Ukrainian forces have carried out a new series of long-range attacks against infrastructure across several regions of Russia, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying eight facilities supporting Moscow’s war effort were struck within a 24-hour period.
The Ukrainian leader announced the operations on Thursday as Kyiv continues to expand the geographical reach of its campaign against Russian energy, logistics and other infrastructure it says contributes to the war.
Oil Facility in Yamalo-Nenets Among Reported Targets
Among the facilities identified by Zelenskyy was an oil refinery in Russia’s Yamalo-Nenets region, an Arctic territory thousands of kilometres from the Ukrainian border.
The region is particularly significant to Russia’s energy industry and has increasingly demonstrated the reach of Ukraine’s long-range strike capabilities. Recent attacks in Yamalo-Nenets have also targeted facilities associated with Russia’s gas sector.
Zelenskyy did not provide detailed information about the extent of damage caused in the latest operation or identify the specific refinery involved.
Ukrainian Forces Target Seaport in Dagestan
Another reported target was a seaport in Dagestan, extending the latest Ukrainian operations to Russia’s North Caucasus region.
Zelenskyy said the port was among the eight infrastructure facilities struck during the previous 24 hours, although his statement did not provide further details about the installation or specify the weapons used in the attack.
The operation adds maritime and logistics infrastructure to the range of Russian facilities Ukraine says it is targeting as part of efforts to undermine resources supporting Moscow’s military campaign.
Strikes Reported Across Four More Russian Regions
According to Zelenskyy, Ukrainian forces also struck facilities in the Moscow, Voronezh, Astrakhan and Bryansk regions.
The Ukrainian president did not identify each of those targets individually or disclose the level of damage recorded at the sites.
The geographical spread of the reported attacks nevertheless points to a coordinated long-range operation reaching several widely separated areas of Russia.
Kyiv Expands Pressure on Russian War Infrastructure
Ukraine has increasingly relied on domestically developed long-range drones and other strike systems to attack Russian military, industrial, energy and logistics infrastructure far beyond the battlefield.
The strategy is intended to weaken facilities Kyiv believes contribute directly or indirectly to Russia’s ability to sustain its military operations.
Recent Ukrainian operations have demonstrated an ability to reach targets thousands of kilometres from the border, including installations in Russia’s Arctic energy-producing regions. (The Guardian)
Zelenskyy Frames Attacks as Response to Russian Strikes
Zelenskyy portrayed the latest operations as retaliation for Russia’s continuing missile and drone attacks against Ukraine.
He said Russia continues to conduct attacks against Ukraine on a daily basis and argued that Moscow should expect Ukrainian forces to respond.
The Ukrainian president thanked military personnel involved in the missions as well as those responsible for developing and maintaining Ukraine’s long-range and precision-strike capabilities.
Long-Range Campaign Becomes Increasingly Central to War
The latest reported strikes come as Ukraine continues to put pressure on Russian infrastructure far behind the front lines while Russian forces maintain their own large-scale aerial campaign against Ukrainian cities and critical facilities.
Russian drone attacks have continued to cause casualties and infrastructure damage across Ukraine, while Kyiv has increasingly directed its long-range weapons toward Russian energy and military-related targets.
The eight strikes reported by Zelenskyy represent another demonstration of Kyiv’s strategy of taking the conflict deeper into Russian territory and attempting to impose economic and logistical costs on Moscow as the war continues.
