Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky warns Putin ordered military to abandon rules of war as Moscow strikes key Kyiv bridge

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Volodymyr Zelensky has said Russian president Vladimir Putin has instructed his generals to abandon the rules of war to capture more territory in Ukraine.

Russia has increasingly targeted Ukrainian cities, hitting key infrastructure that is keeping Ukraine’s war-battered economy afloat.

Recent targets have included key industries, railways, data centres, energy infrastructure, as well as schools and hospitals.

"He said there are no rules now,” the Ukrainian president said yesterday, citing intelligence from intercepted communications from Kremlin officials, the Financial Times reported.

Russian attacks on a key bridge over the Dnipro River over consecutive days have forced traffic chaos across it.

A drone struck the Souther Bridge at 5.40pm local time yesterday, coinciding with the Ukrainian capital city’s evening rush hour.

The attack led to long traffic jams across the city throughout the day.

Volodymyr Zelensky says Russian president Vladimir Putin has instructed his generals to abandon the rules of war in pursuit of more territory in Ukraine, according to the Financial Times.

The Ukrainian president made the remarks during a visit to a bomb shelter inside a school that had been hit by a Russian drone on Thursday.

Zelensky said Putin gave the order last month, saying: "He said there are no rules now." Russia has since stepped up its air strikes on civilian targets, particularly in Kyiv, hitting data centres and energy infrastructure as well as schools and hospitals.

Russia still formally denies that it strikes civilian targets, and typically justifies its strikes as hitting military-linked buildings or infrastructure.

Zelensky cited intelligence from intercepted communications from Kremlin officials, the FT reported.

Russia struck a bridge over the Dnipro River that linked two sides ​of Kyiv, forcing full or partial traffic suspension across it.

A drone struck the Souther Bridge around 5.40pm local time yesterday, marking the second attack on the structure in two days.

Nearly 90 per cent of transit traffic between the two banks of the river passes through the Southern Bridge.

The latest attack also coincided with Kyiv's evening rush hour.

The Russian aerial attacks on the bridge are part of an intensifying campaign on infrastructure across Kyiv, disrupting daily life in the Ukrainian capital.

They have led to long traffic jams across the city throughout the day.

At least four people are injured following Russian drone strikes at warehouses in Kyiv Oblast today.

The injured include an 8-year-old child, who suffered a shrapnel wound to the lower limb, according to Kyiv Oblast Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko.

One of the targeted sites was a warehouse of Ukraine's third-largest pharmaceutical distributor, Venta LTD.

The joint US–Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund (URIF) unveiled America's first-ever critical minerals deal with Ukrainian company BGV Group Management, valued at around $30 million.

It comes after Kyiv signed the so-called "minerals deal" with the US in April last year, establishing a joint investment fund in Ukraine that gives the US favourable access to mineral-related investment projects in Ukraine.

The project will see URIF develop a "joint investment platform" with the BGV Group, founded by Ukrainian billionaire Hennadii Butkevych.

It will "build a diverse portfolio of early-stage mining projects across Ukraine" with a focus on identifying rare earths, beryllium, and zirconium deposits, according to URIF.

Ukraine's presidential office said it has not received notifications from any foreign embassy in Kyiv regarding an intent to evacuate the Ukrainian capital city.

"If any diplomatic missions are planning to relocate, they inform us; that is the established procedure," Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said today, adding that no such requests have been made.

His comments came after The Guardian reported, citing an unnamed diplomat, that the situation in Kyiv was "obviously deteriorating fast", and embassies could be planning to evacuate.

"As of now, the Foreign Ministry has not received any such requests or notifications from foreign diplomatic missions regarding plans to relocate," Tykhyi said.

Russia must provide humanitarian assistance to civilians in the ⁠Ukrainian town of Oleshky — currently occupied by Russia — as the ⁠situation there is "appalling", ​European ⁠Commissioner Hadja Lahbib, whose portfolio includes ⁠humanitarian aid, said ​on ⁠Friday.

"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. This is unacceptable," said Lahbib.

"Russia, as occupying power, has ‌clear obligations under international ​humanitarian law: ‌civilians must ⁠be protected and humanitarian ⁠assistance must be facilitated," ‌she ​added.

Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who has faced criticism over his links to Russian business and President Vladimir ⁠Putin, has joined the supervisory board of Russian retailer Hyperglobus, the company said on Friday.

Schroeder formed a close relationship with Putin while serving as German chancellor from 1998 to 2005 and later working for Russian state companies.

Hyperglobus was spun off from Germany's Globus Holding in 2025 and is now fully independent, according ⁠to Globus. It operates more than 20 Russian supermarkets ​that ⁠continue to use the Globus brand.

The announcement of Schroeder's appointment came four days after Putin issued a decree placing the Russian assets of another big German retailer, Metro, ⁠under temporary administration – the latest in a series of moves against businesses from countries that ​have ⁠supported Ukraine against Russia in the war.

Vladimir Putin has said Russia will use all the weapons at their disposal in response to European aggression.

The Russian president reiterated Moscow's long-held position that Russia is not planning to attack European countries, but would respond to any attacks with all its arsenal.

“If it comes to a direct attack on the Russian Federation — in this case we mean Kaliningrad, or maybe some other territories — of course, inevitably and immediately the question of Russian Federation using all weapons at the disposal of our country will appear on the agenda,” Putin said.

It comes as several Russian embassies in Europe this week issued statements that said Moscow has “information that NATO is preparing (an) air and naval blockade of Kaliningrad and (the) Kaliningrad region.”

They accused European leaders of “playing a dangerous game” by saying Russia might attack another country or ramp up a campaign of destabilising attacks with drones and sabotage. Moscow has called the allegations absurd.