Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukrainian intelligence services had obtained documents indicating Vladimir Putin had issued directives authorising strikes against a broader set of civilian targets — including roads, schools, hospitals, logistics networks, and populated areas — ahead of the coming winter, with the stated aim of pressuring residents to leave the capital and other cities. Zelenskyy noted that Ukrainian forces would not target civilian infrastructure and that a response of some kind remained necessary, while the statement called for a proportional response to actions taken against energy infrastructure.
Speaking to a news channel in English, Zelenskyy pointed to oil refineries and similar industries as sources of financial backing for the war, while also stating that his side would not target civilian infrastructure in the way he alleged the other side does.
Aerial bombardments directed at power grids, heating networks, and other civilian infrastructure across Kyiv and several other Ukrainian cities have grown more frequent as colder weather has set in. Fatalities and injuries numbering in the dozens were recorded across the capital following a series of attacks that also left infrastructure and property extensively damaged.
On 3 October, a bridge spanning the Dnipro River was struck when munitions landed on the crossing during a military operation. Separately, a cargo vessel docked at Odesa's port was struck, according to a statement from Moscow.
A Liberian-flagged cargo vessel came under fire in the area, leaving one crew member dead and three others with injuries, according to a statement from the Ukrainian sea ports administration.
In a statement, Putin asserted that Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory had brought about the military response being directed at Kyiv, with operations set to continue on that basis.
Attacks on oil refineries and other energy infrastructure inside Russian territory — facilities that Kyiv contends supply fuel for its military — have been conducted by Ukrainian forces during a war that expanded on a large scale when Russian troops moved into Ukraine in February 2022.
The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a notice on 3 October urging foreign nationals, including diplomatic staff, to depart or avoid travelling to Ukraine, adding that those who remained did so at their own risk. Advisories against travel to Ukraine have been put out by numerous governments, even as those same states have kept their embassies and consulates operating within the country.
Moldova's government summoned the Russian ambassador for formal consultations, pointing to repeated instances of drone and missile incursions across its airspace, which it attributed to the armed hostilities unfolding in the region. President Maia Sandu stated on X that two separate incidents — one earlier in the week and another that morning — pointed to the conflict in Ukraine extending toward Moldovan territory, and she called on the international community to hold Russia accountable for what she described as attacks placing civilian lives at risk across Europe. She stated that five airborne munitions attributed to Russia — among them Banderol missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles — had crossed into the country's airspace and detonated on its territory.
