Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday that intelligence obtained by Kyiv indicates Russia is preparing new missile and drone strikes targeting what he described as Ukraine’s “decision-making centers,” as Moscow intensifies aerial attacks despite renewed diplomatic discussions over ending the war.
The specialists of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine have obtained documents indicating that the Russians are preparing new missile and drone strikes on Ukraine, in particular, as they indicate, on “decision-making centers.” President Zelensky said in a Telegram post.
The warning comes after Russia launched some of the heaviest aerial bombardments on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities this week, including large-scale missile and drone attacks that killed dozens of civilians and damaged residential buildings and infrastructure.
Russia has stepped up long-range attacks in recent months, using waves of drones and cruise missiles aimed at overwhelming Ukrainian air defenses, according to Ukrainian officials and military analysts.
Kyiv said earlier this week that Russian strikes involved hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles over a span of several days, causing widespread destruction in the capital and multiple regions. Ukrainian authorities said at least 24 people were killed in one missile strike on a Kyiv apartment building on May 14th, one of the deadliest attacks on the capital in 2026.
Moscow has repeatedly denied deliberately targeting civilians, although residential districts and energy infrastructure across Ukraine have frequently been hit since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
President Zelensky said that the “source of Ukraine’s defense is the readiness of the Ukrainian people to fight for their independence and for their own sovereign state….The people cannot be defeated. Russia must end its war and negotiate a decent peace, and not look for more ways to intimidate Ukraine.”
The Ukrainian President also indicated a potential response to aforesaid Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities and villages.
“Ukraine will not leave each of the strikes that take the lives of our people without consequences for the aggressor. We are quite rightly responsible for the Russian oil industry, military production, and those individuals who directly commit war crimes against Ukraine and Ukrainians,” said Mr. Zelensky.
He also alluded to Russian efforts aimed at drawing Belarus more directly into the war, saying that Ukraine has information about recent contacts between Russian officials and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
“In particular, Russia is considering plans for operations in the directions south and north of the territory of Belarus – either against the Chernihiv-Kyiv direction in Ukraine, or against one of the NATO countries – precisely from the territory of Belarus. Ukraine has the details of the conversation between Russia and Belarus,” Mr. Zelensky said.
The Kremlin has not publicly commented on Mr. Zelenskyy’s latest claims regarding planned strikes on Ukrainian command centers or his allegations that Russia is seeking to draw Belarus more directly into the conflict with Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has continued retaliatory long-range drone attacks against targets deep inside Russian territory, including energy and industrial facilities. President Zelenskyy earlier this week said Ukrainian forces had struck gas industry infrastructure in Russia’s Orenburg region, more than 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
Tanmay Kadam is a geopolitical observer based in India. He has experience working as a Defense and International Affairs journalist for EurAsian Times. He can be contacted at tanmaykadam700@gmail.com.