Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued one of his starkest warnings yet: if the world doesn’t push for regime change in Moscow, the threat from Vladimir Putin’s Russia won’t end—even after the war in Ukraine is over.

Speaking to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) via a glitch-ridden video call, Zelensky painted a bleak picture of Russia’s intentions, calling its leadership “mentally stuck in another century” and obsessed with expansion, brutality, and the rejection of democratic norms.

“Russia doesn’t recognize natural borders,” he warned. “It believes its borders are wherever it wants them to be.”

Zelensky argued that even if the shooting stops, Moscow will continue to destabilize its neighbors, fund foreign aggression, and pursue its imperial ambitions unless a new government takes power in Russia. “If the world doesn’t aim to change the regime in Russia,” he said, “it will keep spending huge amounts of money, resources, maybe even lives to do so.”

He accused the Kremlin of living in a fantasy world divorced from the post-WWII international order and warned that Russian aggression isn’t just a threat to Ukraine—it’s a threat to all of Europe.

As Russian missile and drone strikes continued to batter Ukraine overnight—killing at least eight people and injuring children—Zelensky emphasized that sanctions alone aren’t enough. He called on European nations to move beyond freezing Russian assets and begin confiscating them outright to fund Ukraine’s recovery and defense.

“They are mentally stuck in another era,” he said. “A time of brutal violence, depredations, a total disregard for human rights and equality. We all know those times must never return to Europe.”

According to Ukrainian officials, the latest round of Russian strikes included over 300 drones and multiple cruise missiles, with five missiles reportedly making direct hits. Kyiv claimed it intercepted 288 drones, but debris from some destroyed aerial targets still caused significant damage.

Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha added fuel to the fire by pressuring President Trump to abandon his 50-day timeline for diplomatic engagement with Moscow. “It is probably time to reduce to zero all of the timeframes that had been given to Putin to demonstrate a constructive approach,” Sybiha said. “President Trump has been very generous and very patient.”

Meanwhile, Russia claimed to have shot down 32 Ukrainian drones overnight, with debris causing fires, gas line damage, and train delays in parts of the country.

Despite the back-and-forth air assaults, Zelensky made it clear that the war’s ultimate solution doesn’t lie on the battlefield alone—it lies in who holds power in the Kremlin.

His statement reflects a growing belief among Ukrainian leadership and some Western observers that a simple ceasefire or negotiated settlement won’t be enough. Instead, removing Putin and dismantling his regime’s war-making capacity may be the only way to achieve lasting peace in the region.

How world leaders, especially President Trump, respond to this call for aggressive action remains to be seen—but Zelensky’s message is clear: peace with Putin is an illusion, and the danger he poses won’t vanish with the last bullet.