Zelensky promised that strikes on oil refineries in Russia will be intensified
The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that they had "heard" about this, and therefore intend to expand the scope of their attacks.
Zelensky promised increased strikes on oil refineries in Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the country's armed forces will further intensify attacks on oil refineries in Russia. Following this, the Russian Ministry of Defense also announced that the volume of strikes on targets in Ukraine will be expanded.
According to him, Ukrainian special services obtained documents showing that Vladimir Putin ordered the expansion of the range of targets for strikes across Ukraine ahead of the onset of winter.
In Zelensky's view, the Russian President decided to "show strength" at a time when Russian troops are losing positions and suffering heavy casualties.
"We saw the documents and we know that they do not rule out striking infrastructure, logistics hubs, and especially cities and villages – everywhere: streets, schools, hospitals. Forcing people to leave the capital, to leave other cities – this is the goal of the operation," the Ukrainian President said.
In the interview, Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine would respond to Moscow's change in tactics, but would not launch mass strikes on civilian infrastructure.
In response to their attacks on our energy sector, we must strike their energy sector. First and foremost, oil refineries and the like – facilities that bring them money to wage this war. But we, of course, will not strike random civilian objects like they do.
On Sunday, officials at the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that they had "heard" Zelensky's warning and that attacks on "military and military-industrial facilities, as well as infrastructure associated with them" would now be intensified.
The Russian military department placed the responsibility for the escalation of the situation directly on Zelensky and emphasized that "the population of Ukraine should blame only the leader of the Kyiv regime" for [the intensification of Russian strikes].
US President Donald Trump twice in September called on Zelensky to stop strikes on Russian oil refineries – in the American president's opinion, such strikes are causing a diesel shortage on the global market.