Ukraine’s First Deputy PM Warns: Russia No Longer Testing Limits—It Believes It Has Permission
Ukraine’s First Deputy Prime Minister warned on Monday that Russia is no longer testing the boundaries of international response, but is acting under the assumption that it has permission to escalate.
“Russians are no longer testing the world’s limits—they believe they have permission,”
she said in a statement posted to social media after a five-hour overnight attack on Kyiv that killed at least six people and injured many more.
The targets included residential buildings, a university, and a metro station—none of which have military value.
The Deputy PM described the strikes as “psychological terror,” and linked the scale of the attack to what she called a broader trend of Western hesitation.
“While Russians lead Ukraine’s allies down a path toward phantom compromises, the size of their attacks has doubled compared to six months ago,” she wrote.
Her message emphasized that Kyiv, though far from the eastern front, remains a frequent target of Russian strikes.
“Kyiv is not the frontline. It is the capital of a sovereign country under daily siege.”
The Deputy Prime Minister also suggested that current international responses are failing to deter further escalation.
“If this scale of terror does not provoke a response, Russia will continue this escalation,” she wrote.
In her view, deterrence now requires more than statements of support.
“We need action that changes the calculus in Moscow—not words that encourage more missiles.”
The overnight assault was one of the largest on Kyiv in recent months. Rescue operations continued into the morning across several districts of the capital. Ukrainian officials reported that air defenses intercepted some of the drones and missiles, but many still reached their targets.
The First Deputy Prime Minister’s statement adds to a growing number of calls from Ukrainian leadership urging partners to provide more air defense systems and to take stronger steps in response to ongoing Russian strikes. Her comments reflect a belief within the Ukrainian government that Russia is interpreting limited consequences as a green light to intensify attacks.
No new international measures had been announced as of Monday afternoon.
