US President Donald Trump has declared that Russia has "lost control" of its oil industry as a result of the war in Ukraine, referring to continued Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries and energy facilities.
In a post on his Truth Social network, Trump said that a large number of Russian oil refineries have been hit and are, at least temporarily, out of operation.
"Russia, unfortunately, has lost control of its diesel oil industry due to the war with Ukraine. A large number of their oil refineries have been blown up and are, at least temporarily, out of service," Trump wrote, calling for an end to the war.
The US president's statement comes after a new wave of Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian energy infrastructure. Just on September 20, a drone attack hit a Moscow refinery owned by Gazprom Neft, causing damage to key oil processing units. According to industry sources cited by Reuters, crude oil processing at the refinery was disrupted and repairs could take several weeks.
Trump has been raising concerns for days about the impact of attacks on Russian refineries on the oil market, particularly on global diesel supplies. According to recent reports, the US president has also asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to stop attacks on Russian refineries, arguing that they are contributing to rising fuel prices.
In a parallel development, Poland is strengthening civil protection measures along its eastern border, at a time when Russian attacks near the Polish-Ukrainian border have increased.
Polish Minister of the Interior and Administration, Marcin Kierwinski, announced that by the end of the year the Lublin region will have more than 1,000 automatic alarm sirens. Currently, there are about 350 such sirens in the area.
Kierwinski said that Russia has changed its tactics and that drones and missiles are increasingly appearing in areas near the Polish-Ukrainian border. For this reason, Polish authorities are expanding the warning system for the civilian population.
The strengthening of civil protection comes at a time of heightened tensions on NATO's eastern flank, while Poland is also expanding its capacities for sheltering and warning the population in case of emergencies.
Meanwhile, the Russia-Ukraine war continues to be accompanied by mutual attacks on energy and military infrastructure, while this week international attention has also focused on diplomatic efforts for a cessation of hostilities.
