Zelensky says Putin ordered Russia’s military chiefs to abandon rules of war in airstrikes on Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the Financial Times that intercepted communications show Vladimir Putin personally ordered military commanders in September to abandon rules of war restricting strikes on Ukraine, a shift that coincided with intensified attacks on Kyiv hitting schools, hospitals and data centers. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied Russian forces strike civilian infrastructure.

Zelensky said Ukrainian and European intelligence officials expect Russia to widen attacks on major cities including Kharkiv, Odesa and Lviv to isolate them before winter, and to target nuclear facilities to cut power and pressure Kyiv ahead of 2027 negotiations. Officials also believe one goal is to push a new wave of refugees into the EU, straining countries where anti-immigrant politics are already rising.

Russia's newer jet-powered drones are proving harder for Ukrainian air defenses to intercept, and Zelensky said Ukraine's own interceptor program is hampered by engine shortages and budget gaps. He noted U.S.-supplied F-16s work against the new drones but that roughly half the fleet is often sidelined for repairs in Europe, and he said U.S. and European allies still lack the political will to force an end to the war.

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