Russia plans winter strikes on Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, and Lviv

Russia is preparing intensified winter attacks on Ukraine's largest cities, including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, and Lviv, aiming to isolate them from the rest of the country, according to the Financial Times. The plan, based on Ukrainian intelligence and officials, targets key infrastructure, including nuclear facilities, to pressure Kyiv into concessions by early 2027. Moscow also seeks to create a new refugee flow into the EU. President Zelensky said Putin ordered the removal of restrictions on air operations in September, with strikes hitting schools and hospitals to intimidate civilians and weaken Ukraine's resistance.