“If our bridges collapse, we will find a way out of this situation, but his people will also feel it,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on Oct. 4. Ukraine will respond to Russian strikes on bridges and civilian infrastructure by targeting Russian military logistics, the president announced during a press conference in Kyiv.
Zelenskyy specified that Ukrainian defense forces are prioritizing the destruction of enemy supply routes for weaponry and drone hubs. This follows Russian attacks on Ukrainian bridges, data centers, and mobile communication facilities. The president characterized these strikes as a deliberate attempt by Vladimir Putin to provoke Ukraine into escalating the conflict. Zelenskyy said he believes the Russian leader decided that if he hit mobile communications, data centers, and the internet, Ukraine would respond.
Accusations of Escalation
Zelenskyy expressed surprise at what he called a “brutal desire to escalate the conflict every day,” noting that Russia has targeted civilian infrastructure such as “Nova Poshta” and “Ukrposhta” warehouses. He argued that Putin is attempting to intensify the war due to a lack of sufficient international pressure, suggesting that the U.S. should increase pressure because Putin fears Donald Trump.
Regarding the attacks on internet and communication infrastructure, Zelenskyy suggested Putin might even want Russians to lose internet access. He is already a fish. He wants to be in an aquarium completely, so that people would not have the internet,
the president said.
Russia Increases Strikes After Zelenskyy Targets Oil Refineries
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Oct. 4 via Telegram that it would increase strikes against military and military-industrial objects, and related infrastructure, in Kyiv and other Ukrainian regions. The ministry stated this was a reaction to Zelenskyy’s Oct. 3 comments regarding the activation of attacks on Russian oil refineries. The Russian Ministry of Defense noted it had “heard the statement” from Zelenskyy.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense described recent attacks on Russian fuel and energy facilities as a just response to constant aerial terror. These operations targeted a refinery in Volgograd, a petrochemical facility in the Samara region, and the “Samara” station, a major European reservoir park. The Volgograd plant processes roughly 15 million tons of oil annually and provides the Russian army with diesel, aviation fuel, gasoline, and oil components. The Samara region site produces acetone, phenol, benzene, and synthetic ethyl alcohol for explosives. The “Samara” station is a primary hub for Russian oil pipelines with a capacity of 1.6 million cubic meters. Ukrainian officials stated that destroying these sites, along with drone launch points and ammunition depots, is intended to force the Kremlin to negotiate.
International Reaction
German Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited Kyiv on Oct. 4, arriving by train during air raid alerts. During his visit, which coincided with a Russian strike on the Northern Bridge over the Dnipro River in Kyiv, Merz called on Vladimir Putin to stop barbaric attacks on the civilian population, stating that Germany remains ready for negotiations to end the war. Merz addressed Putin, who has led a full-scale war against Ukraine for over 4.5 years, urging an end to strikes on civilian infrastructure.
Regarding the ongoing cycle of strikes, Zelenskyy remarked, Question is already [a matter of] time.