Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to step up pressure on Ukraine through massive strikes on civilian infrastructure in order to force Kyiv to agree to territorial concessions. According to the Financial Times, Russian representatives involved in the negotiation process with the US have issued threats to destroy Ukrainian bridges, ports, railways and energy facilities by next year. Meanwhile, Ukrainian intelligence warns that new large-scale attacks are being prepared.
- FT sources have reported that the Kremlin has threatened to destroy Ukraine’s infrastructure by 2027.
- Bridges, ports, railways and power stations are cited as potential targets.
- Moscow continues to demand territorial concessions from Ukraine in order to bring the fighting to an end.
- Zelenskyy had previously warned of preparations for new attacks on the energy and logistics sectors.
- Ukrainian intelligence is also monitoring the threat of attacks on bridges across the Dnieper.
Russia is threatening to leave Ukraine without its critical infrastructure
According to the Financial Times, citing European officials, the Kremlin views strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure as a means of exerting pressure during peace talks. The newspaper’s sources believe that Moscow is not interested in a swift ceasefire and hopes to use the winter period to weaken Kyiv’s position.
One of the FT’s sources relayed the position Putin as a threat to destroy Ukraine’s infrastructure if Kyiv does not agree to Russian demands. According to this report, Moscow is threatening to leave Ukraine without bridges, ports, railways, power stations and other energy infrastructure by next year.
These are remarks reported by the publication’s sources, not an officially released statement by the Russian president. There is no independent confirmation that Putin personally phrased these threats in exactly this way.
The Kremlin is trying to strengthen its position ahead of the talks
According to the Financial Times, Russia continues to demand the handover of the remaining territory of the Donetsk region, which is under Ukrainian control. Moscow is considering territorial concessions as one of the key preconditions for the cessation of hostilities, whilst the Ukrainian side rejects the demand to withdraw its troops from unoccupied territories.
The publication’s sources doubt that the planned talks between representatives of Ukraine, the US and Russia in Abu Dhabi will lead to a swift ceasefire. They believe that the Kremlin may use the diplomatic process to play for time, whilst continuing its attacks on energy and transport infrastructure.
The Donald Trump administration’s plans to discuss a broader agreement on European security with Moscow have caused particular concern in European capitals. Following a meeting with the Russian representative Kirill Dmitriev, the US president suggested that future agreements might go beyond simply ending the war in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy warned of preparations for a new large-scale attack
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy He had previously reported that Ukrainian intelligence had received information that Russia was preparing a new large-scale attack. In a statement on 6 November, he noted that the energy system and logistics infrastructure could be the main targets.
According to the president, Russian forces have changed their tactics in attacking the energy sector. In addition to power stations, they are increasingly targeting electricity transmission and distribution networks, which makes it more difficult to restore supplies even after repair work has been completed.
The Financial Times report came against a backdrop of prolonged power cuts in Ukraine and ongoing repairs to damaged equipment. However, no specific dates for future attacks, the number of missiles or a list of planned targets were given in verified public reports.
