Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced on Saturday that Kyiv will intensify attacks on Russian oil refineries, framing the escalation as a direct response to what he described as a Russian "new doctrine" of airstrikes targeting civilian life far beyond the front lines.
Table of Contents
- A campaign aimed at emptying the cities
- Ukraine's answer: hit the fuel that funds the war
- No civilians targeted, Zelenskiy says
- The winter energy war
- FAQ
- Sources
- Read more on Chronicle
A campaign aimed at emptying the cities
Speaking to reporters, Zelenskiy said Ukrainian intelligence had obtained documents showing that President Vladimir Putin had issued a new set of instructions expanding the scope of Russian air attacks ahead of the coming winter. "We saw documents and we know that they allow them attack infrastructure... logistics... roads, schools, hospitals, to pressure people to leave the capital, leave different cities," Zelenskiy said. "This is the goal of the operation."
The comments follow a week of intensifying Russian strikes. Ukraine's air force reported massive overnight waves of drones and missiles targeting Kyiv's energy infrastructure and surrounding regions, with the capital repeatedly left shrouded in smoke and facing power disruptions. According to The Economic Times, Zelenskiy said Kyiv would not limit itself to air defences and would take the fight to the sources of Russian military revenue.
Ukraine's answer: hit the fuel that funds the war
"Ukraine will hit Russian refineries in response," Zelenskiy said, confirming that Kyiv is doubling down on its long-range strike campaign against the Russian oil industry. The strategy serves two purposes at once: degrading the fuel supplies that sustain Russia's military machine, and choking a major source of revenue for the Kremlin's war budget.
Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian refineries, depots and export terminals have already caused visible disruption this year, forcing emergency repairs, occasional fuel shortages in some Russian regions, and defensive redeployments of air-defence systems away from the front. Kyiv has also been working to strengthen its domestic missile and air-defence production to sustain the campaign.
No civilians targeted, Zelenskiy says
Zelenskiy drew a deliberate contrast with Moscow's approach, stressing that Ukrainian strikes would target energy and military-linked infrastructure only. Ukraine "will not target civilians," he said — a distinction Kyiv has sought to maintain as it brings the economic costs of the war home to Russia.
The announcement also fits into Ukraine's broader diplomatic posture: Zelenskiy used the same briefing to outline battlefield developments in Donetsk and plans to deepen domestic weapons production, signalling to Western partners that Kyiv intends to fight through the winter rather than seek a ceasefire from a position of weakness.
The winter energy war
The timing is no accident. With temperatures falling, energy infrastructure on both sides has become the decisive front of the war. Russia has spent months hammering Ukraine's power grid in an apparent bid to weaponise the cold against civilians, while Ukraine's refinery campaign aims to make the war economically unsustainable for Moscow. The result is a contest of endurance: whoever can keep their own lights on — and knock out the other's — gains leverage over any future negotiations.
The escalation also risks reverberating through global energy markets, which have already been rattled by attacks on Black Sea shipping and production outages. Any sustained disruption to Russian refining capacity could tighten diesel and fuel markets across Europe and Asia in the months ahead.
FAQ
What did Zelenskiy announce on October 3, 2026?
That Ukraine will intensify attacks on Russian oil refineries in response to what he called Russia's "new doctrine" — a campaign of strikes on civilian infrastructure designed to force people out of Kyiv and other cities before winter.
Why refineries specifically?
Refineries are dual-purpose targets: they supply fuel to Russia's military and generate export revenue for the Kremlin. Damaging them both weakens the war machine and strains the Russian economy.
Will Ukraine target Russian civilians?
No. Zelenskiy explicitly said Ukraine will not target civilians, focusing instead on energy and military-linked infrastructure.
How does this relate to the winter?
Russia has been targeting Ukraine's power grid to weaponise the cold against civilians. Ukraine's refinery campaign is meant to impose reciprocal economic pain on Moscow and pressure the Kremlin toward negotiations.
Sources
- The Economic Times, October 3, 2026: "Ukraine will hit Russian refineries in response to Moscow's 'new doctrine' of airstrikes."
- Deutsche Welle, October 3, 2026: "Ukraine to step up oil attacks as Russia hits Kyiv bridges."
