Ukraine Quadruples Drone Strikes 12 Miles Behind Russian Lines, Hitting Supply Routes Nearly 100 Miles Deep
Updated
Updated · Foreign Policy · Jun 3
Ukraine Quadruples Drone Strikes 12 Miles Behind Russian Lines, Hitting Supply Routes Nearly 100 Miles Deep
3 articles · Updated · Foreign Policy · Jun 3
Summary
Strikes on Russian targets 12 miles or more behind the front have quadrupled since February, as Ukraine expands a campaign to choke troop, fuel and ammunition deliveries.
Nearly 100-mile-range drones are forcing Russia to reroute or harden logistics at higher cost, a shift analysts say is making Russian advances harder and lifting Ukrainian confidence.
Kyiv is now paying units cash bonuses through an expanded e-points system to buy more drones, though analysts warn that rewarding filmed kills could skew attacks away from higher-value logistics nodes.
Cheap systems are central to the push: the Hornet can fly more than 62 miles for as little as $6,000, while FP-2 drones carry 440-pound payloads over 200 miles and are produced with FP-1s at 200 a day.
Russia can still adapt through better defenses or pressure on U.S. intelligence support, but analysts say building an effective counter to Ukraine’s mid-range drone campaign could take at least a year.
As Russia plans an AI ecosystem with a million specialists, is Ukraine's current drone superiority only temporary?
Is Ukraine's drone advantage built on a fragile foundation of Western cloud services and contested networks?
Disrupting the Russian War Machine: Ukraine’s Drone-Driven Logistics Lockdown and Its Strategic Impact
Overview
Ukraine has escalated its drone strike campaign, launching a new phase of warfare that systematically targets and cripples Russia's supply lines. This 'logistics lockdown' strategy uses both small and long-range drones to strike critical Russian logistical infrastructure deep behind the front lines. As a result, Russia's ability to sustain its forces in occupied territories and Crimea is being seriously degraded. The intensified strikes are causing significant problems for Russian operations, highlighting how Ukraine's innovative use of drones is reshaping the conflict and putting increasing pressure on Russia's military logistics.