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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
Kyiv oblast emergency service (DSNS Kyiv) Russia is launching a tripartite campaign of bombardments, sabotage, and political chaos against the capital of Ukraine, The Economist reports, citing two high-ranking Ukrainian officials.
The publication said that one of them specifically named data centers and supermarkets as the nearest targets.
"He ordered attacks on everything civilian. They want people to be afraid to go to supermarkets," a Ukrainian official told the publication in mid-September.
The article adds that both officials expected the Russian campaign to intensify well before winter, and that efforts to destabilize Kyiv would peak by November.
However, the Kremlin has not abandoned its standard winter scenario. In parallel, it has already begun striking key nodes of electricity, water supply, and sewage, including pumping systems.
"The most destructive threat from Russia remains its ballistic missiles, which are hard to intercept, and their danger is growing as Ukrainian Patriot interceptors supplied by the United States are running down," the publication shared.
But the biggest change in recent times is the mass deployment of a new generation of cheap jet-powered drones, controlled by a pilot, capable of tracking their targets in real time.
"That is precisely what is causing the most harm now," the article emphasizes.
According to the data, Ukraine will need several more months to establish production of effective interceptors in the necessary quantities.
A security official notes that Russia has thousands of drones in reserve, as well as increasing stocks of ballistic missiles, planning to "use up the entire stock in the next two months."
Officials believe that the escalation of bombardments will be accompanied by new hybrid attacks on Ukrainian territory. Among them may be new assassinations and traditional terrorist attacks.
The article notes that corruption scandals, chaos, and cronyism at the heart of the Ukrainian government give Russian 'bot farms' ample grounds to operate.
One senior official warns that disruption in daily life could push Ukrainians to rally against each other.
The publication said that for now life in the capital continues: concerts go on, and drones are shot down. Loud explosions make café patrons look to the sky, after which they return to their lattes.
"But there are signs that Kyiv is emptying more quickly than usual at this stage of the year. Country houses around the capital and near western cities of Ukraine are almost impossible to rent for the winter; wealthy people have booked them as shelters in case life in the capital becomes unbearable. Most wealthy parents are considering evacuating to the west," the article says.
There is data that at the start of the war the number of refugees increased Kyiv's population from 3,5 million to 3,7 million or more. Since then, this figure has fallen to about 3,3 million. In private conversations, officials say this winter they expect some city districts to become depopulated.
At the same time, the publication noted that the story provides some comfort: even bombardments alone rarely forced a country to capitulate.
"Ukraine has repeatedly shown that it is more resilient than its enemies expected," the publication notes.
Notably, frontline Ukrainian troops report significant tactical successes, such as a drone-assisted counteroffensive near the city of Lyman, which nullified the Russian advance for an entire year.
The publication suggested this is likely one of the reasons for Putin's brutal attacks on civilians.
"We have repeatedly shown that events usually do not unfold according to the worst-case scenario. But what will be very difficult is beyond doubt," a source in Ukraine’s security services told the publication.
Attacks on Kyiv by the Russian Federation
Earlier, UNIAN reported that Mykolaiv MP from Holos, Secretary of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense, and Intelligence Roman Kostenko said that Russia may "torment" Kyiv but does not have a large potential for producing ballistic missiles. According to the deputy, Ukraine's main task now is to strengthen capabilities to destroy the reactive Shahed drones and ballistic missiles. Kostenko added that the enemy could specifically terrorize one or two large cities in Ukraine.
We also wrote that since the end of August Kyiv has effectively become a front-line city. Explosions and constant alarms hinder work and study, strikes are made on warehouses and city fuel stations. Residents of the capital dread the coming winter. According to The Guardian, many Kyiv residents are considering leaving the city—even if only for a few weeks if the situation worsens. The publication noted that ahead of this unpredictable and frightening winter there is only one absolute certainty: it will end.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Росія хоче паралізувати Київ до настання зими масованими ударами, - The Economist". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: UNIAN.
