Zelenskyy urges support for stalled U.S. sanctions as Russia intensifies winter energy strikes

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russia's massive strikes on energy infrastructure aim to break civilian morale by cutting heat and water as freezing temperatures approach. President Donald Trump signed an executive order pausing a sweeping package of U.S. sanctions targeting the Russian economy, a move Zelenskyy called unfortunate but did not directly criticize.

Zelenskyy said Moscow carried out a massive strike targeting more than 15 energy sites. Russia's heavy bombardment of Ukraine's power grid ahead of winter is an annual feature of the nearly five-year-old war. The White House decision raised fears that Ukraine could be left exposed to Moscow's escalating assaults with winter approaching. Ukrainian officials warned that Russia is stockpiling ballistic missiles for more attacks in the coming months.

Trump pauses key sanctions bill despite Zelenskyy’s plea

Zelenskyy urged supporters on Saturday to speak out in defense of the new U.S. sanctions against Russia. He referenced the Lindsey Graham Act, which was supposed to impose effective pressure on Russia to end the war. Zelenskyy thanked Democrats and Republicans who backed the act and praised its bipartisan support.

He said blocking the Lindsey Graham Act would encourage Russia to continue killing and do nothing to bring the war to an end. Limiting Ukraine's ability to retaliate against Russian attacks would not bring peace, he argued. Zelenskyy expressed hope that the new sanctions could be revived, saying the act could have helped enormously and still can, but needs to actually work. He hoped the U.S. president would do everything possible to make Putin stop the killing, stop attacks on energy infrastructure, and end the war.

Overnight barrage sees missiles and drones exchanged across borders

Ukraine's air force said Russian forces launched four cruise missiles and 332 attack drones overnight. All missiles and 289 of the drones were suppressed or destroyed. The attacks killed at least four people in Ukraine, including an ambulance driver in the Kherson region, and wounded dozens. Three people were killed in Sloviansk, with two apartment blocks partially destroyed.

In response, Ukrainian drones killed a woman in Russia's Belgorod border region. Russia's Ministry of Defense said it shot down 610 Ukrainian drones overnight over 15 Russian regions, Crimea, and the Black Sea. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said more than 100 drones were shot down en route to the Russian capital. This disruption caused more than 350 flights to be canceled or delayed at Moscow's airports.

Lindsey Graham Act faces bipartisan backlash over Trump’s pause

The legislation, named after the late South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, sought to clamp down more quickly on the flow of financial resources fueling Russia's war. The bill had sought to sanction Russian officials, banks and a shadow fleet of tankers that keeps Russian energy moving. Trump personally signed the act just last month, but his pause came just two days before a deadline set in the law itself for its implementation. Trump told Congress the pause was in the national interest but gave no further details.

Senator Richard Blumenthal, who co-drafted the bill, condemned the move. "These waivers have nothing to do with our national security, and everything to do with sucking up to Vladimir Putin," Blumenthal said. He accused Trump of turning his back on the majority of Americans, their representatives in both houses of Congress, and European allies. Trump said the U.S. had agreed to purchase diesel from Russia: more than 300,000 tons immediately, followed by 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons thereafter. Critics said the diesel purchase would help Russia execute its war against Ukraine without affecting global fuel prices.

Frontline claims clash as Russia asserts territorial gains

Russia's Defence Ministry claimed its forces took control of eight more Ukrainian settlements, including Dobropillia in the eastern Donetsk region southwest of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk. The area has been under sustained Russian attack for some time. Ukraine's General Staff denied Russia's claim and said Ukrainian forces remained in control of Dobropillia.

General Staff spokesperson Andriy Kovaliov stated Ukraine rejected Russia's broader claim that its forces had captured more than 1,800 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory and 92 settlements since Sept. 1. Russia's Defence Ministry also said it struck Ukrainian drone storage sites and transport infrastructure used by Ukraine's armed forces over the past 24 hours. The Kremlin announced Putin approved a government program to help restore trade and logistics facilities damaged in drone attacks.

Zelenskyy said every voice in support of the Lindsey Graham Act matters.