Ukrainian forces have significantly increased their mid-range drone attacks in recent weeks against military trucks and fuel tankers in recent weeks, and it’s a part of their broader strategy to target Russian supply lines and energy infrastructure beyond the frontlines. The attacks, and the subsequent fuel shortage, prompted the local government to suspend tourism and children’s camps, in addition to the state of emergency declaration, and earlier this week, they reduced the number of daily trains to and from Russia by half.

The Ukrainian military’s drone operations near Moscow, the Russian capital, have pierced a shielded Russian society that the Kremlin had tried to insulate from the war.

UKRAINE IS DOING A NUMBER ON CRIMEA, AND PUTIN IS FEELING THE PINCH

Last week, Russian Defense Ministry officials said they intercepted 992 drones across the country and forced the suspension of air travel from the capital’s four international airports. The widespread attack killed an 8-year-old girl and injured at least 17 others.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said internal documents obtained by Ukraine’s intelligence services show that “our pressure campaign is being felt painfully by the Russian leadership.”

“Right now, our military is taking out targets that sustain Russia’s war effort both in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine and on Russia’s own territory — the very things that make this war and Russian aggression possible in the first place,” he said. “The Russian leadership is now pulling more air defense assets to Moscow, Valdai, and Putin’s bridge across the Kerch Strait — at the expense of air defense elsewhere.”

The Kerch Bridge connects mainland Russia and the Crimean Peninsula.

The fuel scarcity is not limited to Crimea. At a Kremlin meeting earlier this week, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin that the “current situation on the fuel market … is challenging but manageable.”

The largest fuel supplier to the Moscow region, the Kapotnya refinery, was hit twice this month. The plant will be offline until at least the end of 2026, according to Reuters.

With Russia struggling to defend against Ukrainian attacks, Putin is reportedly considering another mobilization effort, according to the Telegraph, though doing so would likely be unpopular. Putin, on Friday, signed a law prohibiting the deportation of foreign nationals serving under contract in the Russian military as well as for combat veterans, according to Russian state media.

He ordered a partial mobilization of reserve troops in late 2022, and it led to a large exodus of eligible men who feared getting drafted into the conflict.

THE HIDDEN PURPOSE OF THE DRONE WAR BETWEEN UKRAINE AND RUSSIA

The successful Ukrainian attacks have gotten the attention of President Donald Trump, who has frequently criticized Zelensky without doing the same of Putin.

“No matter how you look at it, he’s doing pretty well,” Trump said of Zelensky during an Oval Office sit-down with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Wednesday. “He’s holding his own. He’s courageous, he’s got great equipment, but he’s got great men, he’s got fighters.”