Story summary
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his military leaders in September to abandon traditional rules of war, targeting civilian infrastructure and nuclear facilities. This came amid Russia's intensifying attacks on Ukrainian cities, including critical bridges, schools, hospitals, and energy centers. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that this marks a new phase of the conflict where Russia aims to pressure civilians into evacuating major cities like Kyiv.
According to intercepted communications, Putin’s “new doctrine” allows attacks on infrastructure such as roads, schools, and hospitals, with the goal of forcing people to leave their homes. The World Health Organization has documented over 3,000 Russian attacks on Ukrainian healthcare facilities since February 2022, while more than 4,700 schools and universities have been hit.
In response, Zelensky announced that Ukraine will intensify its attacks specifically on Russian oil refineries to disrupt Russia’s war efforts but emphasized they would not deliberately target civilians. This strategy reflects the escalating nature of the conflict, with both sides increasingly targeting infrastructure rather than military targets alone.
Written for “Ukraine Russia War Escalation” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 5 other(s) covering the same event.
Ukraine will hit Russian refineries in response to Moscow's 'new doctrine' of airstrikes
asserted
Ukraine → hit → airstrikes
Ukraine will double down on attacking Russian oil refineries in response to a new policy of airstrikes by Moscow designed to force people to abandon Kyiv and other cities, but will not target civilians, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said.
asserted
Zelenskiy → double → civilians
Ukrainian intelligence has obtained documents showing that Russian leader Vladimir Putin had issued a "new doctrine" of military attacks on a much broader range of civilian targets ahead of this winter, Zelenskiy said.
asserted
Zelenskiy → obtain → winter
"We saw documents and we know that they allow them attack infrastructure ... logistics ... roads, schools, hospitals, to pressure people to leave the capital, leave different cities," Zelenskiy said.
asserted
Zelenskiy → see → cities
Driving the shift in policy, Zelenskiy said, was Putin's desire to appear strong at a time when his military was losing ground in a key frontline region and sustaining higher levels of casualties.
asserted
military → drive → casualties
The Kremlin was not available to comment on Saturday.
asserted
Kremlin → comment → Saturday
But in a statement urging foreign nationals to leave Kyiv, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Moscow would continue to systematically hit targets in what it said were retaliatory strikes for Ukrainian attacks on Russia in recent months.
asserted
it → urge → months
Both sides deny deliberately targeting civilians.
asserted
sides → deny → civilians
COUNTEROFFENSIVE IN DONBAS
Zelenskiy said an ongoing Ukrainian counteroffensive, code-named "Vivaldi", had recaptured around 140 sq km (54 sq miles) of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region, which Russia has said it must control in its entirety as a condition for any peace deal.
asserted
it → say → deal
In recent weeks, US President Donald Trump's administration has sought to revive talks to end the four-year-old conflict – Europe's bloodiest since World War Two.
asserted
administration → seek → War
The US leader last month urged Ukraine to refrain from hitting Russian oil installations, saying that was sending global diesel prices surging.
asserted
prices → urge → installations
But Zelenskiy, speaking as air raid sirens blared outside the gilded halls of the presidential offices, said he had received no indications from Russia that Putin was interested in peace talks, or discussing a ceasefire on energy infrastructure.
asserted
Putin → speak → infrastructure
Over the past week, the Ukrainian capital has come under persistent attack by Russian drones and missiles targeting energy and telecoms assets, road and rail infrastructure.
asserted
capital → come → assets
For the first time, Russia has targeted the bridges across the Dnipro river connecting east and west Kyiv.
asserted
Russia → target → Kyiv
Zelenskiy said Ukraine would respond to the change in tactics by Moscow, but would not respond in kind by targeting civilian infrastructure indiscriminately.
asserted
Ukraine → say → infrastructure
"We have to respond in any way (we can).
asserted
we → have → way
With their attacks on our energy, we have to respond on their energy.
asserted
we → have → energy
First of all, oil refiners: what gives money to them for this war," Zelenskiy said in English.
asserted
Zelenskiy → give → English
"But we will not respond, of course, just like them, on any civilian objects."
asserted
we → respond → objects
After the Trump administration invited Putin to attend a G20 summit in Miami in December and discussed business deals with Russian envoys, Zelenskiy urged Washington not to normalise relations with Russia before ensuring a return to peace.
asserted
Zelenskiy → invite → peace
Zelenskiy said he would be happy to meet Putin for peace talks at the G20, but he warned the US not to believe in "illusions" that Russia would end hostilities if it gained control of Donbas.
asserted
it → say → Donbas
"It's not fair just to normalise," said Zelenskiy, dressed in his trademark black T-shirt and military-style jacket.
asserted
Zelenskiy → normalise → shirt
Any resumption of economic and diplomatic ties with the West had to be in return for peace, he said: "Because peace is more important than any kind of economy."
asserted
peace → have → economy
While the US has proposed a resumption of trilateral talks in the coming weeks in the UAE, Zelenskiy noted that an exact date and location for the technical-level conversations had not been set.
asserted
date → propose → conversations
Ukrainian officials warn that Russia has stockpiled hundreds of ballistic missiles ahead of an expected winter onslaught against electricity and water infrastructure.
asserted
Russia → warn → infrastructure
Last winter, the worst of the war, Russian strikes left swathes of the country without electricity and heating for days at a time.
asserted
strikes → leave → time
Since the summer, Moscow has also begun launching dozens of fast and relatively cheap jet-powered Shahed drones a day at Ukraine, whose air defences have struggled as its previous generation of interceptor drones were too slow to catch them.
asserted
generation → begin → them
Zelenskiy said Ukraine had been forced to rely heavily on its fighter aircraft – F-16s and MiGs – to down around 60% of the Russian jet-powered drones, but supplies of 20 mm ammunition for the planes were running low.
asserted
supplies → say → planes
Kyiv was urgently working on other solutions – including boosting its jamming capabilities, he said.
asserted
he → work → capabilities
In the second half of October, it would receive the first shipment of small, cheap air defence missiles capable of hitting the new Shaheds.
asserted
it → receive → Shaheds
Last week, Zelenskiy said Ukraine was developing five models of new interceptor drones capable of downing the jet Shaheds.
asserted
Ukraine → say → Shaheds
Fresh from a meeting with his defence chiefs, he said tests on two of those models showed a modest success rate of around 30%.
asserted
tests → say → %
"We'll have to scale it," he said.
asserted
he → have → it
"I hope that with all these things, with all these elements, we'll find a way."
asserted
we → hope → way
BALLISTIC THREAT
Ukraine announced the first combat use this week of its own domestically made ballistic missile – the FP-7, which has a range of around 250 km (155 miles).
asserted
which → announce → km
Zelenskiy said he had called the manufacturer Fire Point to pressure executives to finish quickly a longer-range model, the FP-9, which the company has said could hit Moscow.
uncertain
company → say → Moscow
"I said to them, where is my FP-9?" said Zelenskiy, with a grin.
asserted
Zelenskiy → say → grin
"We need the FP-9.
asserted
We → need → FP-9
Zelenskiy said a recent spate of Russian drone incursions and hybrid attacks in Europe were an effort to intimidate European populations and to divide support for Ukraine.
asserted
spate → say → Ukraine
Some European leaders were starting to understand this, he said, and toughen their position.
asserted
he → start → position
…and 4 more, not listed.
The Aporia
