"A very simple formula": Zelenskyy states condition for stopping strikes on Russian oil refineries

Ukraine will not stop striking oil refineries in Russia if Russia continues to hit energy facilities in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with Bloomberg.

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"They're hitting our electricity, and no one could put Putin in his place to stop him from turning this war into a genocide of the Ukrainian people. Leaving people without drinking water, and hospitals without electricity – this is a genocidal policy. No one stopped Putin with words, so we started hitting his energy sector. And then suddenly everyone started saying that we should somehow stop because it's an escalation," Zelenskyy said.

"Our position is very simple. Is the world hurt that we're hitting Russia's energy sector? Make Russia stop hitting our energy sector. It's a very simple formula," he stated.

Russia has been destroying Ukraine's energy system with missiles and drones since 2022. The International Criminal Court recognized such actions as a war crime and in connection with this issued arrest warrants for former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov.

Ukraine began striking oil refineries in Russia in early 2024, after which Russia intensified strikes on the energy system, destroying 9.2 GW of generation capacity in Ukraine.

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