Ukrainian drones set Russian oil terminal ablaze in Rostov hours after Trump-Putin diesel deal

What happened overnight

Drones attacked the Yug Rusi oil terminal in Rostov-on-Don overnight between 9 and 10 October, and a large fire broke out at the site. The terminal handles storage and pumping of fuel for the Novoshakhtinsk refinery, and the independent Russian outlet Astra identified the location through OSINT analysis of footage. Rostov governor Yuri Slyusar confirmed the attack and said more than 100 drones were shot down, according to El Confidencial. Deutsche Welle, citing regional authorities, reported more than 50 drones, so the count varies by source. Ukraine has not claimed the attack. Slyusar described the immediate response in these words:

Train traffic has been halted in both directions. Information about possible victims is being verified. Emergency services are working at the scene.

Casualties and damage across Rostov

Slyusar's Telegram update reported one man injured, according to Deutsche Welle, while Slyusar later put the number of injured at six people, according to El Confidencial. Several apartment buildings were damaged in different districts of the city, and residents were evacuated, Deutsche Welle reports. A railway bridge was damaged, and train traffic was halted in both directions. A drone hit a building in Bataysk, where a fire broke out, although reports differ on whether it was under construction or an uninhabited high-rise. Two ships were attacked in the Sea of Azov, with no casualties reported.

The Trump-Putin diesel agreement

The attack came hours after Trump and Putin agreed in a telephone call that Russia would supply oil and oil products to US and world markets to lower diesel prices. In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote:

Russia will immediately supply more than 300,000 tonnes of diesel fuel to American and world markets; another 500,000 tonnes during the month of November and 1,000,000 tonnes immediately after.

Trump added that Russia would later deliver 3,000,000 tonnes of diesel in a short period, depending on the state of its diesel refineries. El Confidencial reports that the announcement came as the White House and the Republican Party worried about polls ahead of the 3 November midterm elections. La Repubblica reports that sanctions on Russian diesel are suspended until April of next year. Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War said:

This represents a unilateral concession by the United States to Russia, at a time when Russia has offered the United States no concessions in negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

The same analysts warned that the decision would finance Russia's war effort and prolong the war in Ukraine.

Ukraine's response and US pressure

Zelensky sharply criticised the agreement, saying Ukraine would back easing sanctions on Russia only if both sides agreed to refrain from attacks on energy facilities, according to Aktuálně.cz. La Repubblica reports that Zelensky called the US easing of sanctions a sign of weakness that would not help peace. Zelensky also said:

Any cessation of attacks must be mutual.

Axios, citing an unnamed US official, reported that Trump agreed to the deal after Zelensky ignored repeated US requests that Ukraine stop attacking Russian refineries. According to the same report, US negotiators threatened to stop providing intelligence to Ukraine over attacks on Russian oil facilities. Libertatea reports that Ukraine's General Staff said Ukrainian forces hit the Novoshakhtinsk refinery on 25 September, causing a fire.

Terminal capacity and Russian diesel exports

Sources differ on the terminal's capacity. Aktuálně.cz gives 2.5 million tonnes a year, while other estimates it cites put it at 3.5 million tonnes. Analysts cited by Aktuálně.cz noted that Russia accounted for 9.5% of global diesel exports last year, and that in July the Russian government temporarily banned diesel exports after Ukraine intensified strikes on Russian refining capacity and logistics.