Zelenskyy warns Russia preparing new massive attack on energy grid

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned on Monday that Russia is preparing a new large-scale attack against his country's energy infrastructure and logistics networks, suggesting Moscow hopes to exploit the timing of the US midterm elections to divert international attention from the battlefield.

US Elections and Timing

Zelenskyy said in his evening address that Moscow appeared to be counting on the elections to draw global focus away from Ukraine's air defense challenges and shortages of missiles for Patriot systems. He said the international community needed to send clear signals that Russia would gain nothing from continued aggression.

"We must not play games with Russia’s oil and gas revenues. We must put so much pressure on Russia that it has no alternative but to end this war," he said. "The United States can do this. The world can do this."

Shift in Russian Strategy

Zelenskyy said Russia had adopted a new tactic striking not only power generation facilities but also energy grids and distribution networks. He noted that these systems represented critical vulnerabilities as Ukraine faces continued bombardment.

Russia has not responded to Zelenskyy’s latest claims.

Ukrainian Counter-Operations

The Ukrainian president said his forces were justified in responding to every Russian attack, adding that recent strikes were having a "tangible impact" and hitting their targets. "We will certainly respond to the attack Russia is preparing now," he stressed.

He also said that Russia's oil revenues would remain under pressure as long as the war continued, according to the Ukrainian presidency.