Zelenskyy says Ukraine will strike Russian oil refineries in response to Moscow’s attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
Kyiv is preparing for another difficult winter as Russia expands its drone and missile campaign while Ukraine strengthens its air defences.
The escalation comes as Washington pushes for renewed negotiations, with Zelenskyy saying he sees little indication that Moscow is ready for peace talks.
Kyiv has spent recent days under the sound of drones and missiles, with bridges, energy infrastructure and other vital arteries coming under attack. Now Ukraine is threatening to take the fight deeper into Russia—not against cities, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says, but against the refineries that help finance Moscow’s war.
Zelenskyy told Reuters that Ukrainian intelligence had obtained documents showing that Russian President Vladimir Putin had authorised a “new doctrine” allowing attacks against a wider range of infrastructure and other targets ahead of winter.
According to Zelenskyy, the purpose is to put pressure on residents to leave Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities. The Kremlin was not immediately available for comment, while Moscow has said its strikes are retaliatory and has denied deliberately targeting civilians.
Kyiv Prepares For A Winter Of Strikes
The warning comes as Kyiv has already begun to feel the war tightening around its daily life. Russian drones and missiles have struck energy and telecommunications infrastructure, roads and railways, while bridges across the Dnipro river have also come under attack.
The strikes have disrupted traffic between the two halves of the capital and revived memories of last winter, when Russian attacks left parts of Ukraine without electricity and heating for days.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine would respond, but drew a line between military and civilian targets. “With their attacks on our energy, we have to respond on their energy,” he told Reuters, identifying oil refineries as a priority because they generate revenue for Russia’s war effort. Ukraine has repeatedly targeted Russian energy infrastructure during the conflict, prompting concern over the impact on global fuel markets.
The Ukrainian president’s comments also come despite pressure from US President Donald Trump, who has urged Kyiv to refrain from attacking Russian oil installations, arguing that such strikes have contributed to higher global diesel prices. Zelenskyy said he had seen no indication that Putin was ready to discuss peace talks or a ceasefire covering attacks on energy infrastructure.
A War That Is Moving In Both Directions
On the ground, Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s counteroffensive, codenamed “Vivaldi”, had recaptured around 140 sq km of territory in the eastern Donbas region and was still under way. Russia, meanwhile, is preparing for what Ukrainian officials expect could be another major winter campaign against electricity and water infrastructure.
Ukraine is also racing to strengthen its defences against Russia’s growing drone arsenal. Zelenskyy said Kyiv has relied heavily on F-16s and MiG aircraft to intercept new jet-powered Shahed drones, while developing cheaper interceptor drones and air-defence missiles. Ukraine has also begun using its domestically produced FP-7 ballistic missile and is pushing to develop the longer-range FP-9, Reuters reported.
Yet beneath the battlefield calculations lies a more difficult question. Washington is trying to revive negotiations, while Zelenskyy says he would be willing to meet Putin for peace talks. But Kyiv does not want the West to normalise relations with Moscow before the fighting stops.
For now, the war appears to be moving in the opposite direction: from bridges and power lines in Kyiv to refineries deep inside Russia, with winter approaching and each side preparing to make the other pay for the next strike.
