{
  "id": 6574845,
  "title": "Zelenskyy bets war inside Russia will force Putin to take peace talks seriously",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/zelenskyy-bets-war-inside-russia-will-force-putin-to-take-peace-talks",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-10T11:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Voice of Ukraine",
    "slug": "new-voice-of-ukraine",
    "url": "https://english.nv.ua/nation/zelenskyy-bets-pressure-inside-russia-will-force-putin-to-take-peace-talks-seriously-politico-50640244.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that escalating the conflict directly onto Russian soil will compel Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin to engage in meaningful peace talks. Since the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin has managed to largely shield the Russian populace from the war's most severe repercussions. However, Ukraine's Defense Forces are now targeting air travel, oil refineries, and other critical infrastructure deep within Russia. This strategy aims to heighten the economic and political burdens faced by the Russian population faster than Putin can escalate Ukrainian military and civilian casualties with intensified air attacks.\n\nWith Russians already frustrated over fuel shortages, disrupted air travel, and complications in e-commerce, Ukraine is intensifying its production of attack drones. Nonetheless, Politico reports that there is still scant evidence suggesting a serious threat to Putin's grip on power. Predictions of potential coups have been made before, but Putin has remained in power, and Ukraine's campaign appears to have merely made the war more tangible for ordinary Russians.\n\nThe Kremlin's control over public dissent and media has enabled them to suppress opposition, but John Lough, a former NATO official and analyst, believes that Ukrainian strikes are still damaging Putin's standing among the elite. Lough asserts that the Russian elite is increasingly convinced that the war cannot be won under the current circumstances and that Putin's actions have not bolstered Russia's security but rather exacerbated its vulnerabilities. Even so, Lough does not foresee an imminent revolution or coup, but warns that persistent fuel shortages and ongoing facility destruction could prompt Russians to question the war's duration and purpose.\n\nFormer British diplomat Tim Willasey-Wilsey also highlights Ukraine's precarious position heading into the next winter, noting that Kyiv is likely \"terrified\" about the prospect of facing another winter without the means to defend against Russian ballistic missile strikes. Putin is undoubtedly aware of this vulnerability, as Politico emphasizes. Additionally, Ukraine's allies are acutely cognizant of this situation. On September 10, Zelenskyy reported that Ukraine's Defense Forces had struck eight Russian infrastructure facilities supporting the war effort, including an oil refinery in Yamal and a commercial seaport in Dagestan. Earlier, on September 1, Zelenskyy warned that Ukrainian forces were making Russian airspace dangerous for airlines, insurers, and other aviation participants. In August, The Atlantic published a report citing Ukrainian sources, revealing that they planned Operation M&M's, which involved launching up to 1,000 small autonomous AI-powered drones daily to disrupt Moscow's airport operations, force international airlines to halt flights to the Russian capital, further isolate the Russian elite, and pressure the Kremlin to initiate peace negotiations.",
  "summary": "President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is betting that bringing the war directly onto the territory of Russia will force Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin to take peace negotiations seriously.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}