Zelensky Claims Putin Will Intensify Attacks on Ukraine as US Elections Near

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asserted during a press briefing that Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to increase military operations against Ukraine in the coming weeks, citing the approaching US elections as a strategic factor. The claim was reported by two Ukrainian news outlets, ukrinform and ukrinform.net, both published on October 2, 2026. No additional details or evidence were provided by the sources to substantiate the claim, and no official response from Russian authorities was noted.