What the ICRC press office needs to know this morning
Top developments: NYT reports Russia planning massive winter energy strike on Ukraine — up to 1,000 missiles and drones · Zelensky: Putin ordered military to abandon 'rules of war'; Russia intensified strikes on Kyiv schools, hospitals and data centres · Russia launches over 100 attack drones across Ukraine overnight; 1 killed in Kyiv, hits in multiple oblasts
Snapshot indicators use fixed windows (7 days / 48 hours) from the daily computation; sparklines show the last 14 days per day; All theaters.
What is driving the news
Gaza / Israel / oPt
Top events by priority
Highest escalation
Russia-Ukraine
Top events by priority
Highest escalation
Morning brief
Russia reportedly plans its largest-ever coordinated winter energy strike on Ukraine — up to 1,000 missiles and drones — as overnight attacks on Kyiv and other cities kill at least one civilian and damage critical infrastructure.
- The New York Times, citing an intercepted Russian planning document, reports Russia is preparing a massive strike on Ukraine's energy grid, heating plants and power stations ahead of winter, potentially cutting electricity by up to 90% for millions of civilians.
- Overnight, more than 100 Russian drones struck targets across Ukraine: a residential high-rise in Kyiv was hit (1 killed), a children's playground in Kherson was struck, and three Kyiv bridges were closed to civilian traffic.
- Ukrainian President Zelensky told the Financial Times that Putin ordered Russian forces to abandon the rules of war in spring, after which strikes on schools, hospitals and data centres in Kyiv intensified — a claim the ICRC cannot verify but which raises serious IHL concerns.
- In Gaza and the West Bank, Palestinian sources report ongoing civilian casualties in Khan Younis, artillery strikes near al-Bureij refugee camp, and interference with the olive harvest near Beita and Nablus — all raising IHL concerns regarding civilian protection under occupation.
- ICRC President Spoljaric's figure of 275,000 missing persons in the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues to circulate widely in Russian-language media; the denied access to Ukrainian POWs in Russia since 2024 also remains a live media topic.
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