Russia's defence ministry says it will intensify strikes on Ukraine; Zelensky vows proportional response

Why it matters

The exchange marks an open rhetorical escalation between Moscow and Kyiv, with Russia's defence ministry publicly directing blame at Zelensky and threatening intensified strikes. It frames the strikes as a reaction to Zelensky's stated intent to step up attacks on Russian oil refineries, underscoring the tit-for-tat dynamic between the two sides' targeting choices. The moment also coincided with the announcement of a new German support package for Ukraine worth more than 1.3 billion euros, and Zelensky used it to push back against domestic calls from some MPs to negotiate, rejecting the framing that Ukraine is 'losing the war.'

What happened

On October 4, Russia's Ministry of Defence said it would intensify strikes on military, military-industrial and related infrastructure in Kyiv and other Ukrainian oblasts, and said Ukrainians should blame President Zelensky, whom it called the 'head of the Kyiv regime,' for the consequences. The ministry framed its existing strikes on civilian infrastructure as a 'response to the actions of the Kyiv regime leader' and said Zelensky bears full personal and political responsibility.

The Russian statement followed a Reuters interview published October 3, in which Zelensky said Ukraine would intensify strikes on Russian oil refineries in response to Moscow's air-strike campaign aimed at forcing people to leave Kyiv and other cities. Speaking the next day at a joint press appearance with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Kyiv, Zelensky said Ukraine had responded and would continue to respond proportionally to Russian 'terror,' including strikes on bridges. He said he was surprised by Russia's 'bestial desire to escalate every day,' and accused Russia of continuing to hit civilian infrastructure including data centres and mobile operator facilities.

Zelensky also pushed back against calls by some Ukrainian MPs to stop fighting and negotiate, saying Ukraine cannot 'bend' under Russia or Putin because Ukraine will be broken. He framed Russia's escalation as deliberate preparation to 'raise the stakes ahead of any talks with the Americans.' Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha wrote on X that the week marked a new stage in Russia's 'round-the-clock terror' against Ukrainian civilians, noting that Russia had struck two Kyiv bridges six times in recent days while civilian transport and metro trains were on them, injuring two people on the Pivdennyi (Southern) Bridge. On the same day, Germany announced a new comprehensive support package for Ukraine worth more than 1.3 billion euros.

How Ukrainian sources describe it

The supplied sources are all Ukrainian. They centre Zelensky's statements and frame Russia's escalation as deliberate, aimed at forcing Ukrainian capitulation or extracting concessions before talks with the United States. They highlight Zelensky's response to domestic calls — notably from European Solidarity MP Oleksiy Honcharenko on October 2 to negotiate with Russia 'about everything' — and position him as rejecting capitulation and insisting on unity and on not 'bending' under Putin. Ukrainian sources cite Sybiha's framing of a 'new stage' of Russian 'round-the-clock terror' against Ukrainian civilians, including strikes on Kyiv bridges with civilian transport on them, and call on partners for more air defence and sanctions. They also note Germany's announcement of a support package worth more than 1.3 billion euros alongside Zelensky's joint appearance with Chancellor Merz, and present Ukraine's reported strike on a Wildberries facility and the prospect of further strikes on Russian oil refineries as proportional and defensive responses to Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilian and infrastructure targets.

Where reporting differs

Russia's defence ministry framed the intensified strikes as a 'response to the actions of the Kyiv regime leader' (Zelensky), while Zelensky framed Russia as the side that struck first — on Nova Poshta and Ukrposhta warehouses and now on civilian infrastructure including data centres, mobile operator facilities, and bridges — and portrayed Ukraine's own response as proportional and defensive. Zelensky also characterised Russia's escalation as deliberate preparation to 'raise the stakes ahead of any talks with the Americans,' while the Russian ministry framed its intensification as a direct reaction to Zelensky's statements on striking Russian oil refineries; the two sides thus disagree on whether Russia is escalating for diplomatic leverage or reactively in response to Ukrainian rhetoric.

Background

The exchange followed a Reuters interview with Zelensky published on October 3, in which he said Ukraine would intensify strikes on Russian oil refineries in response to Moscow's air-strike campaign aimed at forcing people to leave Kyiv and other cities. On October 2, MP Oleksiy Honcharenko of European Solidarity said on Telegram that Ukraine should 'negotiate with the RF about everything' because it is 'losing the war'; European Solidarity replied that peace cannot mean capitulation of Ukrainian statehood and identity. Sybiha said Russia struck two Kyiv bridges six times in recent days while civilian transport and metro trains were on them, and that two people were injured in a Russian strike on the Pivdennyi (Southern) Bridge in Kyiv. Zelensky said Ukraine had struck a Wildberries facility in Russia in response to Russian strikes on warehouses of Nova Poshta and Ukrposhta.