Zelenskyy faces pressure after Ukraine hits Russian oil facilities

Ukraine struck Russian oil facilities in the Moscow region after a major Russian ballistic missile attack, Al Jazeera reported, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy faced a political crisis at home. The pressure matters because it comes during a new escalation in the war and amid protests triggered by his dismissal of a defence minister.

Zelenskyy described the Ukrainian strikes as a response to Russia’s attack the previous night. “We are responding,” he said, according to Al Jazeera.

Al Jazeera reported that Russia had carried out a major ballistic missile attack on Ukraine before the Ukrainian strikes on oil sites near Moscow. The outlet said Russia has so far in July hit Ukraine with more ballistic missiles than it produces in a month.

The military escalation has coincided with political strain in Kyiv. Al Jazeera reported that Zelenskyy’s decision to sack the defence minister has sparked protests, raising questions about unity at the top of Ukraine’s leadership during the war.

The report did not name the dismissed minister or give details of the protests. It framed the dispute as a growing domestic challenge for Zelenskyy while Ukraine continues to respond to Russian attacks.

Al Jazeera’s programme examined whether the dismissal points to a deeper rift within Ukraine’s leadership and whether Moscow could benefit from that pressure. The discussion was hosted by James Bays.

The guests were Olesia Horiainova, co-founder and deputy head of the Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Center; Glenn Diesen, a professor of international relations at the University of South-Eastern Norway; and Bob Seely, a foreign affairs and security analyst who is also a stakeholder in the defence technology company Trypillian.

The episode was published on July 20, 2026, as Al Jazeera also highlighted recent stories on Russian attacks and Ukrainian strikes, including reports on Crimea’s energy supply, a ballistic missile attack on Kyiv and a Russian strike near Odesa.

Taken together, Al Jazeera presented the moment as one in which Zelenskyy is trying to answer Russian attacks while containing unrest over a senior defence shake-up. The outlet did not report any official Russian response to the Ukrainian strikes in the Moscow region.

This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.