Zelensky: Russia aims to depopulate Kiev through attacks on civilians

President Volodymyr Zelensky, in an interview with El Pais, said that Russia is trying to force Ukrainians to abandon Kiev by intensifying attacks against civilian targets and predicted a further escalation ahead of the US mid-term elections.

"They want Ukrainians, and especially residents of the capital, to leave the city. They really wanted this from the beginning of the large-scale invasion."

According to Zelensky, Moscow had attempted to make the population flee from Kiev to demonstrate that, without the capital, the country would not exist, adding that the Russians are hitting civilian targets in an attempt to paralyze the city, preventing people from going to work and children from attending schools and kindergartens.

The Ukrainian president linked the intensification of Russian attacks to the approaching midterm elections in the United States. In his opinion, Putin will continue to escalate the situation to demonstrate his strength, sending signals from the Kremlin aimed mainly at Washington.

"Putin's tactic is to escalate the conflict as much as possible, and he will continue to do so. And as the midterm elections get closer, he will do so more and more," he said.