The president explained that Russia invests money earned from oil sales in weapons used to kill Ukrainians.
Russian energy production is a legitimate target for Ukrainian strikes, as are the occupiers’ military installations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated this during a meeting with faculty and students of the Kyiv Aviation Institute to mark the 120th anniversary of aircraft designer Oleg Antonov’s birth, UNIAN reports. PromPolitInform reports.
“We shouldn’t have to choose between striking a military target or an energy sector. He (Russian dictator Vladimir Putin – ed.) sells this energy sector. He sells oil. So is it energy or a military target? Honestly, it’s the same thing. He sells oil, takes the money, invests in weapons. He kills Ukrainians with these weapons,” the president said. According to him, Ukrainians have two options: build weapons and target Russian weapons, or target the source of Russian money—the energy sector.
“This is what’s happening. All of these are legitimate goals for us. And who before us could have done this to the Russians? No one,” Zelenskyy stated.
Oil as the Main Source of Financing for Russia’s War in Ukraine
As UNIAN previously reported, Europe is planning a crushing blow to Russia’s “shadow fleet.” It was noted that the European Union is considering imposing a complete ban on maritime services necessary for transporting Russian oil, such as insurance and shipping, as part of a new sanctions package marking four years of war against Russia.
We also reported that in January, Russia’s oil revenues plummeted to their lowest level since 2020. According to Bloomberg calculations based on Russian Ministry of Finance data, oil companies contributed 281.7 billion rubles ($3.7 billion) to the Russian budget. Total oil and gas revenues also fell by 50% compared to January 2025, to 393.3 billion rubles, journalists added.
As The New York Times reported, the collapse in oil revenues likely even prompted Russia to initiate recent direct negotiations with Ukraine. After all, economic problems have led to a growing budget deficit, higher taxes, and an increase in Russia’s public debt.
