Putin Ordered Russian Military to Abandon Any Restraints on Airstrikes, Zelenskyy Tells FT

Russian leader Vladimir Putin ordered his military leadership in September to abandon previous restraints on air attacks against Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the Financial Times, citing intelligence obtained from intercepted Kremlin communications on October 1.

According to Zelenskyy, Ukrainian intelligence learned that Putin issued the directive as Russia began sharply intensifying strikes against civilian infrastructure, including schools, hospitals and data centers.

“He said there are no rules now,” Zelenskyy said.

The Ukrainian President said the order came as Moscow stepped up attacks on Kyiv and other major cities, marking a broader effort to increase pressure on Ukraine through strikes far beyond the battlefield.

Zelenskyy pointed to the October 1 Russian drone strike on a school in Kyiv as an example of how widespread such attacks have become.

Children were inside the school’s shelter when the drone struck the building and sparked a fire. No casualties were initially reported at the site.

The latest Russian air campaign has also hit energy, communications and commercial infrastructure across Ukraine.

According to the Financial Times, the escalation has unfolded alongside Ukraine’s expanding long-range campaign against Russian oil refineries, ports, storage facilities and other infrastructure deep inside Russia.

Those Ukrainian strikes have disrupted parts of Russia’s fuel industry and brought the consequences of the war increasingly into Russian cities and regions previously considered far removed from the front.

Zelenskyy said Ukrainian intelligence believes Moscow’s response has been to remove earlier limitations on how Russian forces conduct their air campaign.

Russia has repeatedly denied deliberately targeting civilians, even as strikes have damaged or destroyed residential buildings, schools, hospitals and other civilian facilities across Ukraine throughout the full-scale war.

Previously, reports emerged that Russia has significantly intensified its aerial strikes against Ukraine during September, launching 3,177 jet-powered unmanned aerial vehicles compared to 2,850 recorded in August.

Protect Ukrainian Skies

Subscribe to Sky Defense