Ukraine launched a large-scale drone offensive against Russian energy and export infrastructure on Monday, striking targets hundreds of kilometres from the front line. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukrainian forces hit an export terminal in the western Rostov region, approximately 250 kilometres from the combat zone, as well as oil facilities in the Yaroslavl region and the Udmurt Republic, the latter over 1,300 kilometres from Ukraine's border.
“Last night, our long-range sanctions were effective in the Rostov region,” Zelenskyy wrote on Facebook. “Deep strikes also targeted oil facilities in the Yaroslavl region and the Udmurt Republic.”
Russian officials reported that five people, including a child, were killed in the Rostov attack, and that the strikes set an apartment block and warehouses ablaze. In the Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, regional authorities said Ukrainian drones wounded 12 people, among them two children, and ignited a fire in an apartment building.
Escalation to pressure Moscow
Ukraine has intensified its retaliatory strikes on Russian territory in recent months, partly to compel the Kremlin to enter negotiations after nearly four and a half years of full-scale war. While Kyiv has previously hit targets as far as the Urals and Siberia, the attacks have mostly damaged energy infrastructure, with civilian casualties deep inside Russia remaining rare.
According to Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, Ukrainian drones also struck 14 energy facilities in Russian-occupied Crimea over the past three days. The sustained campaign has caused significant power outages, fuel shortages, and disruptions to daily life in Russia, more than at any point since Moscow launched its offensive in February 2022.
Kyiv argues that these strikes are designed to weaken Russia's war machine and create conditions for a ceasefire. The pressure comes as diplomatic efforts remain stalled, with Serbia's stalled EU bid also complicating broader regional dynamics.
Russian retaliation kills civilians
Meanwhile, Russian strikes across Ukraine killed at least nine people over the past day, regional authorities reported. In the Zaporizhzhia region, Russian forces targeted 45 settlements near the front line, killing two people and wounding 13 others. In Kharkiv, a 40-year-old woman was killed, and two people, including a child, were injured in a rare daytime attack that hit a supermarket in Chernihiv.
Ukraine's air force reported that Russia attacked overnight with 147 long-range strike drones. Of those, 123 were intercepted or jammed, while 21 drones caused damage at seven locations. The attacks underscore the ongoing toll on civilians as the war grinds on.
The escalation in long-range strikes comes amid broader geopolitical tensions, including Iran's diplomatic pressure on Bulgaria over US air base use, and concerns that AI chatbots may amplify Russian propaganda from EU-sanctioned outlets. The conflict's ripple effects continue to test European security and unity.
