Russia says Ukraine hit two oil refineries; Kyiv denies striking them
Russia's deputy PM said Ukrainian drones hit refineries in Saratov and Ryazan regions on Wednesday; a Ukrainian presidential adviser denied the refineries were targeted.
Russia's deputy prime minister for energy, Alexander Novak, said Ukrainian drones attacked two oil refineries in Russia's Saratov and Ryazan regions on Wednesday, Russian news agencies reported, according to Franceinfo. Ukrainian presidential adviser Dmytro Lytvyn told reporters that other sites had been hit "but not the refineries," directly denying Novak's claim, Franceinfo reported.
The accusation came three days after US President Donald Trump announced a unilateral energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, intended to halt strikes on both countries' energy infrastructure. Neither government has said the truce is being observed; a confirmed strike on the two Russian refineries would breach it.
The dispute came the same week Russia carried out a heavy strike on Ukraine's own energy grid, hitting a power plant in Kyiv and cutting electricity to a large part of the capital, NRC reported. President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attacks showed open disregard for the US-brokered truce and called on Washington to impose tougher sanctions on Moscow.
The ceasefire announcement followed a separate deal in which Trump agreed to let the United States import Russian diesel, reversing a 2022 ban imposed over the invasion of Ukraine; Trump has said the move would help lower US fuel prices ahead of the 3 November midterm elections. Twelve US senators, including six Republicans, wrote to Trump this week urging him to scrap the diesel agreement, calling it "a gift to our adversary and a betrayal of our allies," NRC reported.
Speaking in Tallinn on Wednesday, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said members needed to do more on air defence to help Ukraine as Russia intensified its attacks, and described hybrid attacks below the threshold of open war as "a sign of weakness" on Moscow's part, Romanian outlet TV8 reported.
What we know
- Russia's deputy PM Alexander Novak said Ukrainian drones struck oil refineries in the Saratov and Ryazan regions on Wednesday.
- Ukrainian presidential adviser Dmytro Lytvyn denied the refineries were hit, saying other sites were struck instead.
- The claim and denial came three days after a US-announced energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.
- The same week, Russia struck a power plant in Kyiv, cutting power to a large part of the capital, NRC reported.
- Twelve US senators, including six Republicans, asked Trump to scrap a related US-Russia diesel import deal, calling it a gift to Russia, NRC reported.
Not yet confirmed
- Whether the refineries were actually hit is disputed: Russia says yes, Ukraine says no.
Why it matters for Europe
A confirmed Ukrainian strike on Russian refineries would be one of the clearest breaches yet of the US-announced energy ceasefire, at a moment when Washington has already threatened to cut intelligence-sharing with Kyiv if it keeps hitting Russian oil sites. The dispute over the ceasefire is unfolding alongside a separate US-Russia diesel deal that has drawn bipartisan criticism in the US Senate, showing how energy diplomacy and the war are now tangled together.
Sources
Reported by 4 reports from 4 independent outlets in 3 countries.
- NRC: Precies op het moment dat Trump deals sluit met Poetin worden de Oekraïense strijdkrachten ernstig gehinderd bij de verdediging van hun land
- TV8: /LIVE TEXT/ Război în Ucraina, ziua 1694: Ochii pe Moldova, blackout la Kiev și lovituri în Rusia. Zelenski dezvăluie amenințarea lui Trump
- Franceinfo: La Russie affirme que l'Ukraine a attaqué deux de ses raffineries, Kiev dément avoir visé ces infrastructures
- De Telegraaf: LIVE | Rusland beschuldigt Oekraïne van aanvallen op raffinaderijen tijdens energiebestand, Kiev ontkent
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Questions and answers
- What does Russia say happened?
- Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said Ukrainian drones attacked two oil refineries in the Saratov and Ryazan regions on Wednesday.
- How did Ukraine respond?
- Presidential adviser Dmytro Lytvyn denied the refineries were targeted, saying other sites were hit instead.
- Why does this matter now?
- It comes just days after a US-announced energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, which a refinery strike would breach, and amid a separate, criticised US-Russia diesel deal.
This article was written with AI assistance from 4 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.