Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered Russia’s military leadership to abandon restrictions governing the conduct of war, leading to an increase in attacks on civilian targets as Moscow steps up efforts to regain the upper hand on the battlefield, according to intercepted Ukrainian intelligence.
Speaking from a school shelter that had just been hit by a Russian drone, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian intelligence had gathered evidence that Putin had lifted restrictions that had been in place during previous air campaigns.
According to Zelensky, Putin issued the order in September, when Russia began intensifying its air attacks on Kyiv, striking schools, hospitals and data centers. The Ukrainian president said the school that was hit was a clear example of the scale to which attacks on such facilities have now expanded.
New Russian Campaign Comes After Ukrainian Strikes Inside Russia
The latest Russian campaign comes in response to Ukrainian attacks on refineries, ports and storage facilities deep inside Russian territory. Those strikes have contributed to fuel shortages and increased feelings of insecurity in Russian cities and tourist destinations.
The escalation in missile and drone attacks contrasts with the relatively static situation along the eastern front in Ukraine, where Russian forces are attempting to advance while suffering significant losses.
Meanwhile, Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities are preparing for a difficult winter, with air defenses still considered insufficient, particularly due to shortages of U.S.-made Patriot interceptor missiles.
Schools, Telecommunications and Data Centers in Focus
Zelensky said that during the early stages of the war, Moscow had primarily focused on energy and military infrastructure, prompting Ukraine to respond with similar attacks.
He said Russian drones are now targeting more than civilian areas in Kherson and Sumy, increasingly striking schools, telecommunications facilities and data centers.
“Massive Attacks, Mass Killings”
Walking through the empty corridors of the school, Zelensky said that after Putin failed to seize the territories of Donbas, he had turned to large-scale attacks and killings.
Russia has intensified its air campaign against Kyiv in recent weeks, using faster, jet-powered drones that have placed additional pressure on Ukraine’s air defenses. The attacks have been persistent and often continued throughout the night, disrupting daily life for more than 3 million residents of the capital.
Zelensky said Russia had launched around 500 drones over the previous 24 hours, about half of them jet-powered models that are significantly more difficult to intercept.
According to the Ukrainian president, Ukraine is destroying around 57% of the jet-powered drones and between 85% and 90% of conventional drones.
Ukraine is accelerating development of a high-speed interceptor drone designed to shoot down Russian jet-powered drones. Zelensky said five different interceptor models are currently undergoing testing.
By the end of October, he said, Ukraine expects to be able to produce around 400 units of one of the models. The other four remain in the testing phase.
