliance so that allies can buy U.S. military materiel to send to Kyiv.

Through social media, Zelensky said the meeting with Rutte served to continue coordinating with NATO “greater protection and security for Ukraine.” He took the opportunity to blame Russia for having broken the energy ceasefire through attacks on energy infrastructure.

⚡️ On October 15 in Baku, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov directly rejected any potential ceasefire in Ukraine, explicitly countering US President Donald Trump’s October 11 announcement of an energy truce. pic.twitter.com/CB4Md9VTkN

— UNITED24 Media (@United24media) October 15, 2026

He also complained about restrictions on Starlink satellite operations in Ukraine, asked that arms supplies to Ukraine continue, and insisted on the need to receive ballistic missile interceptors and ammunition for F16 aircraft.

The Brussels meeting comes a day after Russia launched an attack against three thermal power plants operating in the Kiev region and an attack against energy facilities in Kharkiv.

In statements to the Financial Times, Zelensky reaffirmed his willingness to continue the conflict and announced that “the ban (on attacking Russian refineries) has been lifted. That is enough.”

On Thursday, Russia confirmed that Ukraine attacked a refinery in Ryazan, a region 200 kilometers from Moscow. Yesterday, Russian authorities also denounced Ukrainian attacks on two other refineries in the Saratov and Ryazan regions.

The Kremlin assured that Russia has not violated any agreement given that the energy truce between Russia and Ukraine was never finalized.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

By studying fire scars in ancient wood, many scientists have become convinced that Indigenous people transformed North America long before European colonizers arrived. M.R. O’Connor spends time with dendrochronologists, who study tree rings, and other experts to understand what they’re learning:

Anthropologist Omer Stewart, who began documenting Native American burning practices in the nineteen-thirties . . . found that Indigenous communities burned prairies to attract bison to fresh grass and to maintain oak “orchards” where food could be gathered. He became convinced that Native Americans had reshaped the geography, and in some cases the climate, of North American ecosystems. Their impact “was profound, in terms of the amount of land converted to agriculture, the species they hunted and fished, and most particularluthe way they shaped their world through the use of fire,” the naturalist Scott Weidensaul wrote, in his 2012 book The First Frontier. Weidensaul argued that early America “was fruitful beyond modern recognition, it was riotous in its natural wealth, but it was not wilderness.” The dendrochronologist Evan Larson, at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, made a similar claim: settlers encountered rich landscapes because Native Americans were tending them. “Whenever you’re talking about fire, you’re engaging with a central narrative around this untamed frontier and wilderness,” Larson told me. “In fact, that’s never been true. The early success of pioneers was already benefitting from the labor of somebody else.”

A porcelain fish survived the Russian strike that destroyed a room in the Kyiv apartment of Andrii Dubenko, a volunteer, dentist, and medic, his cousin Anna Danylenko wrote on Facebook and told UP Life, the lifestyle site of Ukrainska Pravda. Dubenko and two others were inside the nine-story building in Lisovyi masyv when the 13 October strike hit. It killed other residents.

The strike came during a ballistic attack aimed mainly at CHP-4, one of Kyiv’s main power plants, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, two days after Washington announced an energy ceasefire that Moscow never confirmed.

Lifted out in a rescue basket

Dubenko, his girlfriend, and a 72-year-old aunt were inside when the blast hit, Anna told UP Life. Her family was lucky, she wrote, and the rule of two walls saved their lives. The rule tells anyone who can’t reach a shelter to keep at least two walls between themselves and the street, away from windows. Fifteen minutes after the blast, State Emergency Service rescuers lifted the three out in a basket, Anna wrote. The aunt comforted the girlfriend, telling her not to live in the past but to look to the future, Anna said.

A hole where the window was

“Just on Monday I was sitting in their cozy apartment, where I grew up, and now I’m looking into a hole that just two days ago was a window,” Anna wrote.

She gathered what was left of the tea set the family used for samovar tea while her grandmother was alive. “It was my anchor, the anchor of our family,” she wrote. The porcelain fish survived. Her mother used to play with it, and Anna now calls it the “fish of unbreakability.” UP Life likened it to the ceramic rooster that survived in a wrecked kitchen in Borodianka, Kyiv Oblast, in 2022 and became a symbol of Ukrainian resilience.

The family didn’t sleep that night. Firefighters were still putting out the blaze overnight, so they could only get back inside in the morning.

“Charred ruins, lots of water in the hallway, which burned out. People are throwing broken things out the window, down by the building. The smell of burning is everywhere,” she told UP Life.

The Trump administration is weighing looser sanctions on shadow fleet tankers that have hauled oil from Russia, Iran, and Venezuela, a US official said on 14 October, Reuters reported. An industry research group expects the change to do little for freight rates.

With Reuters calling high fuel prices a risk for Trump before the 3 November midterms, Washington has already eased sanctions on Russian oil and diesel this year and is now looking at the ships blacklisted for hauling sanctioned cargoes. In March, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said a waiver on Russian oil at sea would bring Moscow no significant financial benefit, yet Russia’s seaborne oil income jumped by $890 million in the week to 15 March, Bloomberg data showed.

“Legal oil” on blacklisted ships

The talks center on letting “legal oil” sail on previously sanctioned vessels, the official said. Only crude or fuel free of US sanctions would qualify, not Russian or Iranian oil. Washington wants more crude and refined products moving out of the Gulf, the official added. Companies would need US Treasury approval to use the ships.

Research group Energy Aspects said US Energy Secretary Chris Wright, in a video to the World Petroleum Congress in Riyadh, tied the easing to record freight rates. Those rates hit records after the Iran and Ukraine wars drove up inflation and left US crude too costly for Asian refiners, Reuters said. Energy Aspects itself expects the easing to do little for freight rates, since most tankers sanctioned over Russian or Venezuelan links have kept trading for the past three months.

The Energy Department said any relief would do nothing to help Russia ship its oil or refined products. Treasury referred questions to the Energy Department. Yet Reuters noted that both departments could face pressure to let these vessels carry Russian diesel, given Trump’s push to get it onto world markets fast.

Britain is pushing the other way. UK finance minister John Healey urged counterparts at International Monetary Fund meetings in Bangkok on 15 October to keep tough sanctions on Russia, “especially a tighter ban on shipping services” that keep Putin’s shadow fleet operating.

Diesel license criticism and an unconfirmed ceasefire

On 9 October, the US Treasury issued a license clearing Russian-origin diesel trade until 7 April 2027. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters it was a weak decision unworthy of Ukraine’s partners. Democratic Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Chuck Schumer, and Elizabeth Warren called it a “total betrayal of Ukraine.” Republican Senator Thom Tillis said there is “a legitimate case for saying the president’s not following the law.”

Trump then pressed Kyiv to spare Russian refineries and declared an “energy ceasefire” on 11 October. A White House official told Axios it covers only oil refineries. Neither side confirmed a similar announcement Trump made in mid-September, AAP reported.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on 13 October that contacts on the ceasefire were continuing and referred further questions to Trump, Russian newspaper Vedomosti reported. He claimed the diesel deal was “a very mutually beneficial item of Russian-American cooperation” that serves the interests of Russia, the US, and world energy markets, Russian newspaper Kommersant reported.

Ukraine will resume strikes on Russian oil refineries, ending a three-day pause it held at Washington’s request, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the Financial Times in an interview published on 15 October. Russia kept bombing Ukraine’s energy system throughout the pause, while Kyiv lost US missile warnings and its Starlink service slowed. Zelenskyy said Ukraine would halt energy strikes again only in exchange for more US air defense.

Ukraine's deep-strike campaign targets the Russian oil industry, which fuels Russia's army in Ukraine and earns the export revenue funding the war. Striking the plants that turn Russian crude into fuel, 12 of them hit in September alone, is one of the few levers Kyiv controls on Moscow’s war income. US President Donald Trump has blamed those strikes for higher US fuel prices, which most analysts attribute to the Iran war, and Washington has threatened to withhold intelligence, and reportedly weapons, unless Kyiv gives it up. Each step Washington takes toward Moscow, from fuel waivers to talk of frozen assets, widens the gap Europe and Ukraine must fill, while Russia gains revenue and time to keep striking.

A pause that bought nothing

Zelenskyy said he stopped the refinery strikes for three days to meet US wishes, but Russia kept hitting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and killing civilians. During the pause, Ukraine received no US warnings of ballistic missile launches, he said. Starlink also slowed across the country, hampering front-line operations and mid-range strikes on Russian military targets, he added.

Russia used those days to fire 39 ballistic missiles and more than 120 drones at Ukraine’s grid overnight into 14 October, leaving at least 600,000 people without power. “We hold energy ceasefire from our side,” Zelenskyy told Piers Morgan on 14 October. Of the Starlink slowdown, he added: “I’m sure that they knew what they did.”

The price of another pause

Ukraine could again stop hitting Russian energy only if it receives more US interceptors for its Patriot systems, Zelenskyy told the FT. He warned that a halt could simply invite more US-Russia deals that feed Russia’s war machine, and predicted the next one would involve gas.

US intelligence officials had warned Ukraine’s embassy in Washington that a new strike on Russia’s energy facilities would end all intelligence sharing at once, The Washington Post reported, citing a person familiar with the matter. Washington has not fully cut it off, but the threat stands, the person said. Trump said on 13 October that the US was still sharing intelligence.

Washington’s other moves toward Moscow

A senior US official told Axios the administration had nothing to do with the Starlink limits, which Elon Musk had blamed on the US military. The administration is also considering easing sanctions on shadow fleet tankers, which have carried oil from Russia, Iran, and Venezuela, so the blacklisted vessels could haul non-sanctioned cargo, a US official told Reuters. The US Energy Department said the move would not help Russia ship its oil or fuel.

Washington eased sanctions on Russian oil this spring, after which Russia’s oil income jumped $890 million in a week, and it extended that waiver despite telling allies it would not. US envoys also proposed unfreezing part of Russia’s frozen assets to lure Moscow back to talks, an idea European officials rejected, the Financial Times reported.

More than 38,000 killed, 11,700 left with lifelong disabilities, while nearly 1 million women and girls have been forced from their homes. See the full fact sheet

Washington is pressing the victim, not the aggressor, a Ukrainian diplomat says. President Donald Trump is using the threat of cutting military aid and intelligence as a tool to pressure Ukraine, while failing to apply enough pressure on Russia to stop the war, says Oleksandr Khara, executive director of the Center for Defense Strategies, Espreso reports.

Ukraine’s drones and air defense still lean on US satellite intelligence and weapons, which gives Trump room to squeeze Kyiv rather than Moscow. Khara argues Trump wants to end the war on Ukraine’s and Europe’s account to restore normal relations with Russian ruler Vladimir Putin, treating Ukraine as the weak link to be pushed.

“Trump wants to use restrictions, levers of influence on Ukraine to achieve his goal. To end or stop this war at any cost, at the expense of Ukraine and Europe, to restore normal relations with Putin,” Khara said.

Using American aid as leverage over Kyiv is not new for Trump, the diplomat noted, recalling earlier instances in which support was blocked or suspended.

The pressure points Trump picks, and the ones he leaves alone

Trump wants a visible success in ending the war, Khara says, partly against the backdrop of US domestic politics. He has economic tools to press Moscow but is in no hurry to use them, and his administration is instead gradually loosening sanctions on Russia.

“He doesn’t want to pressure Russia. He thinks Ukraine is the weak link and that it needs to be pushed,” Khara stressed.

Ukraine’s dependence on US support has fallen thanks to European partners, he added, so Kyiv has more room to keep fighting even as European states keep buying American weapons for it.

The one trade Kyiv might accept, and the pressure until then

An energy ceasefire is possible only on strict terms, Khara believes. Kyiv could agree to stop striking Russian refineries only if Moscow halts attacks on Ukraine’s power generation and transmission, heating, and the Black Sea ports and the ships heading to them.

Until such a deal exists, Ukraine must hit harder, he argued, because steadily draining Russia’s economic resources is what could force the Kremlin to reconsider.

“As long as there is no such agreement, and no desire from Russia, we must increase this pressure and destroy as much of their energy infrastructure as possible,” Khara said.

The comments come hours after Russia launched another deadly aerial attack targeting Ukrainian cities and power plants, in what Zelensky called a show of disregard for the Trump-backed truce.

Ukraine is drafting crisis scenarios for November to March as Russian strikes target the country’s biggest cities, Head of the Presidential Office Kyrylo Budanov said on 13 October after chairing a meeting with donor-country diplomats and humanitarian organizations. His deputy Iryna Vereshchuk warned the same day that this winter may bring a new type of humanitarian crisis. She asked donors to be ready with fast extra funding.

Russia has struck Ukraine’s grid deep into winter before: last February, it launched more than 500 missiles and drones as temperatures fell below −20°C. Strikes have continued despite a US-announced energy truce Moscow has not confirmed. Kyiv now wants donors ready to pay for the humanitarian fallout in advance.

Crisis scenarios for November to March

The core task is clear crisis scenarios and synchronized response plans for that period, Budanov wrote. The government is building a baseline threat scenario through the State Emergency Service, while the military and intelligence will provide a risk assessment.

“The available resource must be concentrated where people will have the hardest time,” Budanov wrote.

Ukraine, he added, must hold its rear as reliably as the Defense Forces hold the front line.

What officials mean by a new type of crisis

A war of rear areas is underway, Vereshchuk wrote. Russia is changing tactics in an attempt to deepen the humanitarian crisis, especially in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, and Dnipro, she added.

Vereshchuk did not define what makes the crisis new, but she tied her warning to the big cities.

“This winter, it is the big cities that may become the testing ground of our national resilience,” she wrote.

Humanitarian organizations must adapt their plans to protect and support civilians, Vereshchuk wrote. Donors, she said, must be ready to provide additional crisis-response funding quickly.

The capital lags behind

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on 13 October that even border and frontline oblasts were ahead of Kyiv on resilience plans as of mid-October. Even single hits by Shahed attack drones can cut power and water across much of the capital, he noted. He also began consultations on urgent security and management steps to fix the situation in the city.

Russia carried out more than 200 strikes on Ukraine’s power generation and transmission in the week to 11 October, Zelenskyy said. Overnight on 14 October, Russia fired 39 ballistic missiles and more than 120 drones at energy and critical infrastructure. The barrage left at least 600,000 people without power, Zelenskyy said.