Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that Russia could be preparing a “massive attack” timed to coincide with Tuesday’s U.S. midterm elections. He accused Moscow of trying to take advantage of global attention on the historic vote to launch strikes against Ukraine.
The warning came as Americans prepared to determine which party will control Congress—a result that could shape Washington’s future approach to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s nearly five-year war in Ukraine.
In a post on X, Zelenskyy called on the Trump administration to increase pressure on Moscow. He said Russia might use the election as an opportunity to strike Ukraine’s already damaged energy network and critical supply routes.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. (Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Sputnik/Kremlin Pool Photo/Efrem Lukatsky/AP)
“We have intelligence indicating that Russia is preparing a new massive attack on our country, with energy and logistics expected to be the primary targets,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly address.
“The assumption is that the world will be focused on the American midterm elections tomorrow, while events in Ukraine—including our air-defense shortages and limited access to Patriot missiles—could be overlooked.”
Zelenskyy issued the warning hours after Russian forces hit a school in Komyshuvakha, a southeastern Ukrainian settlement in the Zaporizhzhia region that was being used to distribute humanitarian aid.
At least 26 people, including police officers and emergency responders, were killed in the strike, while five others were injured and additional people remained unaccounted for, Ukrainian outlet Ukrainska Pravda reported.
Ukraine’s largest private energy company says Russian attacks have damaged 90% of its generating capacity, leaving more than 1 million people without electricity in freezing conditions. (Reuters)
In his post on X, Zelenskyy urged the United States and its allies to warn Putin that continued attacks would carry severe economic costs for Russia.
“The world must send Russia signals that terrorism will not succeed, that it will bring no gains and that, while this war continues, its oil will burn and the country will be unable to profit from doing business with the world,” Zelenskyy said.
“We cannot play games with Russia’s oil and gas revenues,” he added.
“Pressure must be applied until Russia has no option but to end this war. America has the ability to do that.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, speaks with President Donald Trump and members of his Cabinet during a lunch meeting at the White House on Oct. 17, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump has continued pursuing a negotiated end to the war with assistance from special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, both of whom have taken part in diplomatic contacts with Moscow.
In a Sunday interview with Fox News, Zelenskyy said Ukraine would halt strikes on Russian oil refineries for one month if the United States supplied Patriot missile interceptors for the same period—an arrangement that could create space for further diplomacy.
The State Department has approved the potential sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 interceptor missiles to Ukraine in a deal estimated at $2.1 billion, Reuters reported.
If completed, the proposed transaction would significantly strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses, although the schedule for delivering the missiles remains unclear.
First lady Melania Trump, left, and civilians evacuated from Oleshky, Ukraine, in October 2022 during the early phase of the Russia-Ukraine war. (Umit Bektas/Reuters; Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters)
Ukraine also accused Moscow on Monday of exploiting a U.S.-backed humanitarian ceasefire in Oleshky, in the southern Kherson region, to reinforce Russian positions.
Nearly 800 people were evacuated during the six-day humanitarian pause, according to first lady Melania Trump. The White House said she helped broker the arrangement.
Ukraine’s General Staff said Russian forces used the pause to rotate troops, strengthen defensive positions and improve their logistical operations.
“During the ceasefire established for the humanitarian operation in Oleshky, units of Ukraine’s Defense Forces ensured that the truce was respected and operated solely within the framework of the agreements reached,” the General Staff said in a statement on X.
“The enemy, by contrast, used the humanitarian pause to strengthen its positions.”
