Six injured as Russian strikes hit Zaporizhzhia and Chernihiv, US urges Ukraine to pause refinery attacks

Six people were injured after Russian strikes hit Ukraine's southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia and the Chernihiv region on Monday night. Governor Mykhailo Semikin reported four injuries in Zaporizhzhia and emergency services said two more were hurt in Chernihiv. The Russian Defence Ministry said its attacks also damaged a power station in Kharkiv, a warehouse nearby, another power station in the Khmelnytskyi region, port facilities in Chornomorsk and a cargo vessel bound for Odesa that was being used for military purposes. The United States has urged Kyiv to pause its air strikes on Russian oil refineries, saying the attacks are driving up global energy prices, a concern for the Trump administration ahead of next month’s midterm elections and its ongoing conflict with Iran. In an interview aired on Sunday, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine would only stop hitting Russian refineries if Moscow ceased targeting Ukrainian power infrastructure, or if Washington allowed Starshield satellites to monitor Russian missile sites or supplied Patriot air‑defence missiles. The statements came as the US continues to press Ukraine to limit actions that could further raise fuel costs. The Russian attacks on power and transport sites come amid heightened diplomatic pressure on Kyiv to curb its offensive operations.## Context The strikes illustrate the growing link between battlefield tactics and global energy markets, while US political calculations ahead of elections shape its diplomatic stance.