POLITICO: Ukraine’s deep strikes threaten Russia’s energy and fuel supply

Ukraine has shifted to a more sustained campaign of deep strikes against Russian territory, systematically targeting Russian energy infrastructure as it rapidly expands production of long‑range drones and missiles, POLITICO reports.

For much of the war, Moscow’s strikes on Ukrainian cities and energy facilities went largely unanswered. That is changing: Kyiv now mounts near‑daily strikes inside Russia, hitting not only oil refineries but also power plants and substations — enabled by domestic weapons development and higher production rates.

According to the BBC, Ukraine has struck 21 of Russia’s 38 major refineries this year, degrading roughly 38% of the country’s refining capacity. Those attacks have contributed to fuel shortages and forced Russia to import petrol from Belarus.

The shift forms part of Kyiv’s deterrence logic: to make attacks on Ukraine costly enough that the Kremlin would think again. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy framed the approach as imposing the war’s costs on the enemy while stressing restraint toward civilians: “The enemy must bear the cost of this war. But we do not kill civilians,” he said.

Recent weeks illustrate the escalation on both sides. On October 10, the Kremlin launched more than 450 drones and about 30 missiles at Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, causing partial blackouts. Russia has also mounted massive waves of strikes this year — one recent week saw over 3,100 drones, 92 missiles and roughly 1,360 glide bombs aimed largely at energy targets in Ukraine. Kyiv, in turn, struck a civilian power plant in Russia’s Belgorod region earlier this month, triggering blackouts there.

Ukraine’s expanding long‑range arsenal is central to the campaign. Zelenskyy and other officials say Kyiv has increased production of more lethal drones and missiles and is no longer waiting for external deliveries alone. “Our weapons have become better and that also is helpful,” a Ukrainian official told POLITICO on condition of anonymity, adding that U.S. intelligence cooperation — described as “very active” — has assisted Kyiv, notably in understanding Russian intentions and bolstering air‑defence efforts.

Western reporting supports the claim of external support for targeting. The Financial Times has reported that the U.S. has provided targeting information to help Ukraine strike Russian energy infrastructure.

Zelenskyy pointed to several new or upgraded systems in use: the Palianytsia drone‑missile, which he said has struck Russian ammunition depots “in dozens of cases,” and the Ruta drone‑missile, which reportedly hit a maritime platform about 250 km out in the Black Sea. He also referenced Ukraine’s new Flamingo cruise missile — with a reported range of 3,000 km — first reported by Politico in August, and the shorter‑range Neptune; both have begun striking Russian targets.

“I won’t give numbers — we have used our Neptune and Flamingo missiles in pairs. We are not talking about en masse use of this pair. We are only saying that it has been used, and there are initial signs of such success with this particular weapon,” Zelenskyy said.

The broader aim, Kyiv says, is to ratchet up pressure so the Kremlin “feels the impact” of the war and is compelled to reassess its course. “More pressure on Russia is needed. Pressure will work — when they lose more from war than they would in any other scenario. Our long‑range strikes, strong sanctions, holding the battlefield, defending ourselves — but also, undoubtedly, supporting peaceful initiatives, because that’s the right thing to do — this will work,” Zelenskyy said.

By Tamilla Hasanova