Russian President Vladimir Putin devoted a significant part of his speech at the Valdai International Discussion Forum on October 1 to declaring that Russia is "not threatening anyone" and has "no plans to attack anyone in 2029, 2030 or 2050"
This is according to the "Institute for the Study of War" (ISW).
Putin also lied that the Russian armed forces have never launched a first strike against targets not directly related to military infrastructure. However, he later stressed that the issue of using nuclear weapons "inevitably and immediately" would be on Russia's agenda if Europe attacked the Kaliningrad region or other parts of the country. In recent years, Kremlin officials, including Putin himself, have repeatedly threatened to attack European countries; examples of this are numerous, such as:
The speech is part of the Kremlin's ongoing efforts to support the unfounded pro-Russian and anti-Ukrainian theses among some European leaders, according to which discussions about real Russian threats are artificially created, and Russia is actually a victim of Western aggression. Russian officials, including Putin, are actually threatening European countries, including with nuclear strikes. The Kremlin is also increasingly launching limited attacks on Europe, including deliberate drone incursions into Moldovan and NATO airspace, as well as various sabotage and espionage attempts.
Putin's claims of Russian territorial gains on the front in September 2026 are so far from reality that they border on hallucination. Putin said Russian forces captured 1,301 square kilometers of territory in Ukraine in September 2026 alone, 2.5 times more than Russia’s announced gains in previous months.
During the exercises, Russian and Chinese forces practiced joint deployment and maneuvering.
Chinese forces had previously observed the Zapad-2025 exercises but did not actively participate in them.
On October 1 and 2, Russian forces launched a series of drone strikes on the South Bridge in Kiev, aiming to weaken the structure’s structural integrity and make life in the Ukrainian capital difficult, a move that ISW recently predicted. However, it remains unclear whether Russian forces will be able to maintain the necessary intensity and pace of strikes to render the bridge beyond repair. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported four waves of Russian drone strikes on the Southern Bridge over the Dnieper River in Kyiv between the afternoon of October 1 and the evening of October 2.
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that on the night of October 2, Russian forces had struck a combined road-rail bridge over the river in Kyiv.
On October 1, after the first waves of drone strikes, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) noted that inflicting serious damage on large, fortified facilities such as the Southern Bridge would require multiple, precise strikes in a short period of time - which Russian forces are currently attempting to do.
Repeated strikes on the bridge could also be aimed at significantly disrupting traffic and civilian life, even if they ultimately do not cause significant damage to the structure itself. facility.
Ukrainian officials have confirmed long-standing assessments of Russia's intentions to attack Ukraine's civilian and critical infrastructure - particularly in major cities - during its campaign of strikes in the winter of 2026-2027.
According to an article in the "Financial Times" (Financial Times) of October 2, citing President Volodymyr Zelensky and representatives of Ukrainian and European security services, Ukrainian intelligence indicates that Russian forces are preparing to intensify strikes on the country's largest cities (including Kiev, Kharkiv, Lviv and Odessa) to isolate them from the rest of Ukraine as winter sets in.
Zelensky noted that after failing to seize territory in Donbas, Putin has now switched to tactics of "massive attacks and mass killings".
Zelensky specifically focused on the recent Russian strikes on the South Bridge as part of a larger effort to instill fear among the Ukrainian population and force them to leave major cities. Russian forces are also planning to disrupt Ukraine's energy system in the winter of 2026-2027, including by launching missile strikes near Ukraine's three operating nuclear power plants to force them off the grid, according to a New York Times report on an unconfirmed intercepted Russian plan.