The Kremlin called Zelenskyy’s statement about responding to the energy sector strikes an “escalation.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s statement about his readiness to respond to Russian strikes on energy infrastructure is “a new step in an escalatory style.”

Peskov said this in a comment to Pavel Zarubin, a journalist from the Russian propaganda television channel Vesti.

According to a Kremlin spokesman, Russian President Vladimir Putin allegedly previously spoke of a “40-day plan” to attack Ukraine and its economy.

“This was a significant escalatory step. This is a new statement in an escalatory style,” Peskov said.

Zelenskyy previously stated that Ukraine is preparing to respond to possible Russian strikes on energy infrastructure this winter. The president emphasized that Kyiv will not allow such attacks to go unanswered.