"Russian energy is a legitimate target": why Zelensky talks about striking at the oil and gas heart of Russia's war

In a country that has been living between blackouts and air raids for the third winter in a row, the question of “what is a legitimate target” is no longer a purely academic discussion among lawyers. When Russia makes money on oil and gas, and then turns that money into missiles flying to Kropyvnytskyi, Kharkiv, or Kyiv, the Ukrainian president openly says: Russia’s energy sector is the same target as its military bases.

What Zelensky said: "We should not choose between a military goal and energy"

President Volodymyr Zelensky has clearly stated that Russia's energy infrastructure is as legitimate a military target for Ukraine as ammunition depots or Russian army positions.^{2 7 8} During a meeting with teachers and students of the Kyiv Aviation Institute, he explained the logic: the Kremlin sells oil and other energy sources, receives income and directs these funds to produce weapons that kill Ukrainians every day.^{2 8} "Is it energy or is it a military target? Honestly, it's the same thing," the president said, emphasizing that anything that directly fuels the Russian war machine is a legitimate target for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.^{2 7} .

Zelensky formulated the choice for Ukrainians in the simplest possible form: there are two ways - to build weapons and strike at Russian weapons or to strike at the source of origin and accumulation of Russian money, that is, at energy.^{2 7 8} "This is what is happening. All of this is legitimate for us. And who, besides us, could do to the Russians what they are doing to us? Nobody," the president emphasized, effectively declaring the Russian energy sector a front where Ukraine has the moral and legal right to act.^{2 7} .

Why the Russian energy sector is not a "civilian facility", but a military infrastructure

In his latest statements, Zelensky links Russian oil and gas revenues to aggression not figuratively, but directly: "He sells oil, takes money, invests in weapons. He kills Ukrainians with these weapons."^{2 8} . From the point of view of international humanitarian law, the key is not whether an object is “civilian in form,” but whether it makes an “effective contribution” to hostilities and whether its destruction provides a “definite military advantage.” Oil refineries, oil depots, and gas processing complexes that supply the army with fuel and fill the budget from which the defense industry is financed meet these criteria.^{1 6} .

Analytical reports on the Ukrainian "deep" campaign of strikes on Russian refineries show that these facilities are not an abstract economy, but a direct resource for the front: they produce gasoline and diesel for armored vehicles, aviation, and logistics; contracts for defense enterprises are paid for from the profits of Rosneft and other giants.^{6 10} That is why, Zelensky explains, Ukraine should not artificially separate “military” and “energy” goals where they have long merged into one contour of the Russian war.^{2 7} .

Practice strikes: how Ukraine is already striking at Russia's oil refining and energy sectors

The president's statements do not sound in a vacuum - they are backed by an already extensive practice of strikes on Russian energy infrastructure. According to The Insider's investigations, since mid-2025, Ukraine has been conducting an almost continuous campaign against Russian refineries, gas processing plants and petrochemical plants, including deep inside Russian territory.⁶ In the first three months of 2025 alone, at least 18 successful attacks were carried out on 11 oil and gas facilities, and after a brief pause associated with the American “moratorium” on attacks on certain types of energy infrastructure, 27 enterprises were already targeted between July and October.⁶ .

Some refineries – Afipsky, Novokuybyshevsky, Syzransky – suffered repeated strikes at intervals of weeks, not months, which made repairs practically meaningless.⁶ Other sources, including Ukrainian and international energy surveys, record that by the end of 2025, Russia lost up to a quarter of its oil refining capacity, and the government was forced to limit gasoline and diesel exports to avoid fuel shortages within the country.^{6 9} All of this is a direct consequence of targeted attacks that Zelensky is now politically "legitimizing" in the eyes of society and partners.

"Legal target, but not symmetry": why Ukraine cannot strike as massively

In interviews and public appearances, the president always adds an important caveat: despite the fact that Russia's energy sector is a legitimate target, Ukraine does not have the same resources as Russia to strike on a mirror scale.^{1 10} . It is about the number of missiles and long-range drones, and about production capabilities, and about limitations associated with the position of individual partners, who are not always ready for their weapons to be used to strike the territory of the Russian Federation.^{1 7} Therefore, according to Zelensky, Ukraine is forced to work "pointwise", choosing the most sensitive elements of the Russian energy system, rather than trying to paralyze it as a whole.

This asymmetry is superimposed on another factor – the resource of domestic air defense and missile forces. Every drone or missile directed at oil refineries deep in Russia is ammunition that may not be enough to cover Ukrainian cities from another wave of shelling.^{3 9} That is why the president is simultaneously promoting the thesis of the need to strengthen its own defense production and export of Ukrainian military technologies to Europe: the more Ukraine can produce drones and long-range weapons itself, the less it will depend on the limitations of partners and shortages in the West.^{7 10} .

International context: how partners view attacks on Russia's energy sector

The issue of strikes on Russian energy has long been present in Kyiv's dialogue with Washington and European capitals. Last year, the US insisted on a temporary "pause" on attacks on refineries and major energy hubs, fearing a sharp jump in oil prices and destabilization of global fuel markets.^{6 9} According to journalistic investigations, it was under pressure from Washington that Ukraine agreed to a several-month moratorium on strikes on some Russian energy facilities before the campaign resumed in a more “point-by-point” format.⁶ .

Zelensky's latest statements about a "legitimate goal" are aimed not only at home, but also at a Western audience: he seeks to fix in public discourse the thesis that Russian energy is not a "civilian cow that cannot be touched," but an instrument of war that can and should be limited by both sanctions and strikes.^{1 7} Moreover, Western countries themselves have long recognized the critical role of oil and gas revenues in financing the Russian army, introducing embargoes, price ceilings, and other restrictions.^{6 9} .

What this means for Ukraine: a strategy to exhaust the Russian war machine

For Ukraine, attacks on Russia's energy sector are not revenge, but an element of a strategy of attrition. A blow to oil refining and fuel logistics hits the Kremlin's front-line logistics and budgetary capabilities first and foremost: shortages of gasoline and diesel, reduced export revenues, forced repair campaigns - all this reduces the resource for prolonged offensives and missile terror.^{6 9} Ukrainian military and analysts have repeatedly pointed out that after a series of strikes on refineries, Russia was forced to limit fuel exports, and local gasoline shortages occurred in some regions.^{6 9} .

At the same time, Zelensky frankly admits: so far, Ukraine's long-range strike capabilities do not allow it to create an energy crisis for Russia comparable to what the Russian Federation did to the Ukrainian energy system in 2022–2024.^{1 10} Therefore, the focus is on combining two lines – increasing domestic production of drones and missiles and further strengthening sanctions pressure from the West, which may limit the repair, modernization and insurance of Russian energy infrastructure.^{1 6 9} .

Sources

1. Yahoo News: interpretation of Zelensky's statements about strikes on the Russian energy sector and Ukraine's limited capabilities for a symmetrical response.
2. UNIAN: material about Zelensky's speech at the Kyiv Aviation Institute, where he called Russian energy as a legitimate target as military facilities.
3. BBC News: A review of the energy crisis in Ukraine and Russian attacks on the energy system in the winter of 2026, context for claims of "legitimate targets."
4. Glavnoe.in.ua: news with quotes from Zelensky about the Russian Federation selling oil, receiving money and investing it in weapons used to kill Ukrainians.
5. UNN: an expanded presentation of the thesis about two ways of action for Ukraine – to strike at the Russian Federation's weapons or at the source of its financing, i.e. energy.
6. The Insider: investigation into the campaign of Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries and oil and gas facilities in 2025, their frequency and effects.
7. Anadolu Agency: material about Zelensky's "dual strategy" - strikes on the Russian energy sector and the development of Ukrainian military technology exports.
8. TSN.ua: news "Zelensky called the Russian energy sector a legitimate military target", basic quotes and context of the president's speech.
9. RBC-Ukraine, energy reviews: data on the consequences of strikes on Russian refineries - reduction in processing, export restrictions, and local fuel shortages in the Russian Federation.
10. Yahoo News (another message): a direct quote from Zelensky that Ukraine "cannot yet match Russia with equal force" in energy.