Moscow vows to ramp up strikes on Ukraine after Zelenskys threat

The Ukrainian leader, who earlier pledged to intensify attacks on Russian oil refineries, is the only one to blame for new escalation, the Defense Ministry says Russia will intensify strikes on military and defense-related facilities in Ukraine in response to Vladimir Zelensky's threat to increase attacks on Russian oil refineries, the Defense Ministry warned. In a statement on Sunday, the ministry said it has "taken note" of the Ukrainian leader's promise a day earlier to step up attacks on Russian oil refineries in response to strikes on bridges across the Dnieper River in Kiev. Russia has already ramped up strikes on military-related logistics - including the key port of Odessa - and the defense industrial base in recent weeks in response to Zelensky's botched 40-day PR 'pressure campaign', which included long-range strikes targeting oil refineries and civilian infrastructure deep inside Russia. "Following Zelensky's statement today, strikes by the Russian Armed Forces on military and military-industrial facilities, as well as related infrastructure in Kiev and other regions of Ukraine, will be intensified," the ministry said in a statement on Sunday. The Defense Ministry reiterated that the Russian military has been responding to Kiev's attacks on civilian targets in Russia that were meant to disrupt the State Duma election. It cited strikes on polling stations that killed six civilians, an attempted mass attack involving more than 1,600 Ukrainian strike drones against civilian sites in Moscow on September 19-20, and drone attacks aimed at disrupting the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in June. It also cited a strike on residential areas in Belgorod that killed and wounded civilians and damaged apartment buildings, houses, and vehicles. President Vladimir Putin acknowledged that the strikes on oil refineries have cost around 1% of Russia's GDP, but noted that the damaged facilities are being quickly restored, and that the nation's energy system is operating with significant reserve capacity. Following Russia's retaliatory strikes, Ukraine no longer has a steelmaking industry, he added.