Moscow [Russia], October 15: Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak has accused the Ukrainian army of attacking two refineries, the Russian state news agency TASS reported on Wednesday.
Novak said oil processing plants in the Ryazan and Saratov regions had been attacked. "We see that Ukraine shows no movement towards an energy ceasefire," the minister said.
There was no independent confirmation of his claims, which were rejected by Kiev.
However, Novak's statements mark a reversal of Moscow's usual approach to reporting on Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy and industrial facilities.
The attacks generally become known through videos on social media, shared on Russian and Ukrainian Telegram channels, while regional authorities have referred vaguely to fires at industrial sites.
The Russian government has rarely commented
directly.
This time, Novak publicly acknowledged alleged attacks on specific refineries - although no reports or footage of the incidents had surfaced online.
Ukrainian officials immediately dismissed Novak's statement as disinformation. Dmytro Lytvyn, communications adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, told the news website Ukrainska Pravda (Ukrainian Truth) that refineries had not been attacked. There had, however, been a successful attack on a data processing centre, he said.
Trump talks of refinery ceasefire Moscow currently has an interest in accusing Ukraine of violating the energy facilities ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump.
Trump is trying to stop Ukrainian attacks on refineries in Russia's interior, as he holds them responsible for high diesel prices worldwide, not his own war against Iran.
According to Zelensky, Ukraine has suspended its attacks on Russia's oil industry and expects Moscow to halt its strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure in return. Russia, however, has continued launching missile and drone attacks on Ukraine's energy facilities.
Source: Qatar Tribune