Russia plans to intensify attacks on Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa to isolate them in winter, FT says

Russia is preparing to intensify attacks on Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa in an attempt to isolate them from the rest of Ukraine when winter arrives. Lviv also features in Russia's plans.

Source: Financial Times, citing President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukrainian and European officials familiar with intelligence data

Quote from the FT: "Specifically, the president said, Russia was gearing up to intensify attacks on Ukraine's largest cities with the aim of isolating them from the rest of the country as winter sets in. Kyiv, the eastern stronghold of Kharkiv and the southern port city of Odesa are the main targets, according to Zelenskyy and a Ukrainian intelligence assessment described to the FT by Ukrainian and European officials."

Details: The Ukrainian and European security officials said that Lviv, an important logistics hub near the Polish border, also features in Russia's plans.

The Ukrainian officials told the FT that Moscow intends to strike nuclear facilities in order to disconnect them from the power grid. They said Russia wants to increase pressure on Kyiv to force it to give in to Russian demands in early 2027.

Another element of Russia's strategy, according to the officials, is to create a new flow of refugees to the EU. They fear that a large influx of Ukrainians would place additional pressure on countries where anti-immigration sentiment is growing.

Zelenskyy told the FT that Ukrainian intelligence services received information about Russian ruler Vladimir Putin ordering the removal of restrictions that had governed previous aerial campaigns. According to Zelenskyy, the intelligence included intercepted communications between Kremlin officials.

Quote from Zelenskyy: "He said there are no rules now."

Details: The president said Putin issued the order in September, when Russia began intensifying its airstrikes on Kyiv, hitting schools, hospitals and data centres.

According to Zelenskyy, the aim of the attacks is not only to destroy infrastructure but also "to pressure people", frighten civilians, force them to leave cities and weaken Ukraine's ability to continue the war.

Background: According to an approved Russian plan reportedly intercepted by Ukraine, Russia intends to use winter strikes to cut Ukrainian nuclear power plants off from the power grid by hitting targets within a kilometre of the plants, while also launching large-scale attacks on water supply systems.

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