Zelenskyy: Putin wants to force Ukrainians to leave Kyiv
Photo: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an escalation of strikes on Kyiv because he wants to force Ukrainians to leave the capital, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this in an interview with El Pais.
"They (the Russians – ed.) want Ukrainians – especially (those) from the capital – (to) leave the capital. They did want it, really," Zelenskyy said.
According to him, Putin’s tactic is to escalate the conflict as much as possible, and he will continue to do so.
"He will do it. And closer to elections, midterms of Trump, he will do it more and more," the Ukrainian president predicts.
He drew a parallel between what is currently happening in Kyiv, which is subjected to between 300 and 500 attacks every day, and the upcoming elections in the United States.
"During the full-scale invasion, when they started... You remember, in 2022, it was their goal to push people (to) leave the capital, and (to) show that if you don't have the capital, you don't have the country. It's not true because our country is not only the capital. But the capital is still strong," Zelenskyy stressed.
In addition to the strike on a school in Kyiv on October 1, the Russian forces managed to hit one of the bridges across the Dnipro with a drone at the exact moment a metro train was crossing it.
These are not military targets, and they are not located on the front line. They (Russia - ed.) are attacking to paralyze the city and prevent people from getting to school or work, because due to all these attacks, children cannot attend classes or kindergarten, the president said.
According to him, Russia seeks to plunge Ukraine into chaos, and it is quite understandable that "people become demoralized."
Zelenskyy named logistics as the enemy’s main target, particularly the supply of essential goods such as food and medicine.
The president stressed that all of this was being done simply to prevent people from living their lives.
Russia intensifies strikes on Kyiv
Russia has recently intensified its strikes on Kyiv. Air raid alerts in the capital and the region have been sounding continuously.
The enemy is attacking residential buildings, warehouses, gas stations, supermarkets, shopping malls, energy facilities, data centers, and even schools and kindergartens with jet-powered drones and ballistic missiles.
In particular, on October 1, a drone hit a school building in Kyiv’s Solomianskyi district. The Pivdennyi Bridge was also attacked twice.
Last night, Russian forces attacked the Southern Bridge in Kyiv again. The strikes damaged a bridge support, the roadway and the protective barrier of the metro.
