{"id":2620319,"date":"2026-06-28T07:09:01","date_gmt":"2026-06-28T11:09:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ukraine-drone-strikes-on-russian-energy-fall-short-of-decisive\/"},"modified":"2026-06-28T07:17:45","modified_gmt":"2026-06-28T11:17:45","slug":"ukraine-drone-strikes-on-russian-energy-fall-short-of-decisive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ukraine-drone-strikes-on-russian-energy-fall-short-of-decisive\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine drone strikes on Russian energy fall short of decisive"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fukraine-drone-strikes-on-russian-energy-fall-short-of-decisive%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2620319&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Ukraine has launched a long-range drone campaign targeting Russian energy infrastructure, achieving some of its first tangible successes in recent years. Despite Russian resilience adn adaptation efforts that have limited the overall impact, Ukraine\u2019s increased use of drones, including AI-optimized operations, has inflicted significant damage, particularly on oil refineries and storage facilities. The campaign intensified in 2025 and continued into 2026, with hundreds of drones overwhelming Moscow&#8217;s defenses in recent strikes.<\/p>\n<p>Ukraine&#8217;s strategic drone attacks,mainly since late 2024 with the introduction of long-range kamikaze drones,have targeted key <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-administration-officials-deploy-social-media-fact-check-strategy\/\" title=\"Trump administration officials deploy social media fact-check strategy\">russian energy assets<\/a>,leading to substantial financial losses-over $13 billion in 2025-and a notable drop in Russia\u2019s oil refining capacity. While Russia has responded with repairs, option export strategies, and increased crude oil exports, the damage has had persistent effects, like reduced refining throughput and increased costs.<\/p>\n<p>Moscow has also adapted militarily by strengthening air defenses, dispersing assets, and shifting defensive resources, which has improved their capacity to intercept drone swarms-although not fully eliminating the threat. Experts view Ukraine\u2019s campaign as damaging and escalating but stop short of being a decisive turning point, mainly causing long-term logistical and economic strains rather than catastrophic defeat for Russia. these strikes have complex Russia\u2019s war effort, raising costs and undermining energy stability, but Russia\u2019s ability to recover quickly and adapt keeps the conflict in a prolonged, managed phase.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ukraine\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"82\">Ukraine<\/a>\u2018s long-range drone campaign targeting <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/russia\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"80\">Russia<\/a>\u2018s energy infrastructure has delivered Kyiv some of its first tangible victories in years, but Russian resilience and adaptation have prevented it from being a true game changer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Western and Ukrainian strategists have long viewed Russia\u2019s oil industry as the key driver of its war machine, and likewise its Achilles\u2019 heel. With U.S. and Western intelligence support, Ukraine dramatically escalated its drone and missile campaign in 2025, a sustained campaign that has extended into 2026. Its most dramatic attack occurred last week, when hundreds of drones overwhelmed Moscow\u2019s air defenses and hit refineries and storage tanks, sending up black plumes of smoke that darkened the sky.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4623535\/nigel-farage-british-press-hounds-crypto-billionaire\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Nigel Farage squirms in spotlight as British press hounds him over \u00a35M \u2018gift\u2019 from crypto billionaire<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4627900\/trump-us-may-be-forced-complete-job-iran-after-strikes\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump says US may \u2018be forced to militarily complete the job\u2019 in Iran after strikes<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4627889\/us-military-strikes-iran-commercial-ship-strait-of-hormuz\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>US military launches \u2018additional strikes\u2019 against Iran after ship attacked in Strait of Hormuz<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4361649\/how-drone-warfare-developed-ukraine-2025\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4361649\/how-drone-warfare-developed-ukraine-2025\/\">HOW DRONE WARFARE DEVELOPED IN UKRAINE IN 2025<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The shocking images of flames and smoke rising above Moscow, combined with constant news and images of new strikes for nearly a year, have sparked hopes among allies that the war has reached a turning point in Ukraine\u2019s favor. However, experts caution the situation isn\u2019t so simple, and while Ukraine has inflicted tangible damage, Russian resilience and logistical limitations mean the campaign has yet to pass into decisive territory.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">FILE \u2013 In this image taken from a video released by Gov. Veniamin Kondratyev\u2019s Telegram channel, Kondratyev, 2nd right, inspects the aftermath of a drone attack on the oil refinery and terminal in Tuapse, Russia, on Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (Gov. Veniamin Kondratyev Telegram channel via AP, File)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/06\/localimages\/AP26121421625339.jpg?w=696&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">In this image taken from a video released by Gov. Veniamin Kondratyev\u2019s Telegram channel, Kondratyev, 2nd right, inspects the aftermath of a drone attack on the oil refinery and terminal in Tuapse, Russia, on Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (Gov. Veniamin Kondratyev Telegram channel via AP, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"h-ukraine-s-strategic-drone-campaign\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ukraine\u2019s strategic drone campaign<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ukraine has faced unrelenting Russian missile and drone attacks against key strategic targets in its major cities since the first day of the war, an air campaign that continues to reach new heights. Before the focus on drones, Moscow was able to hit anywhere in Ukraine using ballistic and cruise missiles, launched from its Black Sea Fleet, heavy strategic bombers, and ground-based launchers. Ukraine lacked these capabilities, preventing any comparable response for the first 2 1\/2 years of the war.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The turning point came in late 2024, when the Ukraine-based company Fire Point introduced its FP-1 long-range kamikaze drone, a relatively cheap aircraft with a range of nearly 1,000 miles, allowing it to hit most of Russia\u2019s major cities, including Moscow. August of last year saw a massive increase in strikes, a pattern that has largely continued to the present day.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sources vary on the exact number of strikes on energy infrastructure, but George Voloshin, a Paris-based Russia and energy analyst, pointed to data suggesting over 150 successful long-range strikes against Russian oil infrastructure across all of 2025, amounting to about 13 to 17 successful strikes per month. This year has seen a notable uptick, with nearly 70 strikes against Russian energy assets across the first five months of 2026, including 21 in April. The attacks have become more advanced as well, both in terms of targets and tactics.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe nature of these attacks has also evolved from targeting low-value storage tanks to deploying synchronized drone swarms that deliberately overwhelm regional air defenses,\u201d he told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>, pointing to the Moscow refinery attacks. \u201cVulnerable offshore maritime export terminals have further come under repeated attack, in a break from more timid and less focused targeting during 2025.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ukraine\u2019s incorporation of artificial intelligence into its drone operations has been a major factor in the increased effectiveness of the campaign. Through its partnership with Palantir, Ukraine uses the company\u2019s PRISMA system in the operation planning stage of the attacks, optimizing the best flight routes to exploit radar and air defense blind spots and weaknesses.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"h-the-toll\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The toll<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yevgeny Borovikov, deputy CEO of insurance broker Mains, told the <em>Kommersant<\/em> business daily that Russian oil companies suffered over $13 billion in total losses from Ukrainian drone attacks in 2025. Direct damage amounted to $1.29 billion, while the remainder of losses came from lost profits and indirect losses. At the current rate, losses in 2026 are set to be even worse.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The patterns of strikes indicate Kyiv has found targeting Russia\u2019s oil refineries to be the most effective. Since March, Ukraine has launched over two dozen strikes against Russian oil refineries, including eight of its ten biggest.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sergey Vakulenko, the head of strategy and innovations at Gazprom Neft from December 2011 to the beginning of Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine, and current senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/carnegieendowment.org\/russia-eurasia\/politika\/2026\/06\/russia-new-refinery-strike\">wrote<\/a> that Russia\u2019s daily refined oil output fell by up to 700,000 barrels per day across April and May. That amounts to a 13% decline from 5.2 million barrels per day at the end of March.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">Sunset lights the sky over a Moscow district in Moscow, Russia, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo\/Alexander Zemlianichenko)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/06\/localimages\/AP26173667191697.jpg?w=696&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sunset lights the sky over a Moscow district in Moscow, Russia, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo\/Alexander Zemlianichenko)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, Russia\u2019s skill in repairs has allowed it to continually recover from the worst damage to its refining capacity. Vakulenko noted that the current trend has Russia\u2019s oil refinery throughput \u201cfluctuating wildly.\u201d At the end of May, Russian oil production briefly dropped to below 4 million barrels per day, before surging back to over 4.5 million barrels per day at the beginning of June. The mid-June strikes on Moscow\u2019s Kapotnya refinery and Tatneft\u2019s TANECO refinery knocked out 600,000 barrels per day in throughput.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Just because Russia can bounce back, however, doesn\u2019t mean the Ukraine strikes aren\u2019t costly. Russia\u2019s brief dip below 4 million barrels per day in late May represented its lowest refining throughput since 2005. Overall, nearly a quarter of Russia\u2019s total oil refining capacity has been knocked offline by Ukraine at some point in the past year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One major boost to the strike campaign has been the quality of damage. Vakulenko pointed out that damage to refineries\u2019 primary processing units is relatively easy to repair, but damage to units that break down oil components and make them into gasoline, jet fuel, and diesel is far more difficult to repair due to the need to import replacement parts.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Damage from the campaign has been felt most acutely in Crimea, the four regions Russia occupies in Ukraine, the areas that border Ukraine, and, perhaps most notably, Moscow. Kyiv has focused many of its attacks on refineries and storage facilities supplying gas to Moscow\u2019s residents, likely looking to impose as big of a cost on Russia\u2019s most influential and well-off populace.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-russian-resilience-moscow-s-response-and-adaptation\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Russian resilience: Moscow\u2019s response and adaptation<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While dealing real damage, Moscow\u2019s ability to adapt has prevented Ukraine\u2019s drone campaign from dealing the decisive blow Kyiv\u2019s allies had hoped. Dr. Tatiana Mitrova, a global fellow at Columbia University\u2019s Center on Global Energy Policy, argued Russia\u2019s ability to adapt has offset many of the losses.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe sector has not collapsed, and part of the impact has been absorbed by shifting barrels from domestic refining into crude exports (actually, last week Russian seaborne crude exports were at the highest level since the beginning of the year). So I would describe this less as a knockout blow and more as a campaign of sustained degradation,\u201d Mitrova, who has spent over 25 years analyzing Russian energy markets, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The heavy damage to Russia\u2019s refining capacity has driven many of the most visible changes, including bans on gasoline and jet fuel exports. Isaac Levi, Europe-Russia policy and energy analysis team lead at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, said Russia has been able to offset some of the damage through importing fuel to particularly affected areas, a response he ranks alongside its repairs to refineries and bolstering air defenses in importance.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt has adapted, but at a growing economic and logistical cost. Russia\u2019s crude oil exports have risen as they have been unable to refine as much oil due to the effective Ukrainian drone strikes,\u201d he told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Much of Russia\u2019s economic efforts have focused on limiting the short-term impacts, though at the expense of raising long-term costs, Mitrova argued.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMore broadly, Russia\u2019s economic response has been administrative: export restrictions, more controls, more manual redistribution, regulatory adjustments (like lowering fuel standards), more effort to contain local shortages and keep the system functioning. That limits the immediate visible impact, but obviously it also raises the long-term cost of resilience,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The closing of the Strait of Hormuz due to the U.S.-Israel war with Iran also sent oil prices skyrocketing, a blessing for Russia\u2019s energy revenue.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To keep its energy trade revenue incoming, Russia has shifted its exports to crude oil. Its crude exports have shifted to the highest since the war began, reaching over 3.46 million barrels per day. Russia\u2019s ability to export the crude it can\u2019t refine due to refinery damage means it still generates significant revenue from its oil, though not as much. At current prices, crude runs for around 75%-80% of refined oil value.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil export infrastructure, some of its primary targets in the opening of 2026, have also been some of the least effective of the entire drone campaign, with Russia able to quickly repair the damage. Vakulenko described the results as \u201cgenerally unimpressive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhile they did destroy oil awaiting shipment, impose financial costs, and generate spectacular images, the damage was not long-lasting,\u201d he <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/carnegieendowment.org\/russia-eurasia\/politika\/2026\/06\/russia-new-refinery-strike\">wrote<\/a> of strikes against the Baltic port of Ust-Luga, which halted shipments for two weeks.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-russian-military-adaptation\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Russian military adaptation<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While Russia manages the impact of the Ukrainian drones that hit their mark, more important are measures Moscow has taken to ensure as few drones hit their mark as possible. Moscow has similarly shown a remarkable ability to adapt in this military defense sphere as well.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">Servicemen of the Presidential Regiment attend a ceremony to present the Order of Zhukov to the Presidential Regiment of the Russian Federal Guard Service at the Kremlin\u2019s St. George Hall in Moscow, Tuesday, June 23, 2026. (Mikhail Metzel\/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/06\/localimages\/AP26175353664394.jpg?w=696&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Servicemen of the Presidential Regiment attend a ceremony to present the Order of Zhukov to the Presidential Regiment of the Russian Federal Guard Service at the Kremlin\u2019s St. George Hall in Moscow, Tuesday, June 23, 2026. (Mikhail Metzel\/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Peter Korotaev, an independent Ukrainian journalist who has written extensively about the drone dimension of the war in his <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/eventsinukraine.substack.com\/\"><em>Events in Ukraine<\/em> Substack<\/a>, argued the sustained drone attacks have actually made Russian air defenses stronger over time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAir defenses are something that only develop through practice and exposure to threats,\u201d he told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cRussian air defenses haven\u2019t faced the threats Ukraine has for years, so Russia\u2019s system lacks some important elements, such as a wide-ranging radar system and mobile air defense groups around cities and at the border areas. But that isn\u2019t so hard to set up and will happen due to the exigencies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Numbers bear this out. Ukraine\u2019s first meaningful drone launches appeared to take Russia by complete surprise. Fire Point CEO Iryna Terekh <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/aviationweek.com\/defense\/aircraft-propulsion\/fire-point-sees-signs-fp-1-success-rate-improving\">revealed<\/a> at a June 16 conference panel at the Eurosatory trade show that the FP-1\u2019s success rate when it was first launched in late 2024 was around 70%.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cRight now the number is 10%,\u201d she said. \u201cSo it\u2019s a little bit of a rat race that we are having with our enemy, and there is no way to really go out of this race, but you can be a little bit smarter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ukraine\u2019s energy infrastructure strike campaign involves swarms of hundreds of drones at a time, compared to the handful it was able to send in the first strikes. This shows a major improvement in Russia\u2019s ability to intercept, shooting down over 90% of much larger groups.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Russia\u2019s major improvements in its air defenses against drone attacks aren\u2019t entirely due to the improved quality of the system, however. Moscow has had to move air defenses away from the front line to cover strategic targets across the country \u2014 a far larger geographic area than Ukraine has to cover.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cRussia has attempted to strengthen air defenses around key energy infrastructure, dispersed some military assets, and devoted more resources to protecting the rear. These adaptations haven\u2019t eliminated the threat, but they do show the strikes have had a meaningful operational impact,\u201d Levi said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The need to shift military resources away from the front to protect other areas is the most tangible way in which Ukraine\u2019s drone campaign has changed Moscow\u2019s military calculus, one of the biggest successes of the strategy.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-game-changer-annoyance-or-something-in-between\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Game changer, annoyance, or something in between?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While Ukraine\u2019s strike campaign has begun to inflict serious damage on the Russian economy, it still falls short of being truly decisive. Russia\u2019s ability to repair faster than Ukraine can destroy, improvements in its air defenses, economic interventions, and Moscow\u2019s overall resilience have kept the drone campaign manageable.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mitrova and Levi both had similar views, painting the campaign as inflicting real damage against Russia, but warning against its portrayal as a turning point in the war.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cUkrainian strikes have become far more efficient and consequential over the past year, but I would still stop short of calling them a full \u2018game changer,\u2019\u201d Mitrova said. \u201cTheir main effect has been cumulative: They are making Russia\u2019s oil system less flexible, less efficient, and more expensive to stabilize, especially where repeated attacks hit more complex refinery and export infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cUkraine\u2019s strikes have imposed real costs on Russia\u2019s energy sector and forced Moscow to divert resources to defending critical infrastructure. They\u2019re not a stand-alone game changer, but they\u2019ve meaningfully complicated Russia\u2019s war effort and demonstrated Ukraine\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >growing long-range strike capability<\/a>. In some Russian regions, gasoline prices have doubled, while the hardest-hit areas are facing acute fuel shortages,\u201d Levi said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4623610\/hezbollah-rearm-israel-ceasefire-drones\/\" type=\"post\" id=\"4623610\">BELEAGUERED HEZBOLLAH USING RESPITE FROM CEASEFIRE TO REARM AND RECONSTITUTE: EXPERTS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Korotaev downplayed its significance using simpler logic, comparing it with Russia\u2019s far more damaging strategic air and missile campaign against Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf the same thing but much worse against Ukraine (total blackouts for millions last winter) hasn\u2019t crippled Ukraine, it won\u2019t happen to Russia,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ukraine\u2019s drone strikes hit Russia\u2019s energy, but resilience prevails<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2653,"featured_media":2620320,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26121421625339.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[48261,4280,6991],"class_list":["post-2620319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-drone-strikes","tag-russia","tag-ukraine"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26121421625339.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2620319","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2653"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2620319"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2620319\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2620323,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2620319\/revisions\/2620323"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2620320"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2620319"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2620319"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2620319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}