Zelensky Says Putin Ordered Expanded Civilian Strikes

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered military leaders in September to lift earlier constraints on aerial attacks and intensify strikes on civilian sites, citing Ukrainian intelligence. The alleged order and the intercepts on which Zelensky says it is based have not been made public for independent verification. Russia denies deliberately targeting schools and hospitals. Zelensky described the alleged directive in an interview and said attacks on civilian infrastructure, including schools and hospitals, had increased. He characterized the expanded strikes as an effort to pressure civilians and weaken Ukraine’s ability to resist. Those claims about Moscow’s intent have not been independently established in the material available. A Russian drone struck a school in Kyiv on Thursday, according to reporting on the incident. The school’s director said 104 students and 60 teachers reached an underground shelter and survived. Ukrainian authorities said the drone’s warhead failed to detonate; the impact damaged the building and started a fire. The circumstances and intended target of the strike have not been independently established.