Zelensky tells FT Putin ordered Russia to drop all restrictions on air strikes in September
In an interview with the Financial Times on 1 October 2026, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his military in September to abandon all restrictions on air strikes against Ukraine. Zelensky, citing Ukrainian intelligence based on intercepted Kremlin communications, said Russia has since intensified mass drone attacks on Ukrainian cities, increasingly targeting schools, hospitals and data centers. He linked the new campaign to Russia's failure to advance in Donbas and said roughly 500 drones were launched in the 24 hours before the interview, about half of them jet-powered.
Key points
- Zelensky said in an FT interview on 1 October 2026 that Putin ordered Russia's military in September to drop all restrictions on air strikes against Ukraine.
- The information came from Ukrainian intelligence intercepts of Kremlin officials' communications, Zelensky said.
- In the 24 hours before the interview, Russia launched about 500 drones, roughly half of them jet-powered, Zelensky said.
- Ukraine is currently destroying about 57% of Russian jet-powered drones and 85–90% of conventional drones, according to Zelensky.
- Zelensky linked the intensified campaign to Russia's inability to advance in Donbas, saying Moscow is now trying to achieve its aims through mass attacks on civilian infrastructure.
- Two interceptor-drone programmes are advancing: Ukraine is testing five high-speed interceptor-drone models and expects to produce about 400 units of one model by the end of October, though production is constrained by a shortage of imported engines.
- Roughly half of Ukraine's F-16 fighters are in Europe for maintenance; Ukraine wants to move some servicing to Ukrainian territory with Western support to speed up their return.
Why it matters
Zelensky's account, if borne out, marks a qualitative shift in Russian air-strike policy: attacks are now aimed at schools, hospitals, data centers and other civilian infrastructure rather than predominantly energy and military sites. He frames the new campaign as a substitute for stalled ground gains in Donbas, with the air war intended to intimidate civilians and pressure Ukraine's largest cities ahead of winter. The reported scale — roughly 500 drones in 24 hours, about half jet-powered, against current intercept rates of around 57% for jet drones and 85–90% for conventional drones — points to a stressed Ukrainian air defense. Shortfalls in interceptor-drone engines and the fact that about half of Ukraine's F-16 fleet is in European maintenance expose capacity gaps that Zelensky is using the platform to ask Western partners to close, publicly criticizing their support as insufficient and pressing for more air-defense funding.
What happened
Speaking to the Financial Times on 1 October 2026, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his military in September to abandon all restrictions on air strikes against Ukraine. Zelensky said the information came from Ukrainian intelligence, based on intercepted communications of Kremlin officials, and quoted the intelligence as saying Putin declared that "there are now no rules." He linked the new Russian air campaign to Russia's failure to capture Donbas territory, saying Moscow is now trying to achieve its goals through mass attacks, intimidation of civilians and pressure on Ukrainian cities.
In the 24 hours before the interview, Russia launched approximately 500 drones, about half of which were jet-powered, Zelensky said. Ukraine is currently destroying roughly 57% of Russian jet drones and 85–90% of conventional drones. He noted that earlier in the war Russia had mostly struck energy and military targets, whereas Russian drones now increasingly hit schools, telecommunications facilities and data centers.
On 1 October, a Russian drone struck a school in Kyiv's Solomianskyi district; the school's director said 104 students and 60 staff made it to the shelter before impact and no one was injured. The same day, the Pivdennyi (Southern) Bridge in Kyiv was struck, damaging its structures and halting traffic. On the night of 2 October, the bridge was hit a third time and a multi-story residential building in the Darnytskyi district was struck, killing one person.
Zelensky said Ukraine is testing five models of high-speed interceptor drones to counter the new Russian jet-powered drones, with about 400 units of one model expected to be produced by the end of October, though production is constrained by a shortage of imported engines. He added that roughly half of Ukraine's F-16 fighters are in Europe for repair and maintenance and that Ukraine wants to move part of that servicing to Ukrainian territory with Western support to return the aircraft to service faster; F-16s are being used effectively against the new Russian jet-powered drones. Zelensky also said the new Russian air campaign is a response to Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries, ports and warehouses deep inside Russia, which he said caused fuel shortages and a sense of danger in Russian cities and tourist centers.
Background
Earlier in the war, Russian strikes focused mainly on energy and military targets; the current campaign increasingly targets civilian and dual-use infrastructure. Since late August 2026, Kyiv and the surrounding region have been under near-continuous Russian drone and ballistic-missile attacks. On 1 October 2026, a Russian drone hit a school in Kyiv's Solomianskyi district; all 104 students and 60 staff present were in the shelter and no one was injured. The same day, the Pivdennyi (Southern) Bridge in Kyiv was struck; on the night of 2 October the bridge was hit a third time and a high-rise in the Darnytskyi district was struck, killing one person. Zelensky says Russia's intensified air campaign is a response to Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries, ports and warehouses inside Russia, which he says caused fuel shortages in Russian cities and tourist centers.