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Date: October 4, 2026
Reporter: Emilly Jordan
Russia said on Sunday that it would intensify its strikes on Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine would step up attacks on Russian oil refineries in response to Moscow’s escalating air campaign.
The Russian Defence Ministry said its forces would increase attacks on military facilities, defence-industry sites and related infrastructure in Kyiv and elsewhere in Ukraine. The announcement came one day after Zelensky told Reuters that Ukraine would “double down” on attacks against Russian oil refineries as part of its response to what he described as a new Russian policy of expanded airstrikes.
The latest exchange of warnings adds to concerns that the war could enter a more intense phase as Ukraine approaches another difficult winter. Russia has recently increased attacks against infrastructure in Kyiv, including bridges across the Dnipro River, disrupting transport and other aspects of daily life in the capital, which is home to about three million people.
Zelensky said in his Reuters interview that Ukrainian intelligence had obtained documents indicating that Russian President Vladimir Putin had approved a broader approach to airstrikes against infrastructure and other targets ahead of winter. Zelensky alleged that the policy was intended to put pressure on residents to leave Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities.
Russia did not immediately comment directly on Zelensky’s allegations but said its recent strikes were responses to what Moscow described as Ukrainian attacks on civilian targets inside Russia. Both Russia and Ukraine deny deliberately targeting civilians.
Zelensky said Ukraine would respond to Russia’s attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure by targeting Russian energy assets, particularly oil refineries that provide revenue for Moscow’s war effort. He said Ukraine would not deliberately imitate attacks on civilian facilities.
“We have to respond in any way we can,” Zelensky said in the Reuters interview, adding that Ukraine would focus on energy-related targets rather than civilian objects.
The dispute comes as Russian attacks on Kyiv have increasingly focused on infrastructure. Ukrainian officials have reported strikes affecting energy and telecommunications systems, roads and rail infrastructure, while Russian forces have also targeted bridges connecting the eastern and western sides of the capital.
On Sunday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Kyiv as air-raid sirens and explosions were heard across the capital. Merz pledged €1 billion in military assistance and €350 million for repairs to Ukraine’s energy sector, while calling on Russia to end its attacks on civilians.
Merz and Zelensky also discussed expanded defence cooperation between Germany and Ukraine, including plans for joint production of drones and other weapons. The proposed cooperation includes anti-jet drones and longer-range systems capable of reaching targets more than 1,000 kilometres away, according to Reuters.
The German leader’s visit came as Ukraine faces preparations for the winter months and seeks additional air-defence capabilities. Zelensky has said Russia has accumulated ballistic missiles and could launch further attacks against electricity and water infrastructure during the winter.
Ukraine has also been developing new systems to counter Russia’s increasingly fast jet-powered Shahed drones. Zelensky said Ukrainian forces have relied heavily on fighter aircraft, including F-16s and MiGs, to intercept the drones, while Kyiv works on electronic warfare systems, interceptor drones and other air-defence weapons.
The Ukrainian president has also said his forces are continuing a counteroffensive in the eastern Donbas region. He told Reuters that the operation, code-named “Vivaldi,” had recaptured about 140 square kilometres of territory. Russia has continued to demand control of the entire Donbas as part of its stated conditions for a potential peace agreement.
The latest escalation is unfolding alongside diplomatic efforts to revive negotiations aimed at ending the war. Zelensky said he was willing to meet Putin for peace talks at the G20 summit in Miami in December, but argued that economic and diplomatic relations with Russia should not be normalised before the fighting ends.
For now, however, both sides appear to be preparing for continued military confrontation. Russia’s warning of intensified strikes, combined with Ukraine’s pledge to increase attacks on Russian oil infrastructure, points to another potentially volatile period as winter approaches and international efforts to negotiate an end to the conflict continue.