Zelenskiy signals preemptive strikes on Russian war infrastructure

Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine would carry out preemptive attacks on facilities Russia is using for its war, widening a campaign that has already reached power systems in occupied Crimea and fuel sites deep inside Russia. In an evening address on June 24, he said he had instructed intelligence services and the military to act preemptively against sites that support Russia’s war effort.

The remarks came as Ukraine expanded strikes on energy infrastructure in an effort to force Moscow into talks. Ukrainian drones knocked out power in the biggest city in Russian-held Crimea and targeted facilities in central and southern Russia, pushing the conflict further into the infrastructure that keeps Russian forces supplied and Russian industry moving.

The immediate pressure is showing up in Russia’s fuel system. Industry sources said the Moscow oil refinery will be offline for at least six months after extensive damage from Ukrainian drone attacks, a shutdown that could make it harder for Russian authorities to contain shortages across the world’s largest country. Official Russian data published on Wednesday showed petroleum-product and coke output fell 13.5% year on year in May, adding to earlier declines.

The shift underscores how the war is moving beyond front-line combat and into refineries, power grids and logistics hubs that support Russia’s military machine. It also broadens the map of legitimate targets in Ukraine’s view, from occupied territory to facilities inside Russia itself, and raises the likelihood of retaliation as both sides continue to escalate.