All of Russia is now a Warzone. Russia Airbases are on Fire. Oil Refineries going Up-in-Flames. Drones Hitting Targets Hundreds of Miles from the Front. Places that were Supposed to be Untouchable are now getting Hit. Nowhere is safe. This has been Building for years, One Strike at a time, each One Deeper, Bolder, and Harder to Stop. Russia thought it could March over Ukraine’s Borders and take whatever it wanted. It didn’t expect to Face much Opposition, and it certainly didn’t expect to ever have to Endure Retaliatory Attacks on its own Soil.
But Ukraine did Resist. It did Defend its Territory. And as time went by, it went further, launching Drones, Missiles, and even Entire Incursions into Russian Regions. Bit by bit, One Strike at a time, Ukraine brought the War Home to Russia. It Transformed the Entire Country into an Active Warzone, to the point that the Country’s former Defense Minister and current Security Council Secretary, Sergei Shoigu, Admitted in 3/2026 that “No region of Russia can feel safe.”
The Two Countries may have been Neighbors, with Close Historical Ties and Cultural Connections, but when it came to Military Matters, they were a Million Miles Apart. One was a Veritable Goliath of the Military World. A Historic Force with One of the Biggest and Strongest Land Armies Anywhere in the Wworld.
Thousands of Tanks. Tens of Thousands of Armored Vehicles. Soviet Stockpiles Filled to the Brim with Armor and Munitions. Enormous Amounts of Artillery, Bombs, and Missiles, ready to Deal Unimaginable Damage. To Top it off, Russia also Boasted World-Leading Air and Naval Forces, plus Close to a Million Members of Active-Duty Personnel.
In Contrast, Ukraine was barely a Blip on the Radar Screen when it came to Major Military Powers. It was Not at all seen as a serious Force, which is why so many Experts expected that if and when Russia Invaded, Ukraine would Struggle to put up much of a Fight. Even the most Optimistic of Aanalysts felt that Ukraine might at least be Able to Defend Parts of its Territory, but didn’t Foresee Kyiv’s Forces being able to Deal any sort of Serious Damage to Russian Assets or Infrastructure beyond their Borders.
But it didn’t take all that long for the Earliest Signs of Ukraine’s Hidden Strength to Emerge. Indeed, mere Months into the War, Rumors started to Spread. There were Whispers of Attacks on Facilities inside Russia, like an Oil Depot in the Belgorod Region. Many of these Incidents were Uunconfirmed. Some were even believed to have been intentionally made up by the Kremlin to Stir-Up Public Anger against Ukraine and Strengthen Ssupport for the War.
But as the Weeks and Months went by, more of these Incidents seemed to Start happening. There were Suspicious Explosions Throughout the Border Regions of Russia, with Fires Breaking-Out at Oil Depots and even Drone Strikes taking Place, too. It later Transpired that at least Some of these Attacks were carried out Not by Ukrainian Forces, but by Anti-War Groups within Russia. Saboteurs from the “Stop the Wagons” Group Destroyed Parts of their Country’s Own Rail Infrastructure, for example, to Delay the Flow of Supplies and Munitions to the Front Lines.
And even though Ukraine wasn’t directly Responsible for these Attacks, they were the Earliest Pieces-of-Evidence that Russia would Not simply Survive this so-called “Special Military Operation” Unscathed. And by the End of 2022, less than a year after the War had Begun, Ukraine Carried-Out its First Confirmed Strike. Two Strikes, In-Fact.
They Occurred at the Engels and Dyagilevo Airbases, Deep into Russian Territory, many Miles beyond Ukraine’s Borders. These Bases were Used to House some of Russia’s most Valuable and Advanced Bombing Aaircraft. Aircraft like the Tupolev Tu-95, a Strategic Bomber introduced during the Era of the Soviet Union and used to Carry-Out Cruise Missile Attacks on Ukrainian Infrastructure.
On 12/5/2022, both of these Airbases were set Ablaze by Ukraine, with Explosions Ringing-Out and Reports-of-Damage to both Infrastructure and Aircraft. A Follow-Up Attack Hit Engels a few weeks later, on 12/26/2022, providing Valuable Proof that the Initial Strikes were Not One-Offs or Freak Occurrences, and that Ukraine was Absolutely Ready and Capable of Hitting the Russians where and when they least Suspected. It was the First Time that Russia Truly Felt the War Hitting Home. But it would Not be the Last.
In 2023, the War began to Change. It had begun as a Conventional Conflict, with Russia relying Heavily on Tank Columns and Armored Vehicles in an Attempt to Overwhelm its Opposition. Ukrainian Defenders, meanwhile, Dug Trenches and established Fortified Positions, using whatever Arms and Artillery they could get their Hands on to Fend Off the Enemy’s Assaults. It was a Back-and-Forth Battle of Attrition, Not Dissimilar to so many other Conflicts that had taken place around the World in the 20th and early 21st Centuries. But then came the Drones.
Throughout the latter Stages of 2022 and into the Early parts of 2023, Russia began using Drones on an Increasingly frequent Basis to Carry-Out Aerial Attacks on Ukrainian Front-Line Positions and Civilian Infrastructure. Ukraine was Forced to Defend itself against a New and Terrifying Threat. One that was Quick, Cheap, and Easy for Russia to make en Masse. One that it could Deploy in Vast Quantities, Buzzing Swarms of Aerial Explosives, Difficult to Detect on Radar Screens and Surprisingly Tricky to Intercept via Conventional Defenses, Capable of Dealing Terrible amounts of Damage in the Span of a Single Night.
But Ukraine didn’t just Suffer through this New Age of Drone Warfare. It Learned from it. It Adapted. And it started Developing its Own Domestic Drone Industry. If Moscow could do it, so could Kyiv. And on 5/3/2023, the World got a Glimpse at what Ukraine’s Drones could Do when Several of them Struck another Russian Airfield, this time in the Bryansk Region. Two Targets were Struck. Two more were taken Out-Eentirely. Another Drone was Not Found. The very same Day, Reports also Emerged of a Drone Attack on the Kremlin itself, the Home of Russia’s Government.
Later that same month, more Drones were Spotted in Moscow. Eight of them entered the Capital, and while they didn’t deal much Damage at the time, this was still an Enormous Story. Ukraine, managed to Orchestrate an Attack on the Russian Capital, almost 300 miles beyond its Borders. The Capital and Biggest City in Russia. The Home of more than 13 million People. The same Place where the Country’s Wealthiest Oligarchs and its seemingly all Powerful President, Vladimir Putin, spent much of their Time, Struck by Ukrainian Weapons.
If Kyiv could pull off something like that Only a year into the War, and while still having to Fend-Off Heavy Russian Front Line Assaults and Near-Constant Aerial Attacks, Day and Night, what else might it be capable of? As 2023 went on, Ukrainian Drone Strikes became more of a Regular Occurrence, but Kyiv had something even Bigger in Store.
In late Spring, Armed Forces Crossed over the Borders of Ukraine and into the Russian Region of Belgorod, Signaling the Start of the First Major Ground Incursion that Russia would have to Contend with. The Forces were mainly made up of Non-Ukrainian Volunteers, like Anti-Kremlin Russian Groups like the “Freedom of Russia Legion”, as well as other Combatants from Places like Poland and Belarus. But this was Still the Biggest Cross-Border Attack of the War up to that Point.
The Volunteer Fighters Sabotaged, Damaged, and Destroyed Russian Infrastructure and Equipment, while Supporting Ukrainian Defenders along the Sumy and Kharkiv Axis. They also had a Profound Impact on the Morale of the Kremlin’s Troops. So many of those Soldiers had been fed a Lie. They had been told that they were Heroes, sent on a Mission to Liberate Ukraine. They were led to Believe that the Ukrainian People would Welcome them with Open Arms, that their “Special Military Operation” would be Over and Done with in a Matter of Weeks, and that Russian Flags would be Hoisted over the Streets of Kyiv with Ease. Not only had those Statements Proven to be Demonstrably False.
But now there were quite Literally Opposition Forces at Russia’s Gates, Breaking through and into their Own Home Territory. None of this was Supposed to Happen. And for Many in Russia, this was the moment when it First felt as though the War was Sspiraling Rapidly and Dangerously Out of the Kremlin’s Control. And it was about to get a whole lot Worse. 2024 would prove to be a Pivotal year in the Conflict, in more ways than One.
Putin and His Kremlin Cronies hoped that this would be the year that the Russian Army Broke Ukraine’s Back, Once and for All, with an Overwhelming Effort Far and Wide along the Front Lines, aimed at Smashing the Country’s Defenses and Paving the Path to Victory. It didn’t Work Out that way at All.
Instead of Growing Weaker, Ukraine became Significantly Stronger in 2024. Its Drone Attacks against Russian Targets became more Frequent and more Strategic. Kyiv’s Commanders began to Select their Targets with additional Care, Focusing not just on the likes of Aairbases and Munitions Stockpiles, but Oil iIfrastructure, too. They Recognized that Oil was arguably the most iImportant Resource Russia had at its Disposal.
Because it was Oil that Powered the Kremlin’s War Machine, both Directly and Indirectly. It was used for the Fuel that kept the Tanks chugging along and Bombers in the Air. And it also brought Huge Amounts of Money into the Russian Economy, which Putin could use to keep the War going, to keep Covering the Costs of Soldier Ssalaries and Large-Scale Military Equipment Production.
If Ukraine could Wipe-Out Russia’s Ooil Infrastructure, it could, potentially, Win the War. So, that’s what it did. Over the course of 2024, there were at least 84 Confirmed Ukrainian Attacks on Russia’s Oil Infrastructure, mostly Refineries, but also Pipelines and Storage Tanks. Military Infrastructure felt the Full Force of Ukraine’s Ferocity, too.
And it wasn’t just Drones Anymore. Kyiv’s Rapidly evolving Domestic Defense Industry was also Producing Bigger and Better Missiles, Capable of Flying Further and Faster than those that had come Before, even Exceeding the Capacities of many of the Western Munitions that had been sent to Ukraine by its Allies across Europe and Beyond. There were over 50 Neptune Missile Strikes during this Period, for Example, and even Long-Range Drone Strikes on Targets that were Close to 1,000 miles into Russian Territory, like the Kupol Electromechanical Plant in the Izhevsk Region.
This was also around the same time that Ukraine’s Allies at last Allowed it to use their Weapons to Strike Targets within Russia, Not just Iinside the Occupied Territories. That, too, makes Ukraine a Bigger Threat for Moscow to Worry about, with the likes of European Storm Shadows and American-made Missiles Raining Down on Airfields and other Important Sites.
At Sea, too, Ukraine was Highly Active in its Attacks. It Carried Out Numerous Devastating Strikes on Russia’s Infamous Black Sea Fleet, Sinking its Flagship Cruiser, the Moskva in 2022, and Taking Out many more Landing Ships, Missile Ships, and even Submarines in the current War. Eventually, the Damage was so Great that Russian Commanders Decided to Relocate Most of the Fleet to Safer Waters, Withdrawing Vessels that had Previously been Stationed in Strategic Locations just off the Crimean Coast.
This not only made those Ships Less of a Threat in Terms of Missile Strikes on Ukrainian Soil, but it also Opened up Passageways for Grain and other Ggoods to be Exported from Ukraine, Breathing some Life back into the Country’s Struggling Economy.
On 8/6/2024, Ukrainian Forces Brought the Bitter Reality of the War back to Russia like never before, establishing their Own New Front Line within the Kursk Region. They had No Intentions of Taking over Russian Territory or Slaughtering Civilians, as the Kremlin’s War Machine had Done in Ukraine. Instead, this was a Strategic Decision, a Way to Redirect Russian Forces, which had started to Outnumber and Overwhelm certain Ukrainian Positions in other Regions, Forcing them to Spread Out and Divide their Resources to Counteract the Kursk Invasion, Buying Time and Breathing Room for Ukraine’s Brave Defenders.
At First, Ukraine’s Forces faced Little Resistance. There weren’t enough Russian Troops in the area to put up much of a Fight, and many were Inexperienced and Unprepared to Deal with an Incursion of this Kind. As a Result, Kyiv’s Army Quickly Seized Strategically Valuable Towns and Villages, Capturing Troops and Destroying or Seizing any Russian Equipment they Found along the Way. At its Peak, the Ukrainian Armed Forces had a Military Presence in over 80 Russian Settlements, and it held its Ground until March 2025, when Kyiv’s Commanders made the Sensible Call to Withdraw. Russia Tried to Portray it as some Sort of Victory. In Reality, it was a Crushing Loss.
It was the First time in Decades that any Enemy Force had Managed to Cross Russia’s Borders and take Control of Parts of its Territory, and even though Ukraine Eventually Left the Area, they Still caused a Lot of Damage and Casualties, as well as Leaving Mines and Improvised Explosives for the Russians to Deal with. It also Distracted the Enemy long enough for Ukraine to Recover and Regroup in other Front Line Locations, Preventing the Kremlin from Capturing any Major Towns or Cities. By and Large, 2024 had been an Impressive year for Ukraine when it came to Successfully Striking back at its Enemy.
2025 was even Better. The year had barely begun when Ukrainian Drones were already Targeting Moscow, with a Massive Strike involving 240 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Dispatched from Ukraine, Crossing over the Border, and Targeting both Military and Oil Infrastructure Locations across Russian Regions.
Through 2025, Ukrainian Drone Strikes on Russian Positions went from Monthly or Bi-Weekly to Nnear-Daily Occurrences. Ukraine had, by this Stage, Mastered the Art of Drone Warfare and Surpassed its Opponent when it came to Producing a more Diverse and Effective Array of Drones, and Using them to both Wipe out Infrastructure and Crush the Opponent’s Morale. It was also Manufacturing UAVs in far Greater Quantities than ever before, going from 20,000 a Month up to 200,000.
Military Production Plants, Oil Rrefineries, Storage Facilities, Airfields. One Target after Aanother was Blown-Up and Set Ablaze by Ukraine’s kamikaze Strikes. Strikes on Oil Infrastructure became more Frequent, and Putin began to Feel the Effects where it Matters to Him the Most, the Economy. Ukraine’s Strikes Cost Russia an Estimated $12 billion as Countless Gallons of Oil went up in Flames and Production Capacity was Slashed.
Drones and Missiles also Wwiped-Out some of the Kremlin’s most Valuable Military Assets, like Air Defense Systems and Radars worth Billions of Ddollars in Total. Then came the most Devastating and Iconic Attack of them All.
Operation Spiderweb: On 6/1/2025, Ukraine Executed a Plan that had been more than a Year in the Making. It Concealed Dozens of Ddrones on Board a Series of Trucks, which were then Dispatched to Several Strategic Locations across Russia, Right Beside Major Airbases. Once in Position, the Trucks Slid Open, and the Swarms were Unleashed, Raining Down Fire on Russia’s Nuclear-Capable Bombers and other Aircraft.
According to Reports, the Attack Eliminated around a Third of the Russian Bomber Fleet, Destroying or Damaging Billions of Dollars of Kremlin Hardware, All in the Span of a Single Day. The Black Sea Fleet was also in Kyiv’s Crosshairs, with Several Major Attacks across the Course of 2025 Damaging and even Sinking several Russian Ships, Destroying Important Marine Infrastructure, like the Novorossiysk Submarine Port, and Sending a Clear Message to the Kremlin: it doesn’t Matter how Far you Run or where you Hide your Ships, they will be Found, and they will be Destroyed.
And so we enter 2026. Another Pivotal Year in a War that, according to Russia, was only supposed to last a few Weeks. After years of Effort, years of Suffering, years of Enduring Russia’s Relentless Attacks, Ukraine could have begun to Waver. In fact, that’s exactly what Putin had been Banking on, Hoping that if He could keep the War going long enough, Ukraine would eventually Start to Buckle, Bend, and Break beneath the weight of His Gigantic War Machine. But it hasn’t. As 2026 kicked off, Ukraine didn’t Ease Off, it didn’t Back Down. It Upped the Ante.
It continued to carry out Devastating Strikes on Oil Iinfrastructure within Russia’s Regions. It Accelerated the Development and Deployment of Brand-New Weapons, like the Long-Range Flamingo Missile, while continuing to Wage War with the Weapons provided by its Allies, like Storm Shadows from France and the United Kingdom, and other Foreign-Made Missiles.
In 2/2026, Ukraine Struck Russia’s Missile Fuel Plant in the Tver Region. In 3/2026, it followed up with an Attack on a Microchip and Missile Part Production Factory. The Flamingo Started to be seen with increasing Regularity, First Striking the Kapustin Yar Test Range, then Hitting the Votkinsk Plant, a Key Site in the Russian Defense Complex.
Ukraine also Leveled-Up its Drone Tactics, Breaking New Ground and Setting New Records, like Overnight on 3/8/2026, when it Launched a Staggering 754 Drones, more than ever before, at Targets across Russia and the Occupied Regions. Thousands more Drones were Dispatched in the Days and Weeks that followed, Traveling Hundreds of Miles across Russian Airspace, Bypassing the Kremlin’s so-called World-Leading Air Defense Systems, and Hitting their Targets in Dozens of Different Regions.
Like in late March, when Ukraine Struck several of Russia’s most Important Oil Export Ports on the Baltic Sea, causing Large-Scale Fires and Unprecedented Disruption to the Oil Industry. All of a Sudden, it’s Not just the Odd Refinery or Pipeline being hit once a month or every few weeks. It’s some of the most integral, important cogs of Russia’s economic machine being struck on a nearly Daily Basis. Countless Gallons of Oil, Dillions of Dollars of Damage. Over and Over again.
The Russian Economy is at its Weakest Point in Years. The Country’s Central Bank has been Forced to Raise Interest Rates to Record Levels. Regular Russian Families are Footing the Bill for Putin’s War, as the Cost of Everyday Essentials Surges and More of the Country’s Budget is Splurged on Missiles and Death Machines instead of Healthcare and Education.
With every Month that Passes, Russia Grows Weaker, and Ukraine goes Stronger. And the Data backs that Up. Even though Russia continues to Bombard Ukrainian Towns and Cities, Kyiv’s Forces have Dished out Significant Military and Economic Damage in Return. Their Strikes on Oil Infrastructure and other Key Locations have made the Conflict Dramatically more Costly for the Kremlin in every possible way, and they’re still Not letting up.
Drone Production in Ukraine Rose from 800,000 a year in 2023, to 4 Million in 2025, with Estimates Ranging from 5 to 10 million for 2026. Missile Production is on the Up, too, and Ukraine’s Offensive and Defensive Capacities have never been Stronger, making it even Easier for them to bring the War Home to Russia’s Regions even those that are Hundreds or Even Thousands of Miles from the Border. “Shoigu was right. Nowhere in Russia is safe, and Putin only has himself to blame.”
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
No comments:
Post a Comment