Russia says drones hit Saratov and Ryazan refineries

Energy Minister Alexander Novak says the strikes hit on Wednesday, days after he confirmed two separate attacks on Russian refining capacity.

Russia's Energy Minister Alexander Novak said drones struck the Saratov and Ryazan oil refineries on Wednesday. The attack came days after Novak confirmed two separate strikes on Russian refineries, extending a pattern that has continued through every announced energy truce since Russia and Ukraine were said to have agreed an energy ceasefire on October 11, an agreement Moscow has not confirmed it is honouring.

President Trump announced that ceasefire on October 11 after a week of strikes on refineries and pumping stations in both countries. Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said the announcement caught him by surprise and that Kyiv would only accept it if Russia did too. The Financial Times has reported that Washington pressed Ukraine and Europe to stop hitting Russian refineries, and threatened to withhold arms supplies over the strikes.

That pressure was tied to a wider exemption pitched to Kyiv by US officials Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, under which Ukraine would pull back from refinery strikes in exchange for eased sanctions on Russian exports. A source close to the Kremlin has said Vladimir Putin will not negotiate until Russia secures the remaining 11% of Donbas it does not yet control.

Gold edged up to $4,206.86 and Brent fell 1.2% on October 11 as the ceasefire claim met a separate Houthi strike. Diesel futures have already risen on doubts that a US-Russia export arrangement adds real supply, and continued strikes on Russian refining capacity keep that doubt alive. With the Kremlin still describing the ceasefire's terms as unclear, energy infrastructure on both sides remains a live target rather than a sign of de-escalation.