Vladimir Putin has instructed Russia’s military leadership to discard established rules of warfare, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has alleged.
According to intelligence intercepted by Kyiv, the Russian president has lifted restrictions that previously governed aerial bombardments.
Zelensky suggested the directive was issued in September, with Putin allegedly declaring: “There are no rules now.”
The alleged order came as Russia stepped up attacks on civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and schools, Zelensky told the Financial Times.
Officials believe the Kremlin may be preparing to intensify strikes on Ukraine’s biggest cities, including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa and Lviv.
Russia is also reportedly considering attacks on nuclear facilities in an attempt to disconnect them from Ukraine’s power grid. Such action could deepen the pressure on Kyiv to accept Putin’s demands.
According to officials, Moscow’s wider strategy may include driving more Ukrainians from their homes and sending them toward European countries, where anti-immigration sentiment is already intensifying.
The reported plans come after Ukraine increased attacks on Russian oil refineries, ports and storage sites—strikes that have contributed to public anger in Russia as fuel shortages worsen and fears about security grow.
Vladimir Putin has allegedly told military commanders to abandon established rules of war
Smoke and flames billow from an administrative building struck by a Russian jet-powered drone
Meanwhile, Putin has warned that Russia could deploy “all weapons” in its arsenal if it faces aggression from European nations.
Speaking at a foreign policy forum, the Russian president accused Western governments of driving tensions higher by discussing preparations for a possible future war with Moscow, holding military exercises in the Baltic Sea and seizing Russian ships.
His comments followed a warning from Moscow that NATO would face a nuclear response if alliance members attempted to sever Kaliningrad from the rest of Russia.
At the Valdai Club forum on Thursday, Putin was asked whether Russia and NATO were approaching open conflict or merely trying to intimidate one another. “It’s not intimidation,” he replied. “It’s a response to an attempt to intimidate us.”
Putin added that the wording of Moscow’s earlier warning to NATO was accurate.
“If it comes to a direct attack on the Russian Federation—in this case we mean Kaliningrad, or maybe some other territories—of course, inevitably and immediately the question of the Russian Federation using all weapons at the disposal of our country will appear on the agenda,” he said.
Although Putin did not clarify whether that threat included nuclear weapons, he said Russia possessed systems that “no one else has” and would decide which weapons to use if the country came under attack.
Several Russian embassies across Europe issued statements this week claiming that Moscow had information NATO was preparing an air and naval blockade of Kaliningrad and the surrounding region.
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The embassies accused European leaders of “playing a dangerous game” by suggesting Russia could attack another country or intensify destabilisation efforts involving drones and sabotage. Moscow has dismissed those claims as absurd.
“There should be no mistake—Russia would be ready to use all its arsenal, including nuclear weapons, to defend its territory if NATO countries try to isolate the Kaliningrad region from the rest of the country,” the Russian Embassy in Ireland said on Tuesday.
NATO spokesperson Allison Hart confirmed Wednesday that Russia had sent a written message to the U.S.-led military alliance. ‘We strongly denounce the threat of force, including any irresponsible nuclear rhetoric,’ she said in a statement.
Hart insisted NATO is not targeting Kaliningrad and had sent a reply noting that ‘NATO is a defensive alliance and none of our activities or exercises pose a risk to any part of Russia.’
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Wednesday the bloc’s response to the message was ‘short and concise.’
‘Basically what we said is, `Hey, listen, we are a defensive alliance, and stop the nuclear threat. This is absolutely not called for and not helpful,” Rutte told Euronews.
NATO’s response also urged Russia to stop its ‘unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine,’ now in its fifth year.
The Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad sits between NATO members Poland and Lithuania. It is home to Russia’s main Baltic navy base and other military assets, and nuclear-capable Iskander missiles are deployed there.
File photo: A still image taken from a handout video made available by the Press Service of the Russian Ministry of Defence on 21 May 2026 shows the launch of a Yars intercontinental ballistic missile at Plesetsk testing field, Arkhangelsk region, Russia, during drills of nuclear forces
Western military officers have said that key military installations in Kaliningrad would be a likely first target should Russia ever attack any NATO ally.
NATO allies have conducted military exercises in the Baltic Sea region in recent months. More are planned in October. It launched Operation Baltic Sentry there last year to protect communication cables and pipelines.
On August 18, NATO held an exercise over northern Poland and the Baltic region involving several aircraft, including an EA-37B Compass Call – a sophisticated American plane that can jam communications and radar, the U.S. Air Forces in Europe said.
Defense analysts believe the unannounced, large-scale exercise would not have been welcomed by the Kremlin.
European leaders and intelligence services have warned that Russia could be ready to strike at another country within a few years, especially if it wins its war on Ukraine.
Rutte told Euronews that Russia is trying ‘to divide us and lose the focus’ on defending Ukraine.
‘We will not,’ he said, adding that the best way to respond is to provide Kyiv with more support.
‘That’s the message. Calm, carry on, keep the support for Ukraine going. That’s how we deal with it,’ Rutte said.
