UPDATE, OCTOBER 3 — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine will intensify attacks on Russian oil refineries in response to what he described as a broader Russian policy of strikes ahead of winter.

In an interview with Reuters, Zelensky alleged that Ukrainian intelligence obtained documents authorizing attacks on a wider range of civilian infrastructure, including roads, schools and hospitals. Reuters did not independently establish the contents of those alleged documents. The Kremlin was unavailable to comment.

What changed

Earlier Saturday, Russia said it would continue what it called targeted retaliatory strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities and urged foreign nationals and diplomatic staff to leave Ukraine. Russia’s Foreign Ministry said the strikes target military facilities and respond to Ukrainian attacks on Russia.

Zelensky now says Kyiv will answer attacks on Ukrainian energy assets by striking the Russian refining sector, which he described as a source of financing for the war. He said Ukraine would not deliberately target civilian sites.

Zelensky also claimed a Ukrainian counteroffensive has retaken about 140 square kilometres in the Donbas region and said he sees no sign Moscow is interested in peace talks. Those intelligence and battlefield claims remain subject to independent verification.

Both governments deny deliberately targeting civilians. Those denials, Moscow’s account of its targeting and Zelensky’s description of the alleged Russian documents are claims by the parties to the war; they do not independently establish what was ordered, targeted or hit.

Sources: Reuters interview with Zelensky, published October 3 at 12:03 p.m. EDT; Reuters report on Russia’s warning, published October 3 at 9:29 a.m. EDT.

Lead image: TNC archive AI-generated illustration depicting wartime damage to electrical infrastructure; not a photograph of Kyiv, a refinery or these attacks.