NATO chief Rutte urges allies to do more for Ukraine's air defence as Russian strikes intensify
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte made the call at a press conference in Tallinn, Estonia, as Russia steps up attacks on Ukraine before winter. Overnight Russian strikes killed at least seven people and left 600,000 without electricity.
Call for more air defence
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Wednesday, 14 October 2026, that alliance members 'must do more' to help Ukraine, particularly with air defence, as Russia intensifies its deadly attacks ahead of winter. He made the call at a press conference in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. According to the reports, Rutte stressed that Russian aggression is not easing as the cold season approaches. He urged allies to back Ukraine more than ever.
Overnight strikes on Ukraine
Russian air attacks carried out overnight from Tuesday into Wednesday left at least seven people dead and 600,000 people without electricity, according to the reports. Several outlets said the strikes targeted energy infrastructure in Ukraine, and one report named Kyiv as a city that was hit. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced on Wednesday the 'contempt' he attributed to Vladimir Putin toward Donald Trump's call for a truce on this type of strike. Rutte said the attacks were part of Russia's continuing campaign against Ukrainian civilians.
Hybrid campaign against NATO
Rutte said Russia was maintaining a hybrid campaign against NATO allies alongside its attacks on civilians in Ukraine. Europeans are worried about a rise in such attacks, which fall below the threshold of an act of war or a military operation. One report gave arson at a military factory, sabotage and information manipulation campaigns as examples. Rutte called these attacks a 'sign of weakness' from the Kremlin. He said Russia wants Europeans to talk about them constantly and feel rattled, and that NATO would not do that, reacting where necessary, 'not always visibly'.
Putin and the battlefield
Rutte said Putin was trying to weaken the resolve of Ukraine's allies and end their support for Kyiv. He argued that Russia was failing on the battlefield in Ukraine. Rutte, who is the former Dutch prime minister, told the allies that they would not be intimidated. The remarks came as Europeans watch the hybrid attacks grow alongside the strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
