In brief
Russia’s deputy prime minister announced that Ukrainian forces resumed attacks on three oil refineries and a gas‑chemical complex, claiming only minor damage and noting air defenses performed as expected. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the strikes would not derail preparations for a November trilateral meeting with the United States and Ukraine and that fighting would continue. The incidents highlight the ongoing conflict and raise questions about the impact of continued hostilities on diplomatic negotiations.
In a statement released on Friday, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said Ukraine attacked three Russian oil refineries and a gas‑chemical complex, reopening hostilities after a brief pause. Novak reported that one of the facilities sustained minor damage and that Russian air defence systems performed as expected, according to a Reuters‑typed copy of the Deputy Prime Minister’s remarks.
Novak’s comments were echoed by the state‑run news agency Xinhua, which noted that the attacks had resumed and that Russian enterprises were working on defense. The same outlet said the strikes would not complicate preparations for a forthcoming trilateral meeting on Ukraine settlement plans to take place in November, adding that there were no restrictions on military operations during the preparatory period. Moscow does not plan to raise the issue during the coming negotiations, the agency reported.
Kremlin’s Position on the Trilateral Talks
More than half an hour later, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated the government’s stance on the impending meeting. Speaking to reporters, Peskov said that Russia would not halt fighting to prepare for the talks, which are scheduled to be held in Abu Dhabi by the United States, Ukraine and Russia. Peskov stated that Moscow opposes a cease‑fire that would give Kyiv a “respite” and that the country is pursuing a lasting peace rather than a partial stoppage of hostilities.
Peskov added that Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries would not jeopardize the planned negotiations. He clarified that Moscow does not intend to bring the attacks into the agenda of the Abu Dhabi meeting and that the matter would be left to Washington and Kyiv to discuss. Audiences were also told that European involvement in the talks had not yet been decided but could become necessary at a later stage, according to Peskov’s remarks. No substantive discussions on European participation had yet taken place, the spokesman said.
Preliminary statements from Tajik, Turkish and Egyptian media, which covered the Deputy Prime Minister’s statement, suggested that the three oil refineries were located in regions with high civilian populations, but no direct quote or additional detail about the complex was provided in the coverages. The Ukrainian side has not confirmed the attacks.
According to an independent source—The Irish RTÉ, the local RTÉ news agency—Ukraine has resumed its attacks on Russian oil refineries after a brief pause, corroborating the Russian account of the renewed offensive. The RTÉ announcement went out 5 hours after the Russian statement and relied on the same report from Russian officials.
Further confirmation came from the China Global Television Network (CGTN), which published a brief news item citing Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak stating that Ukrainian drones hit three oil refineries and a gas‑chemical complex on Friday. The CGTN report mirrored the content of the Russian statement and did not add new details.
While the government’s announcements contain specific details about the facilities affected, the extent of the damage remains limited. Novak emphasized only “minor damage” at one of the sites, and air‑defence systems were reported to have performed as expected. No casualties or large‑scale infrastructure losses were mentioned in any of the sources, leaving open questions about the real impact on nearby civilian populations and the broader energy supply chain.
The intersection of continued military confrontation and diplomatic negotiations raises urgency for transparent accountability. The information presented by Russian officials indicates that the government intends to proceed with the trilateral talks regardless of ongoing attacks, stating that there are no restrictions on military operations during the preparatory period for the Abu Dhabi meeting. At the same time, the Kremlin has expressed disagreement with any cease‑fire that would provide a temporary respite for Ukraine, underscoring a preference for a lasting peace solution. These positions illustrate the civic stakes at play, as the forums that should clarify the terms of an eventual settlement may be affected by perceptions of “continuous fighting” on the front line. The region’s communities, dependent on the infrastructure in question and reliant on energy security, remain directly impacted by ongoing conflicts and the political calculations that surround them.
