‘No Rules Now’: Putin Orders Civilian Attacks, Zelensky Says

Key Points:

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his military to abandon previous limits on aerial attacks and intensify strikes on civilian sites, based on intelligence including intercepted Kremlin communications not independently verified.
• Zelensky spoke from a Kyiv school bomb shelter damaged by a Russian drone attack, describing attacks on educational institutions as a deliberate tactic to terrorize civilians and disrupt daily life; Russia denies targeting civilian sites despite thousands of recorded attacks on schools and healthcare facilities.
• The intensified Russian campaign reportedly aims to pressure civilians by targeting cities and infrastructure, following failures on the battlefield, with recent strikes damaging key sites including Kyiv’s National Academy of Sciences and the Pivdennyi Bridge.
• Russia has increased the use of fast, jet-powered drones, which are harder to intercept, leading Ukraine to rely on F-16 fighter jets and develop high-speed interceptor drones, though maintenance and production face challenges.
• Zelensky criticized Western countries, particularly the US and Europe, for insufficient economic and diplomatic pressure on Russia, stating that while they have leverage to end the war, political will is lacking.