DOMINANT ANGLE
The United States is gauging the drone attack in light of Donald Trump's "energy truce": the American press sees it as a test for his diplomacy and for his relations with Kiev.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
The Russian Defense Ministry says it has destroyed 1,015 Ukrainian drones over 15 regions; in St. Petersburg, one dead and five injured according to Governor Beglov.
- 02
Trump had announced on October 11 a "energy ceasefire" with no details; Zelensky accuses Moscow of at least 76 attacks on Ukrainian energy in one week (The Hill).
- 03
In the Leningrad region, two substations were hit and around 20,000 residents are without electricity, according to Governor Drozdenko.
ANALYSIS
The United States, October 18, 2026. The American media is covering one of the largest Ukrainian drone attacks of the war, which occurred on the night of Saturday to Sunday, October 18, and is immediately placing it in the context of Donald Trump's policy.
On the facts, the American media is repeating the Russian balance sheet. The Ministry of Defense claims to have destroyed 1,015 drones over 15 regions, the annexed Crimea, and the Black Sea. In St. Petersburg, Governor Alexandre Beglov reported one death and five injuries, with fires at the city's oil terminal and the Routchi depot. A logistics center of Ozon and a data center of VK were also targeted, which the two companies confirmed. In the Leningrad region, Governor Alexandre Drozdenko indicated that two electrical substations were hit, leaving approximately 20,000 inhabitants without power. The Hill cites Russian state television, which speaks of "one of the largest drone attacks of the year".
The heart of the story is political. Trump had announced on October 11, after a call with Vladimir Putin, an "energy ceasefire", without giving details. The Hill recalls that Russia struck a power plant in Kharkiv on the same day, and that Volodymyr Zelensky ordered the resumption of attacks against Russian refineries on Thursday. Zelensky, questioned on Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press", accuses Moscow of at least 76 attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities in one week.
CBS notes that Trump says he is "negotiating peace" despite the exchange of strikes, and that he is critical of Zelensky as well as the strikes on Russian oil, the press associating him with the rise in fuel prices. ABC and CBS describe growing tensions between Kiev and Washington, and CBS mentions uncertainty about new American sanctions against Moscow.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov, cited via the Tass agency, says that Kiev "is resisting" but cannot "change the current course of events". On the Ukrainian side, CBS reports that two Russian attacks on Zaporizhzhia killed a woman and injured at least two people, including a six-year-old girl.
