Ukraine has launched a 40-day campaign to intensify pressure on Russia through a sustained wave of long-range drone strikes targeting strategic infrastructure deep inside Russian territory, marking a significant shift in Kyiv’s military strategy.Announcing the campaign, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had approved a fixed-duration operation aimed at increasing pressure on Moscow to end the war.“I approved a 40-day operation by the Service to influence the aggressor state in order to press for an end to the war,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram.The announcement marks the first time Ukraine has publicly attached a specific timeframe to its deep-strike campaign, signalling a more coordinated and sustained effort rather than isolated drone raids.Ukraine began the campaign with one of its largest drone attacks since the war began, launching a massive overnight assault targeting a dozen Russian regions, including occupied Crimea and surrounding maritime areas.According to Russia’s Defence Ministry, air defence systems intercepted 660 Ukrainian drones. The previous largest Ukrainian drone attack over the past year involved 556 drones on May 17.Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) said it used drones to strike Russian naval vessels and air defence radar systems in Kerch, a strategically important port city in Crimea.According to the agency, the targets included the reconnaissance and minelaying ships Volga and Vyatka, along with the cargo-passenger ferry Petropavlovsk.Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Russian air defences shot down 47 Ukrainian drones that were heading towards the Russian capital.Meanwhile, Russian independent outlet Astra reported that a Ukrainian missile strike targeted a Russian military facility in Volgograd. The outlet said explosions and a fire were reported in the city after authorities issued a missile threat alert for Volgograd Oblast. Videos circulating on social media appeared to show smoke rising over the city.Volgograd Oblast Governor Andrey Bocharov later confirmed that Ukrainian high-speed aerial targets had struck the city overnight, damaging production facilities at an industrial enterprise in the Krasnooktyabrsky District.Bocharov said 10 people were injured in the attack and were receiving medical treatment.The continued Ukrainian attacks have also affected occupied Crimea. Authorities on the peninsula declared a state of emergency on Friday to address economic disruptions after suspending tourism, cancelling children’s summer camps and halting fuel sales.The strikes have worsened fuel shortages across Crimea, with residents reporting rising fuel prices and long queues at petrol stations.
Cars queue for fuel at a gas station after the authorities restricted fuel sales in Crimea. Reuters
Ukraine’s deep-strike campaign has also triggered strong reactions from influential Russian nationalist figures, many of whom have criticised the Kremlin’s handling of the war.“What else needs to happen before we start fighting for real? War means victory at any cost. The Ukrainians are at war, so they’re fighting with everything they’ve got,” nationalist businessman Konstantin Malofeyev said after a Ukrainian strike set fire to a Moscow oil refinery last week.“Why are we not using nuclear weapons, which our forebears developed and stockpiled with the full might of the nation precisely for this purpose?” he asked.Several nationalist commentators have also called on Moscow to abandon US-brokered peace negotiations and instead pursue the complete destruction of the Ukrainian state. Others have argued that Russia should adopt what they described as Iran’s military and diplomatic approach in dealing with the United States.Despite the growing criticism, the Kremlin has so far resisted calls to walk away from negotiations. However, three senior Russian government officials said this week that talks with Washington had made no progress and accused the United States of failing to honour peace proposals discussed during last year’s Putin-Trump summit in Alaska.By targeting military installations, naval assets, air defence systems, logistics hubs and energy infrastructure deep inside Russia, Kyiv appears to be pursuing a strategy aimed at increasing the economic and military costs of the war for Moscow while demonstrating that Russia’s rear areas are no longer beyond the reach of Ukrainian strikes.The campaign has already disrupted fuel supplies in occupied Crimea, damaged industrial facilities and intensified debate within Russia over how the Kremlin should respond to Ukraine’s expanding long-range drone offensive.
