The sterically crowded cis-[Ru(dmp)2S2](PF6)2 (dmp = 2,9 dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline, S = Me3CN or H2O) is capable of hydroxylating methane under mild reaction conditions utilizing H2O2 as the primary oxidant; oxidation of this complex with H2O2 is studied spectrophotometrically by UV-VIS and NMR spectroscopy implicating ruthenium(VI) as the active oxidant.