Ukraine has resumed drone strikes on Russian oil refineries, ending a two-week informal pause reportedly requested by the Trump administration to stabilize fuel prices. A significant attack targeted Rosneft’s Novokuybyshevsk refinery, a major facility processing 8.8 million metric tons of crude annually, causing multiple large fires. This escalation occurred despite diplomatic pressure from U.S. officials to halt operations, while ANZ raised its year-end Brent crude forecast to $105 per barrel amid a tightening physical market.
Fire Point said multiple strikes hit a facility in the Samara region, as Russian refinery processing rose 25% in the second half of October to about 5 million barrels a day.
Read the full storyUkrainian monitoring channels reported the fire, while Samara authorities did not confirm the facility was targeted; the incident coincided with a report of an unofficial halt to refinery strikes.
Zelensky said Kyiv refrained from targeting refineries for 3 days at Washington’s request, then lifted the restrictions as Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities continued.