Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of instructing military commanders to abandon the established rules of war, resulting in a marked increase in attacks against civilian targets across Ukraine. Speaking from a bomb shelter in a Kyiv school recently struck by a Russian jet-powered drone, Zelenskyy detailed intelligence obtained by Ukrainian agencies indicating that Moscow has shifted its tactics to intensify assaults on urban centers.
According to Zelenskyy, Putin issued the directive last month amid Russia’s efforts to regain momentum in the conflict, particularly through a campaign of persistent air strikes on cities including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, and Lviv. These strikes have targeted schools, hospitals, telecommunications hubs, data centers, and even nuclear facilities, the president said, with the aim of isolating Ukraine’s key urban areas ahead of winter and increasing pressure on Kyiv to yield to Russian demands.
The president described the aftermath of the recent drone strike on the Kyiv school, where 104 students and 60 teachers survived by seeking refuge in an underground shelter. He characterized the attacks as designed not merely to damage infrastructure but to instill fear and compel civilians to abandon their homes.
Ukrainian and European officials cited by Zelenskyy noted that these intensified strikes follow a period in which Russia had primarily targeted military and energy infrastructure — a strategy mirrored by Ukrainian operations against Russian refineries and logistics targets. The renewed Russian campaign reportedly deploys faster jet-powered drones, which present heightened challenges to Ukraine’s air defenses, contributing to frequent attacks that disrupt daily life in the capital and other cities.
Despite Ukraine’s efforts to intercept the drones, Zelenskyy acknowledged constraints including shortages of specialized engines and funding that have slowed development and mass production of defensive interceptor drones. He also emphasized the importance of accelerating maintenance capabilities for US-provided F-16 fighter jets, many of which require extended repairs abroad, to improve operational readiness closer to the front lines.
While Zelenskyy criticized Western partners for insufficient political resolve to compel Russia to cease hostilities, he acknowledged ongoing support and technological assistance. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov rejected claims that Russian forces deliberately target civilian sites, maintaining that schools and hospitals are not struck. However, videos and analyses of drone debris recovered from the Kyiv school attack substantiate the use of Russian-manufactured weapons against civilian locations.
International organizations have documented thousands of Russian strikes against educational and healthcare facilities since the conflict’s escalation in 2022. The intensification of attacks on civilians comes amid a largely static frontline in eastern Ukraine, where Russian forces have faced significant losses attempting territorial advances.
The campaign has also produced a new wave of refugees heading toward European Union countries, raising concerns about political and social tensions in host nations such as Poland. Ukrainian officials view this migration as part of Russia’s strategy to destabilize Ukraine domestically and internationally.
As Ukraine braces for the upcoming winter, the evolving dynamics of Russia’s aerial campaign signal a shift toward targeting civilian infrastructure in an effort to erode Ukrainian resilience amid protracted conflict.