Zelenskiy: Russia authorises strikes on schools, so Ukraine hits refineries

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced on October 3 that Ukraine will sharply escalate attacks on Russian oil refineries. He framed the decision as a direct, evidence-based response to what he described as a newly uncovered Russian military doctrine.

In an interview, Zelenskiy said Ukrainian intelligence services obtained documents detailing a new Kremlin directive. According to his account, the doctrine authorises strikes on a much wider set of civilian targets than previously acknowledged—including schools, hospitals, roads, and logistics hubs. The explicit goal, he claimed, is to pressure people to abandon Kyiv and other cities.

“We saw documents and we know that they allow them to attack infrastructure ... logistics ... roads, schools, hospitals, to pressure people to leave the capital, leave different cities,” Zelenskiy said. “This is the goal of the operation.”

Measured Take cannot independently verify the authenticity of the alleged Russian doctrine. The claim rests entirely on the Ukrainian president’s description of intelligence materials that have not been made public.

Zelenskiy attributed the shift in Moscow’s approach to Vladimir Putin’s need to project strength.

The announcement marks a significant tactical turn. He insisted Ukraine would not target civilians, drawing a distinction between his own forces’ conduct and the alleged Russian doctrine.

The escalation raises immediate concerns for global energy markets and the humanitarian situation as winter approaches. Both sides now openly target economic and civilian infrastructure in efforts to break the other’s will. The open questions are substantial: the contents and authenticity of the alleged Russian document remain unverified, and the Kremlin’s military and economic response to intensified refinery attacks is unknown.