‘Nobody will win’: Zelenskyy adviser warns war with Russia leads to mutual destruction
Ukrainian presidential adviser Serhii Beskrestnov says the escalating long-range strike war with Russia cannot be won by either side and is urging consideration of evacuating elderly Kyiv residents this winter. Ukraine, meanwhile, plans to sharply increase its own strikes on Russian territory.
Serhii Beskrestnov, a defence technology adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy known by his call sign Flash, has warned that the escalating war of long-range strikes between Russia and Ukraine cannot produce a winner, as both nations' economies and infrastructure are being destroyed.
Beskrestnov expressed concern about the coming winter in Kyiv, noting Russia is producing high-speed ballistic missiles at a rate of over 100 per month and could use them to knock out the capital's electricity, water and heating systems. He suggested city authorities should consider evacuating civilians, particularly elderly people, in advance, while stressing this was not an official statement.
Air defence shortage
Ukraine faces a severe shortage of US-made Patriot interceptors, the primary weapon capable of stopping ballistic missiles. Beskrestnov said he was not confident Zelenskyy could secure enough of them abroad to avert a crisis; last month the president said he wanted 300 Patriot interceptors for winter.
Ukraine's response
At the same time, Ukraine plans to intensify its own strikes inside Russia, raising the daily total from about 300 to a target of 1,000, hitting factories, warehouses and oil refineries. Ukraine also intends to fly up to 1,000 drones a night to disrupt Russian civil aviation — merely flying near an airport is often enough to force its closure.
Beskrestnov also warned of Russia's apparent first use of artificial intelligence in a Molniya drone that killed a person near a Zaporizhzhia gas station in July, fearing the technology could soon be fitted to Shahed drones. Russia launched 2,500 jet-powered Shahed drones in August and plans to produce around 36,000 in 2027.
According to the UN, 437 civilians were killed and 2,610 injured in Ukraine in July, the highest monthly toll since March 2022.
