Zelenskyy Says Ukraine Will Strike Russia’s Oil Lifeline as Both Sides Deny Targeting Civilians

Zelenskyy Says Ukraine Will Strike Russia’s Oil Lifeline as Both Sides Deny Targeting Civilians
Ukraine and Russia are trading accusations over a widening campaign against energy and transport infrastructure, with Kyiv presenting refinery strikes as retaliation and Moscow describing its attacks as responses to Ukrainian operations.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukraine will intensify attacks on Russian oil refineries, arguing that the facilities finance Moscow’s war effort. He claims Ukrainian intelligence has identified a Russian policy aimed at expanding attacks on civilian infrastructure before winter, including roads, schools and hospitals. “To pressure people to leave the capital, leave different cities: this is the goal of the operation,” Zelenskyy told Reuters.

His stated limit is deliberate: Ukraine will target energy assets, he says, but not civilian sites. “With their attacks on our energy, we have to respond on their energy. First of all, oil refiners,” Zelenskyy said, adding that Kyiv would not strike “any civilian objects.” The distinction is central to Ukraine’s argument, though expanding attacks on refineries could still affect fuel supplies far beyond the battlefield.

Russia rejects Kyiv’s characterization of its campaign. The Kremlin was unavailable for comment in the cited account, but Moscow’s Foreign Ministry said its strikes would continue as retaliation for Ukrainian attacks. Both governments deny deliberately targeting civilians, creating a familiar contrast between their stated intentions and the consequences of strikes on infrastructure serving civilian populations.

Washington has also urged restraint, with President Donald Trump warning that attacks on Russian oil installations were pushing global diesel prices higher. Kyiv, however, says Moscow has shown no meaningful interest in a ceasefire and that restraint without reciprocal action would leave Ukraine exposed ahead of a winter offensive. The dispute therefore reaches beyond military tactics: it pits Ukraine’s demand for deterrence against concerns over escalation, energy markets and the prospects for diplomacy.

Ukraine will increase attacks on Russian oil refineries while saying it will not target civilians

Russia describes its strikes as retaliatory; Washington warns attacks on Russian oil installations could raise diesel prices