Ukraine expands drone strikes on Russian logistics and supply lines

Ukraine has stepped up a drone campaign aimed at Russian logistics networks deep behind the front line, with strikes reported on fuel convoys, military trucks, trains, bridges and supply depots. The effort is concentrated across southern Ukraine and occupied Crimea, according to the supplied material. Ukrainian officials describe the campaign as a form of logistical pressure intended to weaken Russia's offensive capacity.

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The supporting report says a CNN analysis identified around 150 geolocated strikes against Russian fuel tankers, trucks and other vehicles. It adds that the campaign has intensified significantly since early May, while many more attacks are believed to have gone unrecorded. Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces said mid-range strike missions have increased 28-fold over the past year.

The drones involved are described as domestically produced systems with operational ranges of between 50 and 300 kilometres. The report names the FP-2 and Behemoth among the platforms being used, with Behemoth said to carry a 70-kilogram warhead and travel at about 180 kilometres per hour. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has previously said strikes at distances beyond 20 kilometres had quadrupled since February.

The campaign matters because it reflects a shift in Ukrainian strategy from focusing mainly on Russian troops and equipment at the front to targeting the infrastructure that sustains the wider war effort. By striking transport routes and depots, Ukraine is seeking to disrupt fuel supplies, slow troop movements and complicate Russian operations in occupied areas. The reported reach of the attacks also suggests a broader effort to extend pressure well beyond the immediate battlefield.

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The supplied material says the strikes are part of a wider attempt to suppress offensive operations and degrade air-defence systems in occupied territories. It also says the battlefield has effectively been extended up to 300 kilometres behind Russian lines, according to a French open-source analyst cited in the report. That assessment points to a growing role for drones in shaping the logistics of the war rather than only its front-line combat.

The report says at least 20 trains, many carrying fuel, have reportedly been struck since January. It also notes that the effects of the campaign are being felt across transport and supply infrastructure, although the full scale is not known. Open-source researchers and OSINT teams are said to have documented the attacks, but the supplied material does not give a complete count of all incidents.

The development comes amid a broader evolution in Ukraine's use of unmanned systems, with mid-range strike missions now forming a larger part of its military approach. The supplied rows do not indicate how much damage each strike caused, whether all targets were confirmed hit, or how Russian forces have adjusted their logistics in response. It also remains unclear how many additional attacks have taken place without public verification, and what effect the campaign will have on the pace of fighting in the coming weeks.

#Ukraine #Russia #drones #logistics #Crimea

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