Today at 11:58
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia’s leadership must begin to feel the consequences of the war through intensified long-range strikes, arguing that the conflict has entered a new phase in which technological superiority and air power will determine the outcome, UATV English reports.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Zelenskyy said that as long as the war did not affect Moscow and St. Petersburg, the Kremlin had not fully experienced its consequences.
“When Putin is forced to move farther away from Moscow, it will become a new stage on the path toward ending the war,” Zelenskyy said.
The president noted that Moscow and St. Petersburg remain important military targets because they are home to Russia’s key decision-making centers. He added that Ukrainian long-range strikes are already producing tangible results and should continue.
According to Zelenskyy, the nature of the war has changed significantly.
“Previously, the main task was to hold the front line. Now the decisive struggle is unfolding in the sky,” he said.
Zelenskyy stressed that Ukrainian troops had halted Russia’s advance at the cost of significant sacrifices and that the front line has remained largely unchanged. He said Ukraine is already capable of competing with Russia in the air domain, although a shortage of air defense interceptors remains one of the country’s biggest challenges.
The president also pointed to structural disadvantages inherited from the collapse of the Soviet Union, noting that Ukraine did not inherit a domestic air defense development school, while Russia retained much of that expertise. He added that Ukraine also lacks nuclear weapons, which he described as one of the factors of strategic deterrence.
Zelenskyy said he believes the outcome of the war will depend on technological superiority, the resilience of Ukrainian soldiers, and sustained financial support from international partners.
The Ukrainian leader also said Russia’s business community is beginning to recognize that the Kremlin cannot achieve victory in the war.
“Russian business has begun to understand that they will not win this war,” Zelenskyy said.
He noted that Ukraine’s military campaign in occupied Crimea was launched to slow the peninsula’s militarization. According to Zelenskyy, Ukrainian strikes have targeted military bases, ammunition depots, air defense systems, airfields, and logistics infrastructure used by Russian forces to attack Ukraine.
The president added that Ukrainian forces have disrupted Russian logistics and gained air superiority over certain areas. Before expanding operations against Crimea, Ukraine had already conducted strikes on military and infrastructure targets in Novorossiysk, as well as against Russia’s energy and port facilities.
In Zelenskyy’s assessment, Russian businesses increasingly understand that prolonging the war will only lead to greater losses of time, money, and resources.
Read also: War’s Outcome Will Be Decided in the Air, Zelenskyy in Interview with Financial Times
