Zelensky says Putin ordered Russian military to abandon rules of war in air strikes

Intercepted orders on unrestricted air strikes

Ukrainian intelligence intercepted Kremlin communications showing that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered military commanders in September to abandon the rules of war during air campaigns. Speaking during an interview in an air raid shelter beneath a Kyiv school, President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the directive lifted constraints on aerial strikes, prompting a surge in attacks on non-military locations including schools, hospitals, and telecommunications data centers. The revised targeting approach follows extended stagnation along the eastern front, where Russian ground troops have sustained heavy casualties while making little progress. Ukrainian officials stated that the intensified aerial campaign also functions as Moscow's retaliation against Ukrainian drone strikes targeting Russian oil refineries, fuel depots, and ports, which caused domestic fuel shortages in multiple Russian regions.

He told them that now there are no rules.

Daily drone barrages across the capital

Kyiv faces continuous bombardment, with local authorities registering between 300 and 500 aerial attacks per day across all hours. Over a single 24-hour period between Wednesday and Thursday, Russian forces launched approximately 500 drones against Ukraine, roughly half of which were high-speed, jet-propelled models that present greater difficulty for interceptors. Recent strikes across the capital hit the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine on Monday, an educational facility on Wednesday, and one of eight bridges spanning the Dnipro River on Thursday as a metro train passed across. Zelensky explained that the barrage aims to disrupt civic life, prevent children from attending schools or nurseries, and intimidate residents into abandoning the capital. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied Russian involvement in strikes on civilian infrastructure, asserting that the military does not target schools or hospitals, although inspected debris from the Kyiv school site carried manufacturer markings in Russian.

Strategic winter goals and diplomatic pressure

Ukrainian and European security officials assess that Russian forces are preparing intensified strikes against other large urban centres, including Kharkiv, Odesa, and the western transport hub of Lviv near the Polish border. Moscow plans to strike the electrical infrastructure that supplies Ukrainian nuclear power plants, aiming to disconnect them from the national grid and isolate population hubs ahead of the winter months to force Kyiv into political submission by early 2027. Zelensky stated that Moscow is timing its military escalation with the political calendar in the United States, specifically the 3 November midterm elections for the House of Representatives and Senate. US President Donald Trump recently proposed an energy and grain ceasefire between the warring nations, which Ukraine agreed to enter on reciprocal terms, but Russian officials conditioned acceptance on international recognition of occupied regions, the handover of the entire Donbas, and the removal of economic sanctions.

Air defense bottlenecks and municipal response

Ukrainian air defenses currently destroy 57% of incoming jet-powered drones and between 85% and 90% of conventional propeller-driven drones. Domestic defense enterprises are testing five separate jet interceptor models, with projections to manufacture up to 400 units of one version by late October, although production remains constrained by a shortage of specialized engines imported from abroad. In response to the strikes on municipal infrastructure, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko convened the Kyiv Defense Council with representatives from the military, the Security Service of Ukraine, emergency services, and law enforcement. Klitschko declared that the city faces severe operational strain as Russian attacks resume against energy networks and logistics hubs, urging municipal agencies to coordinate emergency responses.

We cannot pretend that we can live as we did in peacetime.