In Response to Moscow's 'New Doctrine,' Ukraine Decides to Target Oil Refineries

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine will intensify its attacks on Russian oil refineries in response to a new policy pursued by Moscow, consisting of air raids aimed at forcing residents to leave Kyiv and other cities, while simultaneously affirming that his country will not target civilians.

Zelenskyy noted that Ukrainian intelligence agencies obtained documents showing that Russian President Vladimir Putin had approved a "new doctrine" for launching military strikes targeting a much wider range of civilian objectives ahead of the winter season.

Zelenskyy said: "We have reviewed the documents and know that they allow them to attack infrastructure and logistics, particularly by launching strikes in cities and villages everywhere, including roads, schools, and hospitals."

He added in an interview with Reuters: "The goal of the operation is to pressure the population to leave the capital and other cities."

Zelenskyy explained that the driver behind this shift in policy is Putin's desire to demonstrate strength at a time when his army was losing positions in a strategic area along the front line and suffering increasing human casualties.

The Russian Foreign Ministry, in a statement issued earlier, urged foreign nationals to leave Kyiv and declared that Moscow would continue to systematically target sites, describing these as "retaliatory" strikes in response to Ukrainian attacks on Russia over the past few months. Both sides deny deliberately targeting civilians.

Zelenskyy recalled that a successful Ukrainian counteroffensive - codenamed "Vivaldi" - had resulted in the recapture of approximately 140 square kilometers (54 square miles) in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region, and that operations are still ongoing. Russia has declared that full control of the Donbas region is a condition for any peace agreement.

In recent weeks, the administration of US President Donald Trump has sought to revive talks aimed at ending the four-year conflict, which is considered the deadliest in Europe since World War II.

The US president had urged Ukraine last month to refrain from targeting Russian oil facilities, noting that such actions cause a sharp rise in global diesel prices.

However, Zelenskyy - who made his remarks while air raid sirens sounded outside the gilded halls of the presidential offices - said he had received no indications from Russia that Putin is interested in peace talks or discussing a ceasefire related to energy infrastructure.