Lukoil
Lukoil is one of the largest privately owned oil companies in Russia, engaged in the exploration, production, refining and marketing of oil and petroleum products. Its headquarters are in Moscow. The company also operates upstream and refining assets abroad, including in several European and Central Asian countries.
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Trump suspends Russia sanctions under "Graham Law" days before they were to take effect
President Donald Trump on October 16, 2026 signed an executive order suspending the application of sanctions, restrictions, and tariffs against Russia that had been due to take effect on October 18 under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act. Using a waiver provision in the law, Trump certified to Congress that the suspension serves the national interests of the United States. The order keeps the new measures formally on the books but does not apply them for now, while previously imposed US sanctions against Russia remain in force. Critics including the law's co-author Senator Richard Blumenthal and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the move; Russia's Kirill Dmitriev welcomed it as a "truly historic moment."
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U.S. extends Lukoil sanctions exemptions for foreign gas stations until April 2027
The U.S. Department of the Treasury extended general licenses allowing certain activities with sanctioned Russian oil company Lukoil until April 24, 2027. The licenses permit Lukoil-branded gas stations outside Russia and named Bulgarian Lukoil entities to continue operating while the underlying sanctions remain in force. The decision came about a week after President Donald Trump announced a deal for Russian diesel supplies to U.S. and global markets, drawing bipartisan U.S. criticism and sharp pushback from EU foreign ministers.
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US proposed handing frozen Russian assets to Washington-controlled vehicle; Europeans reject plan
The United States proposed to European allies that part of roughly €260 billion in frozen Russian sovereign assets be unfrozen and transferred to a financial structure under US control, to revive peace talks on Ukraine, the Financial Times reported on 15 October. European delegates rejected the idea, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz publicly insisted the assets remain frozen in Europe with Europeans deciding their fate. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow had no information about the proposal.
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Bulgaria's presidential election: Yotova leads polls ahead of first round on 25 October
Bulgaria holds the first round of its presidential election on 25 October. Acting interim president Iliana Yotova, a former deputy of Prime Minister Rumen Radev, faces former pro-Ukrainian prime minister Andrey Gyurov. Polls put the Yotova–Vilchev ticket at 44–47% and the Gyurov–Kandev ticket at 24–26%, with about 30% of voters still undecided. The vote is taking place amid an unusually tight grip on power by Radev, whose Progressive Bulgaria holds a parliamentary majority.
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Trump announces "energy ceasefire" with Russia; Kremlin declines to confirm, Ukraine says it wasn't told
On 11 October, US President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that an "energy ceasefire" between Russia and Ukraine was taking effect immediately, claiming both sides had agreed. The White House later told Axios that the proposal referred specifically to mutual cessation of strikes on oil refineries, described as "refinery for refinery." The Kremlin declined to confirm any deal, and within hours Russian forces struck energy infrastructure in Ukraine, including the TEC-5 thermal power plant in Kharkiv. Speaking by video link at the Warsaw Security Forum on 12 October, President Volodymyr Zelensky said the announcement was news to him, that Ukraine has only one oil refinery while Russia has an extensive network, and that if Russia does not agree to an energy ceasefire this winter, Ukraine will respond.
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Trump announces Russian diesel deal with Putin, urges Ukraine to choose a new president
On October 9, 2026, US President Donald Trump held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and announced an agreement to allow between 300,000 and 3 million tons of Russian diesel fuel onto US and global markets. Trump then publicly attacked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, accusing him of being able to end the war but choosing not to, and saying it was time for Ukraine to choose a new president. Zelenskyy called the decision weak and a gift to Russia that would fund the war, while bipartisan US lawmakers and European leaders condemned the agreement.
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Miami talks on Ukraine end after one day as Trump announces Russian diesel deal with Putin
On 9 October, US, Ukrainian, European and NATO representatives met in Miami to discuss ways to end Russia's war before winter, but the planned two-day meeting ended after a single day. The Ukrainian delegation cut short its visit and headed home after President Trump announced a phone-call deal with Vladimir Putin to supply Russian diesel fuel to US and world markets, prompting sharp criticism from Kyiv.
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US and Russia discussed American investor for Nord Stream, but White House denies talks and Germany pushes back
Reuters reported that US presidential envoy Jared Kushner and Kremlin-linked adviser Kirill Dmitriev have discussed attracting an American investor to restore the Nord Stream gas pipelines, meeting in Moscow and New York in recent weeks. The White House said any Russia deals must go through US development finance and Treasury bodies and that there have been no recent Nord Stream-specific talks. Germany said the pipelines are under European sanctions and that Berlin has no wish to approve their resumption.
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US-Russia Ukraine talks expand to include multibillion-dollar Lukoil asset deal
US-Russia negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine have expanded to include a multibillion-dollar deal involving international assets of Russian oil company Lukoil. Vladimir Putin raised the issue during a September 5 meeting with US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner at the Kremlin, proposing it as a way to show Russians they can do business with the United States. The deal, covering oil fields, refineries, and gas stations worldwide, requires approval from both the US government and the Kremlin.
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Ukraine hits Volgograd oil refinery and Samara Transneft hub in overnight drone strikes
On the night of October 2, 2026, Ukrainian drones struck oil infrastructure in Russia's Volgograd and Samara oblasts, hitting the Lukoil-Volgograd oil refinery and the LVDS "Samara" Transneft dispatch station. Ukraine's General Staff confirmed both strikes, and President Volodymyr Zelensky described them as a fair response to Russian escalation. The attacks came despite US pressure on Kyiv to halt strikes on Russian oil facilities.
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Trump signs 'hellish sanctions' law against Russia; Ukraine pushes for full implementation
President Donald Trump signed a U.S. sanctions law — dubbed the "hellish sanctions" — about a week before publication, codifying existing measures against Russia across energy, the shadow fleet, finance, the defense-industrial complex and sanctions circumvention. The law imposes tariffs of up to 500% on Russian goods and up to 100% on goods from third countries that buy significant volumes of Russian oil or gas, and sets an 18 October deadline for the administration to act. Ukraine, which has already submitted detailed proposals including lists of traders, tankers, captains and intermediaries, is engaging Congress to press the White House toward full implementation.
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Trump pushes for Ukraine-Russia deal before winter; Zelenskyy says Putin shows no intent to end war
After a September 22 meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, US President Donald Trump said on September 26 he expects Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin to "make a deal before the difficult winter." In an evening address the same day, Zelenskyy countered that Putin is not planning to end the war and keeps finding excuses to avoid meetings and a trilateral format.
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Ukrainian drones hit two Russian oil refineries and defence-linked plants overnight into 25 September
In the night of 24–25 September 2026, Ukrainian drones struck multiple Russian industrial sites far behind the front line. The Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez refinery in Perm was hit and a fire broke out; the Novoshakhtinsk refinery in Rostov Oblast suspended operations after being damaged; the Iskra microelectronics plant in Ulyanovsk, part of the Almaz-Antey defence concern, was also struck, along with a synthetic-rubber plant in Voronezh. Russia's General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed the strikes on the two refineries, and President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly acknowledged the attacks.
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Drones hit Perm oil refinery and other Russian sites; Zelensky claims strikes on refineries in three regions
On the night of 7 September, drones attacked the Russian city of Perm, home to the Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez refinery, one of Russia's largest. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian forces struck oil refineries in Perm Krai, Ryazan Oblast and Tatarstan, as well as a drone launch site in Kursk Oblast and a target in the Black Sea. Local authorities reported one death and four injuries in Perm, with additional damage and casualties in Belgorod, Voronezh, Chuvashia and Taganrog.
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ATESH says it destroyed communications tower near Perm ahead of Ukrainian strike on LUKOIL refinery
The ATESH partisan movement reported that its agents destroyed a communications tower in the Perm area of Perm Krai, Russia, shortly before Ukrainian drones struck the LUKOIL-Permnefteorgsintez oil refinery on August 21. ATESH said the tower served as a backup channel for coordination between the facility's security and Russian military units covering it, and that the sabotage was carried out by a Russian serviceman who had gone AWOL and later joined ATESH.
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Ukraine's General Staff says two major Russian oil refineries halted after Ukrainian strikes
Ukraine's General Staff confirmed on 4 September that two large Russian oil refining enterprises — LUKOIL-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez in Kstovo and the NOVATEK-Ust-Luga complex in Leningrad Oblast — have stopped operating after being hit on 26 August and 1 September respectively. The General Staff said both facilities supply the needs of the Russian armed forces.
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Ukrainian drones hit Sochi air-defence site and oil depot overnight, sparking fuel shortages
On the night of September 4, Ukrainian drones struck a Russian air-defence position near the Sirius settlement close to Sochi and an oil depot in the city's Adler district, according to Ukrainian and independent OSINT reporting. Fires burned at both locations and a column of flame was seen from kilometres away. Sochi airport introduced temporary aircraft and refueling restrictions, and the city administration urged residents and tourists to use public transport as gasoline was being sold at only about two-thirds of municipal filling stations.