Ukrainian president, Volodymr Zelensky, recently told journalists that the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has instructed his military commanders to abandon the rules of war that protect civilian targets. “He said there are no rules now,” Zelensky said – reporting that this information had been picked up by intelligence intercepts of Russian communications.
That Putin’s commanders took him at his word is apparent from a sharp increase in strikes on civilian targets. Over the past month there has been an intensification of Russian strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities. A UN report on October 9 reported that: “On 27 September alone, alerts lasted 19 hours. Strikes on bridges, educational institutions and energy infrastructure have intensified, causing widespread blackouts and water supply disruptions.”
