Ukraine Expands Its Strike Capability Against Russia, Axios: It Can Target Strategic Objectives Even in Moscow and St. Petersburg

Ukraine is showing signs that it is gaining the upper hand in its confrontation with Russia, having demonstrated that it is capable of striking with advanced drones and long-range missiles almost any strategic target inside Russian territory.

An analysis published by Axios says that Russian military bases, weapons manufacturing plants and energy infrastructure have become increasingly vulnerable to Ukrainian strikes. Repeated attacks on refineries have caused fuel shortages in some parts of Russia, while in certain cases explosions have spread panic even among residents of Moscow.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Russia has been forced to redeploy a significant part of its air defenses to cover Moscow and the most important state facilities, leaving other strategically important areas more exposed.

For his part, Russian President Vladimir Putin has acknowledged that defenses against Ukrainian attacks face “problems” and “shortcomings,” although he has tried to downplay the weight of their consequences.

As this situation unfolds, clashes in Ukraine continue with the same intensity. Overnight, Russian forces launched new attacks against Kyiv, where at least 30 people were killed, while the offensive in the Donetsk region continues despite the heavy losses of the Russian army.

Zelensky has described the attacks on Russian territory as “long-range sanctions,” referring to strikes against military and industrial targets hundreds of kilometers from the border. Over the years of the war, Ukraine has significantly strengthened its military capabilities, relying mainly on domestically produced drones and modified missiles.

Among the targets hit recently was the Russian Titan-Barrikady plant, where artillery systems are produced. Earlier, Operation “Spider’s Web” had demonstrated the use of small explosive drones to strike Russian warplanes at air bases.

According to a report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), during 2026 Ukraine significantly expanded attacks inside Russian territory, using short-, medium- and long-range drones and missiles to strike Russia’s military supply chain. In the report, this strategy is described as a “classic air isolation,” carried out not with aircraft, but with drones and missiles.

However, experts underline that not every Ukrainian attack reaches its target, as Russian air defense and electronic warfare systems continue to neutralize some of them.

Another important development is linked to the 40-day operation announced by Zelensky, which aims to increase pressure on Moscow and force Russia to return to the negotiating table. So far, however, there are no concrete signs of diplomatic progress between the sides.