Ukraine is pressing forward with drone strikes on Russian oil refineries in defiance of U.S. warnings over global fuel prices, as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warns that Moscow has adopted a new doctrine of widespread winter airstrikes designed to force civilians to abandon major cities.
The military campaign has drawn sharp public pressure from Washington, where the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has urged Kyiv to halt attacks on Russian energy installations. U.S. officials argue that knocking out those facilities accelerates a squeeze on global fuel supplies.
Refinery Strikes and the FP-7 Ballistic Missile Deployment
Despite warnings from allies, Ukrainian forces overnight struck an oil facility in Russia’s southern Samara region, alongside a launch and storage site for attack drones in the Oryol region and a Russian vessel in the Black Sea. Ukrainian estimates indicate that the months-long campaign against energy infrastructure has knocked out more than 45% of Russia’s refining capacity, causing localized fuel rationing and long queues at petrol stations.
Alongside the drone operations, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the first operational deployment of the FP-7 tactical ballistic missile. Developed by the domestic defense firm FirePoint, the weapon carries a range of 200 kilometers. Furthermore, Kyiv has recently integrated the home-built FP-7 into its arsenal and anticipates receiving the longer-range FP-9 model, which can hit Moscow, by the fall. Meanwhile, private intelligence records obtained by Dallas Analytics and reported by Defensenews indicate that a late September strike targeted the Azov Optical-Mechanical Plant in Rostov Oblast, a facility supplying electronics for a wide range of Russia’s missiles. According to these files, parts scheduled for manufacturing there throughout 2025 were valued at 583.6 million rubles ($6.9 million), with 497.6 million ($5.9 million) already advanced to the facility. A separate paper supplied to Defense News by Dallas Analytics includes a specific entry designated as parts for an air-to-air missile, accompanied by the note export China 192 pieces.
Zelenskiy Cites Intelligence on Moscow’s New Winter Doctrine
Speaking in an interview with Reuters, Zelenskiy revealed that Ukrainian intelligence services obtained internal documents outlining a new operational doctrine authorized by Russian leader Vladimir Putin. According to the discovered plans, Russian forces intend to target civilian logistics, energy networks and bridges across the Dnipro river during the winter months to pressure residents into abandoning Kyiv and other urban centers. In response, Moscow’s Foreign Ministry characterized the bombardments as retaliatory actions against Ukrainian incursions onto Russian soil, while refuting accusations of intentionally targeting non-combatants.
“To pressure people to leave the capital, leave different cities: this is the goal of the operation.”
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, via Reuters
Capital residents have already faced heavy bombardment.
Kyiv Plans to Continue Targeting Russian Petroleum Sites
Zelenskiy maintained that Kyiv remains willing to respond specifically against revenue-generating targets rather than civilian populations.
Mykola Bielieskov, an expert on military affairs at the state-operated National Institute for Strategic Studies in Ukraine, noted that Kyiv is not expected to abandon its campaign against Russian petroleum sites as long as Moscow maintains its relentless daily strikes against Ukrainian targets. During a private telephone conversation, Trump pressed Zelenskyy to put an end to the assaults on Russian oil processing facilities, and he has also publicly claimed on multiple occasions that Ukraine’s offensive actions are responsible for tightening the international fuel market.
