Russia claims Ukraine hit refineries; no evidence found

Russia claimed Ukraine violated an energy ceasefire by striking oil refineries in the Saratov and Ryazan regions, a claim Kyiv denied and The Insider found no evidence to support. The allegations were made Wednesday by Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak. Ukrainian presidential adviser Dmitry Litvin called the claim a "fake," saying a data center and other objects were hit, not refineries. The Insider's analysis of NASA FIRMS fire maps showed blazes near a Sberbank data center and a metallurgical plant, but no fire sources at the Saratov refinery. The energy ceasefire began October 11 after President Donald Trump announced both sides agreed to halt strikes on energy infrastructure. Washington threatened to suspend intelligence sharing with Kyiv over such attacks, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly confirmed on October 14.