Zelensky: Putin ordered military to drop rules of war in Ukraine strikes

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has ordered military leadership to abandon rules of war in strikes on Ukraine, citing intelligence data in a Financial Times interview. Zelensky stated Putin issued the order in September as Russia intensified air attacks on Kyiv, targeting schools, hospitals, and data centers, leading to a sharp increase in strikes on civilian objects. He said Russia is preparing to escalate attacks on Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Odesa to isolate them from the rest of the country as winter approaches. Lviv, a key logistics hub near the Polish border, also appears in Russian plans, according to Ukrainian and European security officials. In September, Russia intensified drone attacks on Kyiv, and on October 2, traffic was restricted on three bridges in the capital due to overnight shelling.