Moscow on Friday announced that Ukrainian forces had struck three Russian oil refineries and a gas‑chemical complex overnight, saying the attacks resumed after a brief pause. Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said the attacks had inflicted only minor damage on one facility and that Russian air defence systems performed as expected.
We had a pause for some time, but today attacks on refineries have resumed, and our enterprises are working on defense.Novak also noted that a single facility had sustained minor damage.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the strikes would not endanger preparations for a trilateral meeting on Ukraine settlement that is scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi in November. He stressed that Russia does not intend to suspend combat operations ahead of the talks and that the attacks do not jeopardise the negotiations.
He added that Moscow opposes a ceasefire that would give Kyiv a “respite” and that it seeks a lasting peace rather than a pause in fighting. An Anadolu Agency report quoted Peskov saying Russia had no plans to halt fighting for the talks and that the Ukrainian strikes would not impact the upcoming meeting. He further indicated that European participation in the negotiations could become necessary at a later stage, although no concrete discussions have taken place.
The reports are corroborated by Irish broadcaster RTÉ, which repeated the deputy prime minister’s statements about the resumed attacks and the limited damage. A comment from a Russian source outside official channels has yet to appear in the material, so independent verification of the extent of damage or the operational details of the strikes is lacking.
Although the Kremlin maintains that the attacks will not affect the schedule of the trilateral talks, uncertainty remains about how the incidents may shape the broader conflict dynamics. It is also unclear how European actors might fit into the negotiation framework, with no concrete plans set for their involvement at this time.