Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of directing his military leadership to abandon previous restrictions on the conduct of the war in Ukraine.
The Independent reported that Zelensky made the allegation in an interview with the Financial Times, saying Ukrainian intelligence had intercepted communications from Kremlin officials indicating that Putin issued the instruction in September.
Zelensky said the alleged directive was followed by an intensification of Russian aerial attacks on Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure. He pointed to recent strikes affecting schools, hospitals, energy facilities and data centres, including a school in Kyiv that was hit by a Russian drone.
The Ukrainian president made the comments while visiting the damaged school, where students and staff had taken shelter during the attack. He said the pattern of strikes indicated a change in Russia’s approach to its aerial campaign.
Russia, however, has continued to deny deliberately targeting civilians. Moscow has generally maintained that its strikes are directed at military or strategically important infrastructure.
The allegation has not been independently verified through the release of the intercepted communications or a publicly confirmed Russian order. It therefore remains a claim by the Ukrainian side concerning an alleged change in Russian military instructions.
