President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the intensification of Russian attacks on Kyiv is aimed at paralyzing life in the capital and forcing people to leave the city. He also expects further escalation from the Kremlin and believes that Vladimir Putin is not afraid of European countries and is directing his signals primarily toward the United States.
Zelenskyy said this in an interview with EL PAÍS, which took place near a school in Kyiv damaged by a Russian strike.
Russia wants to force people to leave Kyiv
According to Zelenskyy, the current wave of Russian attacks is pursuing the same goal Moscow had at the beginning of the full-scale invasion in 2022 — to weaken the capital and force its residents to leave.
“They want Ukrainians — especially residents of the capital — to leave the capital. In fact, that is exactly what they were trying to achieve when the full-scale invasion began,” the president said.
He recalled that in 2022 Russia tried to create a situation in which the loss of the capital would demonstrate the loss of statehood.
“But our country is more than the capital, and the capital remains strong,” Zelenskyy stressed.
According to EL PAÍS, Kyiv has recently been subjected to hundreds of Russian attacks per day regardless of the time.
“Not military targets”
The conversation with the president took place near a Kyiv school that was attacked by a Russian drone that morning. The children were already inside the school at the time of the strike, but they were moved to a shelter and there were no casualties.
On the same day, the outlet writes, one of the Russian drones also struck a bridge over the Dnipro River while a metro train was crossing it.
“These are not military targets and they are not on the front line,” Zelenskyy said.
According to him, the strikes are intended to paralyze the city, complicate the work of businesses and institutions, and make normal education impossible for children.
“They attack to paralyze the city and prevent people from going to school or work because their children cannot attend schools or kindergartens because of all these attacks,” the president explained.
“Destroy people’s ability to live”
Zelenskyy believes Moscow is trying to push Ukraine into chaos and demoralize the population.
Among the targets of Russian strikes, he named logistics, food supplies, hospital supplies, agricultural infrastructure and educational institutions.
In his view, the ultimate goal of such attacks is to “simply destroy people’s ability to live.”
The president acknowledged that constant strikes can negatively affect public morale, but stressed the need to keep cities functioning.
Zelenskyy expects further escalation
The president also linked the Kremlin’s future actions to the approaching U.S. midterm elections.
“Putin’s tactic is to escalate the conflict as much as possible, and he will do so. And the closer Trump’s midterm elections get, the more he will do it,” Zelenskyy said.
According to him, Moscow seeks to demonstrate strength and directs much of its messaging specifically toward Washington.
Zelenskyy recalled a meeting with Donald Trump’s negotiating team, led by Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, which took place on September 6.
“I warned them that they would see, especially after the elections, massive attacks that would directly affect the civilian population,” the president said.
At the same time, he continues to count on Trump’s role in a possible end to the war.
“Putin is not afraid of Europeans”
Zelenskyy separately commented on the Russian leadership’s attitude toward Europe.
“Russia is not afraid of Europeans, and sanctions do not affect it, and of course it directs its messages mainly toward the United States,” he said.
The president also named countries that, in his view, help Moscow circumvent restrictions.
According to him, China, India and other states help Russia avoid the effects of sanctions and supply equipment. Iran, Zelenskyy noted, has provided Russia with significant experience in drone warfare.
The main problem is ballistic missiles
At the same time, Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine has significantly increased its own weapons production, primarily drones and defensive systems.
“We are facing massive attacks that are very difficult to repel, but we are managing to resist, and we have significant domestic capacity to produce defensive drones and other systems,” the president said.
However, he named the shortage of systems capable of intercepting ballistic missiles as one of the biggest weaknesses in Ukraine’s air defense.
According to data cited by EL PAÍS, more than 90% of such missiles have reached their targets this year.
“No matter how much we receive, it will not be enough”
Ukraine will continue seeking additional funding to purchase the weapons it needs, the president said.
According to him, the nature of the war is constantly changing along with the development of weapons and new tactics, so the current conflict already differs significantly from what it was at the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine needs constant reinforcement of its defense capabilities.
“No matter how much we receive, it will not be enough,” the president concluded.
