On the evening of November 2, 2026, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned in a video address on Telegram that, according to intelligence data, Russia is preparing a new massive strike on Ukrainian territory. The main targets, he said, remain energy and logistics facilities. This was reported by RBC-Ukraine.
Timing: The World Will Be Watching the US Elections
Zelenskyy drew attention to the fact that Russia, in his assessment, is counting on the global community's attention being riveted to the US presidential election on November 3. "And the events in Ukraine, our difficulties with air defense missiles, will be left without the world's attention," the president stated. Thus, Kyiv views the choice of the potential attack date as Moscow's attempt to minimize international resonance and carry out a strike amid reduced global attention.
Call for International Pressure
In his address, Zelenskyy stressed that "signals towards Russia are needed so that they feel there is no use for them in terrorizing Ukraine." He also stated that "the aggressor country's oil will burn," as Ukraine delivers retaliatory strikes in response to Russian attacks. The president called on the US and the global community to "put pressure on Russia so that they have no alternatives other than ending this war" and demanded to "stop Russian killings."
Context: Vulnerability of the Energy System
Zelenskyy's warning came against the backdrop of Russia's ongoing campaign to destroy Ukraine's energy infrastructure. Earlier, as Ukrainian authorities reported and the Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed, massive strikes were carried out against combined heat and power plants in Kyiv, as well as the Kyiv and Kharkiv regions, leaving hundreds of thousands of residents without heat and electricity. Kyiv and its allies have expressed fears that this coming winter Russia will once again purposefully target energy facilities, making the resilience of the energy system a key issue for the population's survival.
Air Defense Missile Shortage
Separately, Zelenskyy mentioned "difficulties with air defense missiles," indicating the limited capabilities of Ukraine's air defense system to intercept all elements of a massive missile and drone attack. This factor, according to the president's logic, makes timely international pressure on Moscow particularly critical: without a constant replenishment of anti-aircraft missile stocks and without political pressure on Russia, Ukraine cannot single-handedly neutralize the threat of massive strikes.
