Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his military to abandon traditional rules of engagement and target civilian infrastructure including nuclear sites, according to intercepted communications reported by Ukrainian officials. Speaking from Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that such tactics aim to pressure civilians and instill fear amid Russia’s ongoing struggle in the Donbas region. Putin’s directive was issued in September as part of an intensified campaign involving attacks on major urban centers like Kyiv, Kharkiv, Lviv, and Odesa, targeting essential services including schools and hospitals.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-02,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his military leaders in September to abandon traditional rules of war, targeting civilian infrastructure and nuclear facilities. This came amid Russia's intensifying attacks on Ukrainian cities, including critical bridges, schools, hospitals, and energy centers. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that this marks a new phase of the conflict where Russia aims to pressure civilians into evacuating major cities like Kyiv.
According to intercepted communications, Putin’s “new doctrine” allows attacks on infrastructure such as roads, schools, and hospitals, with the goal of forcing people to leave their homes. The World Health Organization has documented over 3,000 Russian attacks on Ukrainian healthcare facilities since February 2022, while more than 4,700 schools and universities have been hit.
In response, Zelensky announced that Ukraine will intensify its attacks specifically on Russian oil refineries to disrupt Russia’s war efforts but emphasized they would not deliberately target civilians. This strategy reflects the escalating nature of the conflict, with both sides increasingly targeting infrastructure rather than military targets alone.
Written for “Ukraine Russia War Escalation” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 5 other(s) covering the same event.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his generals to abandon the rules of war and step up attacks on civilian targets and nuclear energy sites, Ukrainian officials have warned.
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officials → order → targets
“He [Putin] said there are no rules now,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking from a bomb shelter at a school in the capital, Kyiv, told the Financial Times on Thursday.
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Zelensky → say → Thursday
Ukrainian intelligence had intercepted information that Russia has now scrapped the constraints governing earlier air strikes as Moscow desperately seeks to regain the advantage after four and a half years of war.
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Moscow → intercept → war
Such attacks are intended not only to destroy infrastructure, but “to pressure people” and instil fear in civilians, Zelensky said.
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Zelensky → intend → civilians
With the front line now largely static and Russia unable to capture the eastern Donbas region, Putin is now pursuing “massive attack[s], massive killing,” the war leader added.
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leader → capture → attack[s
The order was given by Putin in September, just as Russia began intensifying its air strikes on Kyiv, hitting schools, hospitals, and data centers, among other civilian targets, according to Ukrainian intelligence.
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Russia → give → intelligence
Russia’s latest tactic is to intensify attacks on Ukraine’s largest cities, including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Lviv and Odesa, to isolate them as the brutal winter sets in.
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winter → intensify → them
Moscow also intends to strike nuclear facilities and sever them from the energy grid to try to force Ukraine to accept Russia’s demands in early 2027, according to officials in Kyiv.
uncertain
Moscow → intend → Kyiv
Russian destabilization tactics include triggering a new flow of Ukrainian refugees into neighboring countries such as Poland, where fatigue with the conflict and anti-immigrant sentiments are rising, according to Kyiv.
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fatigue → include → Kyiv
He said Russia had launched some 500 drones, half of which were jet-powered and harder to shoot down, in the last day alone.
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half → say → day
Ukraine is desperately trying to strengthen its air defenses, but has a shortage of engines for drone interceptors, Zelensky explained.
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Zelensky → try → interceptors
The Ukrainian president said US-made F-16 jets were highly effective against Russia’s new jet-powered drones, but added that around half of the aircraft had to be sent abroad for repairs and maintenance.
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half → say → repairs
Kyiv wants to move F-16 maintenance work into Ukraine to let the fighter jets return to the battlefield sooner, Zelensky said.
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Zelensky → want → battlefield
His comments came after months of Ukraine successfully targeting Russian infrastructure, including oil refineries, ports, and industrial sites, triggering fuel shortages in the country and damaging Russia’s economy.
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Ukraine → come → economy
But Zelensky criticized the US and Europe for, in his words, doing “not enough” to exert economic and diplomatic leverage on Moscow to end the war.
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Zelensky → criticize → war
The Kremlin denies its military deliberately targets civilian infrastructure, despite video evidence showing otherwise.
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military → deny → evidence
“Russia’s armed forces do not strike schools or hospitals,” Russian government spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
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Peskov → strike → schools
Despite that, the World Health Organization has documented over 3,000 Russian attacks on Ukrainian healthcare facilities, while Ukraine’s education ministry says more than 4,700 schools and universities have been hit since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
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schools → document → February
The Aporia
