Zelenskyy said the shift in Russian policy is driven by Putin's desire to appear strong while his military loses ground in the eastern Donbas region and sustains higher casualties. A Ukrainian counteroffensive code-named 'Vivaldi' has recaptured around 140 square kilometers (54 square miles) of territory in Donbas, with operations ongoing, Zelenskyy reported. Russia has said it must control Donbas entirely as a condition for any peace deal.
The Ukrainian capital has come under persistent drone and missile attacks over the past week, targeting energy and telecoms assets, road and rail infrastructure. For the first time, Russia has struck bridges across the Dnipro River connecting east and west Kyiv.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine has received no indications from Moscow that Putin is interested in peace talks or a ceasefire on energy infrastructure, despite recent efforts by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to revive negotiations. Trump last month urged Ukraine to refrain from hitting Russian oil installations, arguing that such strikes are driving global diesel prices higher.
'We have to respond in any way (we can). With their attacks on our energy, we have to respond on their energy. First of all, oil refiners etc: what gives money to them for this war,' Zelenskyy said. 'But we will not respond, of course, just like them, on any civilian objects.'
The Kremlin was not available for comment. In a statement urging foreign nationals to leave Kyiv, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Moscow would continue to systematically hit targets in what it described as retaliatory strikes for Ukrainian attacks on Russia in recent months. Both sides deny deliberately targeting civilians.