Zelenskiy: Ukraine to target Russian oil refineries
President states Ukraine will retaliate against Moscow's new doctrine of civilian infrastructure strikes.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Zelenskiy: Ukraine to target Russian oil refineries
Photograph: The Star Kuala Lumpur (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Ukraine plans to attack Russian oil refineries in response to Moscow's alleged new doctrine of targeting civilian infrastructure, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said.
- Zelenskiy stated that Russia's 'new doctrine' aims to pressure civilians to leave cities by targeting infrastructure.
- Ukraine's counteroffensive in the Donbas region has recaptured approximately 140 sq km, according to Zelenskiy.
- The US has previously urged Ukraine to avoid hitting Russian oil installations due to concerns over global diesel prices.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 11 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 5 of the 16 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
42/100
Craft
57/100
Hype
20/100
16 sources · methodology
Thin on the left so far
None of the 11 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced that Ukraine will increase attacks on Russian oil refineries as a response to Moscow's alleged new policy of airstrikes. He stated that this Russian policy is designed to compel people to leave cities like Kyiv. Zelenskiy also reported that Ukraine's counteroffensive in the Donbas region has reclaimed about 140 square kilometres of territory.
Zelenskiy said Ukrainian intelligence had obtained documents indicating Russian President Vladimir Putin had authorised a 'new doctrine' authorising attacks on a wider range of civilian targets. According to Zelenskiy, the goal of these strikes is to pressure people to leave the capital and other cities. He added that Russia's actions are intended to project strength while its military faces losses and higher casualties.
Disagreement on Ukraine's response
The Star Kuala Lumpur reported that Zelenskiy stated Ukraine would respond to Moscow's attacks on energy infrastructure by targeting Russian energy facilities, specifically oil refineries, which provide funding for the war. However, he emphasised that Ukraine would not target civilian objects in retaliation. The Star Kuala Lumpur also noted that the US had previously advised Ukraine against striking Russian oil facilities due to potential impacts on global diesel prices.
What the coverage left out
None of the centre-rated digests mentioned Ukraine's development of new interceptor drones and domestically made ballistic missiles, as reported by President Zelenskiy in The Star Kuala Lumpur's full report. The right-rated digests also omitted this information.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 7 times, most recently on 3 Oct 2026, 18:30, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated left has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Centre
6 rated outlets
- Centre-rated outlets led on Ukraine's intention to increase attacks on Russian oil refineries. President Volodymyr Zelensky stated this would be in response to Moscow's new airstrike policy, which he said aims to force people from Kyiv and other cities. Zelensky also said Ukraine would not target civilians.
- The reports mentioned that Ukraine's intelligence services possess documents indicating a new doctrine from President Vladimir Putin. This doctrine, according to the reports, involves wider military attacks on civilian objects before winter. Zelensky said this policy is intended to make people leave the capital and other cities.
- Eesti Rahvusringhääling's full report also detailed other events, including Ukrainian strikes on Russian military targets and a Russian attack on a ship in Odesa port. This report also mentioned Russian calls for diplomats and foreigners to leave Kyiv, and a Russian strike on a bridge in the city.
Right
5 rated outlets
- The right-rated reports highlighted President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's declaration that Ukraine will target Russian oil refineries in response to Moscow's 'new doctrine' of airstrikes. The Star Kuala Lumpur, which provided a full report, included Zelenskiy's explanation that Russia's new policy aims to force people to abandon cities by targeting infrastructure. This report also detailed Zelenskiy's statement that Ukraine would not target civilians, but would respond to attacks on energy infrastructure.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Zelenskiy: Ukraine to target Russian oil refineries?
- Of the 11 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 0% are rated left, 54% are rated centre, 46% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 16. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Zelenskiy: Ukraine to target Russian oil refineries left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 11 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of Zelenskiy: Ukraine to target Russian oil refineries biased?
- Zelenskiy: Ukraine to target Russian oil refineries is one event reported by 16 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Zelenskiy: Ukraine to target Russian oil refineries?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Zelenskiy: Ukraine to target Russian oil refineries?
- 16 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What is Ukraine's planned response to Russian airstrikes?
- President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated that Ukraine intends to target Russian oil refineries in retaliation for Moscow's alleged new doctrine of striking civilian infrastructure. He clarified that Ukraine would not target civilians but would respond to attacks on energy facilities.
- What is Russia's alleged new doctrine?
- According to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Russia's 'new doctrine' involves targeting a broader range of civilian infrastructure, including logistics, roads, schools, and hospitals. The aim is to pressure people to leave cities.
- How much territory has Ukraine recaptured in the Donbas?
- President Volodymyr Zelenskiy reported that Ukraine's counteroffensive in the Donbas region has recaptured approximately 140 square kilometres of territory.
- What concerns have been raised about targeting Russian oil facilities?
- The US has urged Ukraine to refrain from hitting Russian oil installations due to concerns about potential surges in global diesel prices. This advice was noted by President Zelenskiy.
Read it at the source
16 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Centre
6- Exclusive-Ukraine will hit Russian refineries in response to Moscow’s ‘new doctrine’ of airstrikes (opens WTVB in a new tab)
- Zelensky, 'We Will Increase Attacks on Russian Refineries in Response to Escalation' (opens ANSA in a new tab)
- Exclusive-Ukraine will hit Russian refineries in response to Moscow’s ’new doctrine’ of airstrikes (opens Investing.com in a new tab)
Investing.com — is Investing.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Exclusive-Ukraine will hit Russian refineries in response to Moscow's 'new doctrine' of airstrikes (opens Reuters in a new tab)
- Ukraine will hit Russian refineries in response to Moscow's 'new doctrine' of airstrikes (opens Market Screener in a new tab)
Market Screener — is Market Screener biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Zelensky: Ukraine Will Attack Russian Oil Plants in Response to New Airstrikes (opens Eesti Rahvusringhääling in a new tab)
Eesti Rahvusringhääling — is Eesti Rahvusringhääling biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
5- Zelensky threatened to intensify attacks on Russian refineries in response to attacks on bridges (opens news-pravda.com in a new tab)
news-pravda.com — is news-pravda.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Zelenskyy: Ukraine Will Attack Russian Oil Refineries (opens Korrespondent.net in a new tab)
Korrespondent.net — is Korrespondent.net biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Ukraine will hit Russian refineries in response to Moscow's 'new doctrine' of airstrikes (opens Times of India in a new tab)
Times of India — is Times of India biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Ukraine will hit Russian refineries in response to Moscow's 'new doctrine' of airstrikes (opens The Straits Times in a new tab)
The Straits Times — is The Straits Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Exclusive-Ukraine will hit Russian refineries in response to Moscow's 'new doctrine' of airstrikes (opens The Star Kuala Lumpur in a new tab)
The Star Kuala Lumpur — is The Star Kuala Lumpur biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
5- Zelensky Reveals Putin's Destruction Order: We Will Double Oil Facilities (opens kikar.co.il in a new tab)
kikar.co.il — is kikar.co.il biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Ukraine vows to target Russian refineries over Moscow’s ‘new’ airstrike doctrine (opens Egyptian Gazette in a new tab)
Egyptian Gazette — is Egyptian Gazette biased? Our profile of this outlet
- How Ukraine Will Respond to Strikes on Bridges: Zelensky Names Targets for Attacks in Russia (opens ТСН.ua in a new tab)
- Ukraine to Intensify Strikes on Russian Oil Refineries in Retaliation (opens knews.media in a new tab)
knews.media — is knews.media biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Ukraine will hit Russian refineries in response to Moscow's 'new doctrine' of airstrikes (opens BizToc in a new tab)
How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.
