Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin’s ‘new doctrine’ aimed at targeting Ukraine’s civilian sites, Zelensky says

Shahed drone strikes Kyiv's Pivnichnyi Bridge as Russia targets civilian infrastructure, says ZelenskyUkraine's intelligence services has obtained documents showing that Russian leader Vladimir Putin had issued a "new doctrine" of military attacks on a much broader range of civilian targets ahead of this winter, president ​Volodymyr Zelensky said.Ukraine will double down on attacking Russian oil refineries in response to a new policy of airstrikes by Moscow designed to force people to abandon Kyiv and other cities, but will not target civilians, he said."We saw documents ‌and we know that they allow them to attack infrastructure, logistics, and especially to attack in the cities, in the villages, everywhere, roads, schools, hospitals," Zelensky told Reuters in an interview. The Kremlin was not available to comment. But the Russian Foreign Ministry said Moscow would continue to ​systematically hit targets in what it said were retaliatory strikes for Ukrainian attacks on Russia in recent months.Earlier, the Northern Bridge across the Dnipro river in the capital Kyiv was hit during a Russian air attack, mayor Vitali ⁠Klitschko said. Emergency services were deployed to the scene and traffic across the bridge from the east to the west bank was suspended following damage to the road surface and the overhead trolleybus cables.Germany's Merz visits Kyiv as Russia steps up attacks on Ukrainian citiesGerman chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Kyiv Sunday in a show of support as Russia intensifies its attacks on Ukrainian cities.The aerial war has intensified, with Moscow menacing cities across Ukraine with hard-to-intercept ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones, while Kyiv has been striking Russia’s oil industry and businesses.“Ukraine is facing decisive weeks. That is why I traveled to Kyiv today with the message: You can rely on us,” Merz wrote on X, noting that Germany’s own security “also depends on the outcome of this war”.German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrives in KyivUkrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said Merz would hold talks with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. Writing on X, Sybiha said the agenda would focus on "strengthening Ukraine, our defence and resilience, and our shared European security.”Rituparna Chatterjee4 October 2026 09:02Ukraine describes India's proposal for possible ceasefire with Russia as the 'broadest' Ukraine has described India's proposal for a possible ceasefire with Russia as the "broadest" among four offers received by Kyiv, according to reports.Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said: “We have four proposals. The broadest one is India’s proposal. We are ready for an energy and Black Sea ceasefire, but only in this combination.”Sybiha was speaking to reporters in Kyiv, according to European Pravda newspaper.The other proposals were from Turkey, Egypt and the US.Rituparna Chatterjee4 October 2026 08:30Russia has stockpiled ballistic missiles ahead of winter onslaught, officials warnUkrainian officials warn Russia has stockpiled hundreds of ballistic missiles ahead of an expected winter onslaught against electricity and water infrastructure. Last winter, the worst of the war, Russian strikes left swathes of the country without electricity and heating for days at a time.Since the summer, Moscow has also begun launching dozens of fast and relatively cheap jet-powered Shahed drones a day at Ukraine, whose air defence teams have struggled to cope because their interceptor drones were too slow to catch them.A serviceman from one of the mobile units of the Unmanned Systems Force, operates a Ukrainian-made interceptor drone that is patrolling the skies above towns near Kharkiv in search of Shahed drones launched from Russian border on 31 March 2026 in Kharkiv, Ukraine (Getty)President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine had been forced to rely heavily on its fighter aircraft – F-16s ​and MiGs – to down around 60 per cent of the Russian jet-powered drones, ​but supplies of 20mm ammunition for the planes were ⁠running low.Kyiv was urgently working on other solutions – including boosting its electronic jamming capabilities, he said. In the second half of October, it would receive the first shipment of small, cheap air defence missiles capable of hitting the new Shaheds.Last week, Zelensky said Ukraine was developing five models of new interceptor drones capable of downing the jet Shaheds. Fresh from a meeting with his defence chiefs, he ​said tests on two of those models showed a modest success rate of around 30 per cent."We'll have to scale it," he said. "I hope that with all these things, with all these elements, we'll ​find a way."Rituparna Chatterjee4 October 2026 07:30Zelensky says 'not fair to normalise' ties with Russia before return to peaceAfter the Trump administration invited Vladimir Putin to attend a G20 summit in ​Miami in December and discussed business deals with Russian envoys, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky urged Washington not to normalise relations with Russia before ensuring a return to peace.Zelensky said he would be happy to meet Putin for peace talks at the G20, but he warned the US not ​to believe in "illusions" that Russia would simply end hostilities if it gained control of Donbas."It's not fair just to normalise," said Zelensky, dressed in his trademark black T-shirt and military-style jacket. Any resumption of economic and diplomatic ties with the West had to be in return for Russia ending ‌hostilities, he said: "Because ⁠peace is more important than any kind of economy."While the US has proposed a resumption of trilateral talks in the coming weeks in the UAE, Zelensky noted that an exact date and location for the technical-level conversations had still not been set.Rituparna Chatterjee4 October 2026 06:30German chancellor arrives in KyivGermany's chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Kyiv today, pledging support for Ukraine.Merz arrived along with the chiefs of German defence companies, in a show of support for president Volodymyr Zelensky amid escalating Russian attacks.(Reuters)"I ​travelled ⁠to Kyiv ‌today because Ukraine needs all our support in ‌the coming ‌weeks," the German chancellor said."If Russia is not stopped, sooner or later its war machine will ‌turn against ​us,” he said, adding that Ukraine can “count on our help”.Latvia's pro-Ukraine prime minister wins electionLatvia’s pro-Ukraine prime minister Andris Kulbergs' United List party has won the country’s parliamentary election held yesterday by a wide margin.The election was held in the shadow of the Russia-Ukraine war, with many voters on edge amid warnings of potential Russian aggression.Baltic countries have warned for months that Russia is mounting sabotage, cyber and other hybrid attacks across Europe to erode support for Ukraine and sow fear.(AFP/Getty)But Western officials dismiss concerns that Moscow is capable of launching a direct assault on Nato, of which Latvia is also a member.Russia has dismissed such accusations as baseless and the result of anti-Russian hysteria.Vishwam Sankaran4 October 2026 05:33Ukrainian counteroffensive 'Vivaldi' ongoing in DonbasUkrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said a successful Ukrainian counteroffensive, code-named "Vivaldi", had recaptured around 140sqkm (54sqm) of Ukraine's eastern ​Donbas region and was still ongoing. Russia has said it must control Donbas in its entirety as a condition for any peace deal.In recent weeks, US president Donald Trump's administration has sought to ⁠revive talks to end the four-year-old conflict – Europe's bloodiest since Second World War.Servicemen of the 141st Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces chat at their position near the front line, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine October 2, 2026 (Reuters)The US leader last month urged Ukraine to refrain from hitting Russian oil installations, saying that was sending global diesel prices surging.But Zelensky, speaking as air raid sirens blared outside the gilded halls of ​the presidential offices, said he had received no indications from Russia that Putin was interested in peace talks, or discussing a ceasefire on energy infrastructure.Rituparna Chatterjee4 October 2026 05:00Putin has issued 'new doctrine' of striking civilian targets in Ukraine, Zelensky saysUkraine's intelligence services has obtained documents showing that Russian leader Vladimir Putin had issued a "new doctrine" of military attacks on a much broader range of civilian targets ahead of this winter, president ​Volodymyr Zelensky said.Ukraine will double down on attacking Russian oil refineries in response to the new policy of airstrikes designed to force people to abandon Kyiv and other cities, but will not target civilians, Zelensky said."We saw documents ‌and we know that they allow them to attack infrastructure, logistics, and especially to attack in the cities, in the villages, everywhere, roads, schools, hospitals," Zelensky told Reuters in an interview. "To pressure people to leave the capital, leave different cities: this is the goal of the operation."The Kremlin was not available to comment on Saturday. But in a statement urging foreign nationals to leave Kyiv, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Moscow would continue to ​systematically hit targets in what it said were retaliatory strikes for Ukrainian attacks on Russia in recent months.Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy appears at an interview with Reuters, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, 2 October 2026 (Reuters)Rituparna Chatterjee4 October 2026 04:20EU warns situation in Russia-occupied Oleshky is 'appalling'The situation of civilians in the Russia-occupied Ukrainian town of Oleshky is “appalling”, the European Union has warned."What is ‌happening in Oleshky, Ukraine, is appalling. Civilians ‌are trapped under ‌siege by Russian forces without access to ⁠food, medicine, clean water and basic care,” EU commissioner Hadja Lahbib said yesterday.“This is unacceptable...Russia, as occupying power, has clear obligations under international humanitarian law: civilians must be protected, and humanitarian assistance must be facilitated," she said.Vishwam Sankaran3 October 2026 15:30Ukraine seeks missiles and ammunitions for its jetsPoland, Belgium and Spain have agreed to supply 20mm rounds for cannons on Ukraine's F-16 jet fighters, Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said.Ukraine is anticipating a potential agreement on the supply of "several million" rounds of this ammunition in the near future, Sybiha said, adding that Kyiv also needed at least 300 Patriot interceptor missiles to bring down Russia's ballistic missiles.The foreign minister said Moscow could be making 120 to 140 ballistic missiles each month, with 600 already in its stocks.Vishwam Sankaran3 October 2026 14:30