--- title: "Putin Orders Continuation of Massive Strikes Against Ukraine During Military Meeting" description: "At a meeting with military command, Vladimir Putin instructed to continue massive strikes against Ukraine's military-industrial complex and logistics. On October 16, drones hit energy facilities in six regions." date: 2026-10-16T16:41:18.752Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/putin-orders-continuation-of-massive-strikes-against-ukraine tags: [putin, ukraine-war, energy-strikes, russia, gerasimov, drones] author: "Marina Slivenko" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Putin Orders Continuation of Massive Strikes Against Ukraine During Military Meeting ![Vladimir Putin speaking at a meeting with military officials against a red background](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/16/putin-prikazal-prodolzhit-massirovannye-udary-po-ukraine/putin-prikazal-prodolzhit-massirovannye-udary-po-ukraine-1.webp) ## Key Points - Putin reportedly ordered the continuation of massive strikes against Ukraine's military-industrial complex and logistics centers during a meeting with military command. - Russian General Staff Chief Gerasimov reported on strikes against energy facilities and promised attacks on bridges of strategic importance. - Zelenskyy stated that according to intelligence, Putin lifted all restrictions on strikes in September, expanding the target list. - On October 16, drones hit energy facilities in Kyiv and five regions; large-scale power outages occurred in Rivne. At a closed meeting with military command, Vladimir Putin reportedly instructed group commanders to continue tasks that Moscow calls the "special military operation." According to published excerpts of the speech, the head of the Russian state placed special emphasis on the need to "continue launching massive and group strikes against the enemy's military-industrial complex facilities and logistics centers." The statement came against the background of a multi-day wave of drone attacks across Ukrainian territory. ### Order to Continue Strikes According to RBC-Ukraine, Putin stated that commanders must "continue fulfilling tasks" within the framework of the "SMO" and directly pointed to the priority of massive group strikes. The official wording referred to military-industrial complex facilities and logistics centers. At the same time, Ukrainian media note that such an instruction was voiced immediately after a report by Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov on the start of massive strikes against Ukraine's energy facilities, which belong to civilian infrastructure. ### Gerasimov's Report: Bridges and Energy Russian Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov, speaking at the same meeting, promised that troops "will strike bridges of strategic importance in Ukraine." Thus, the Kremlin's public rhetoric about "military" targets is combined with the actual destruction of energy and transport infrastructure facilities upon which the life support of cities depends. It is against this backdrop that Kyiv and the regions record daily launches of strike drones—both jet-propelled and conventional. ### Context: Zelenskyy's Statements on "Lifting Restrictions" Kyiv's position provides a broader context for these orders. According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking in an interview with the Financial Times citing Ukrainian intelligence data, Putin back in September instructed the military command to abandon the rules of warfare and lift all restrictions on strikes. The President of Ukraine stated that intelligence data included intercepted communications of Kremlin representatives and pointed to the expansion of the list of targeted assets—from energy infrastructure to schools, communication hubs, and data processing centers. The Russian side has not officially commented on these claims. ### October 16 Attacks: Six Regions According to the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine, on the morning of October 16, drones hit energy facilities in Kyiv and the Kyiv, Volyn, Rivne, Kharkiv, and Odesa regions. In Rivne, large-scale power supply disruptions were recorded following the attacks, with blackouts affecting part of the Rivne region as well. Thus, the order to "continue massive strikes" coincides in time with one of the most intense waves of attacks on energy infrastructure in recent days. ## Accounts differ ### Scope of Putin's Order: Military Targets or Lifting All Restrictions - **RBC-Ukraine (Putin's quote):** The instruction was formulated as the continuation of massive and group strikes against the enemy's military-industrial complex facilities and logistics centers. ([rbc.ua](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/putin-nakazav-prodovzhiti-masovani-udari-1792168396.html)) - **Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Financial Times interview, citing intelligence):** In September, Putin ordered the abandonment of the rules of warfare and the removal of all strike restrictions, including hitting schools, communication hubs, and data processing centers. ([unian.net](https://www.unian.net/war/voyna-v-ukraine-putin-prikazal-snyat-vse-ogranicheniya-na-udary-13516479.html)) *Where they agree:* Putin issued an order during a meeting with military command to continue massive strikes against Ukraine — this is confirmed by both Ukrainian media and Kyiv's statements. ## Fact-Check & Sources - [Путин приказал продолжить массированные удары по Украине](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/putin-nakazav-prodovzhiti-masovani-udari-1792168396.html) - Primary source: Putin and Gerasimov's remarks at the meeting, report on strikes against energy facilities, drone attacks on October 16 across six regions. Reported by a single Ukrainian publication. - [Путин приказал снять все ограничения на удары по Украине, - Зеленский](https://www.unian.net/war/voyna-v-ukraine-putin-prikazal-snyat-vse-ogranicheniya-na-udary-13516479.html) - Zelenskyy's statement in an FT interview citing intelligence: order to lift restrictions in September, target expansion. The Russian side did not comment. - [Путин: Россия была готова возобновить контакты с Украиной, но в дни выборов Киев нанес ...](https://www.interfax-russia.ru/main/putin-rossiya-byla-gotova-vozobnovit-kontakty-s-ukrainoy-no-v-dni-vyborov-kiev-nanes-massirovannye-udary-po-territorii-rf) - Context: Putin's public rhetoric regarding broken contacts; used as background context, does not contradict the core. ## FAQ ### What exactly did Putin reportedly order at the meeting? According to RBC-Ukraine, Putin instructed commanders to continue the tasks of the "SMO" and "continue launching massive and group strikes against the enemy's military-industrial complex facilities and logistics centers." ### What did Zelenskyy say about the nature of this order? Citing Ukrainian intelligence and intercepted communications, Zelenskyy stated that in September Putin ordered the abandonment of the rules of warfare and the removal of all strike restrictions, expanding the target list. ### What attacks were recorded on October 16? According to Ukraine's Ministry of Energy, since the morning of October 16, drones have been striking energy facilities in Kyiv and the Kyiv, Volyn, Rivne, Kharkiv, and Odesa regions, with large-scale power outages recorded in Rivne.