Russia Aims to Cripple Kyiv Before Winter, Fuel Political Unrest

Russia is seeking to cripple Kyiv before winter through a coordinated campaign of aerial strikes, sabotage and disinformation intended to turn disruption of daily life into political unrest, a report citing senior Ukrainian officials says. The campaign is expected to peak in November, according to the report published Sept. 29 in The Economist. The publication also described the offensive as an effort to cripple the Ukrainian capital before winter arrives.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Two Ukrainian officials told the magazine that Russian leader Vladimir Putin had ordered attacks on civilian targets throughout Kyiv. Their account suggests a campaign aimed at making ordinary activities, including shopping and accessing essential services, feel increasingly unsafe. The reported strategy extends beyond electricity shortages. Strikes on food warehouses and data centers could disrupt supplies and communications, while attacks on water and sewage infrastructure could further strain life in the capital. Russia intensified attacks on Kyiv’s civilian infrastructure in August and September, according to the report, as Ukrainian officials warned that faster jet-powered drones and ballistic missiles pose a growing challenge to air defenses. An official with Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) told The Economist that Russia had thousands of jet-powered drones and was accumulating ballistic missiles. Moscow planned to expend a substantial share of those stockpiles over the next two months, the official said. Other Topics of Interest Russian Airlines See 7% Drop in Passengers Amid Airport Disruptions From Ukrainian Drone Attacks Russian airports have faced frequent temporary closures and flight restrictions amid Ukrainian drone attacks, affecting airports in Moscow and other regions. The latest barrage early Wednesday killed two women in Kyiv and a child in the surrounding region, according to Ukrainian authorities. Homes and other buildings were damaged as missiles and drones struck the capital and nearby communities. Ukrainian officials also expect sabotage and assassination attempts to accompany the aerial campaign. Counterintelligence officials told the magazine they disrupt roughly seven to eight Russian operations each week, with some recruits enlisted inside Ukraine through messaging platforms, including Telegram. Disinformation would provide another avenue for exploiting public frustration, the officials warned. Disrupted internet connections, shortages and concerns about corruption or government performance could become material for Russian messaging aimed at deepening divisions. But the campaign’s ability to force political concessions remains uncertain. Andriy Kovalenko, identified in the report as a former head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, questioned whether Russia could disable Kyiv’s decentralized internet network or break the resilience of energy systems that have endured years of attacks. His assessment points to a central uncertainty in Moscow’s reported strategy: causing disruption does not necessarily translate into persuading Ukrainians to give in. [Editor’s note: The Kremlin seems to be hypothesizing what most military analysts or historians would identify as the Douhet Doctrine, which has never been successfully realized, despite being attempted many times.] Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.