Published On 5/7/2026
It seems that Ukraine is betting in its war with Russia on exhausting Moscow economically and militarily through long-range strikes targeting oil and energy facilities and military infrastructure, in an attempt to raise the cost of the war and slow down Russian progress.
For Kiev, the war is no longer limited to the known front lines. Rather, there are Ukrainian strategic options that are completely different from before, the title of which is Russian depth and Russian energy sources, according to a report for Al Jazeera prepared by our colleague Shaima Boualem.
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It is clear that Ukraine, after more than 4 years of war, has changed its options towards the traditional human-mandated style of ground battles, and has officially moved to what military authorities call the “strategic neutralization” strategy.
Paralyze vital arteries
Through its attacks, Ukraine is seeking to paralyze the vital arteries that feed the nerve of the Russian military machine, namely oil, gas, and high-tech factories.
According to data from the American Institute for the Study of War, Ukrainian forces carried out at least 803 medium-range operational attacks during the month of June alone, penetrating the Russian interior and targeting rear supply lines.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies describes this approach as a new form of preventing air advance, but carried out by drones and missiles instead of traditional aircraft.
The Ukrainian strikes caused real strangulation in the Russian energy sector. After targeting 20 oil refineries and export ports last April, the production of Russian oil refineries fell to 4 million and 690 thousand barrels per day, which is the lowest level recorded for Russia since December 2009.
Russian naval exports of oil also declined by 300,000 barrels per day.
The Ukrainian strategic transformation is due to the smart technological equation, as field reports – according to the Al Jazeera report – reveal a weapon that turns the tide, which is the cheap “Hornet” drones.
The Hornet drones operate with completely independent software processing, which gives them the ability to accurately monitor targets and isolate deception, as well as completely circumvent Russian electronic warfare and jamming systems during the final attack phase.
The strategy adopted by Kiev in its war with Moscow raises signs of silent confusion within the Kremlin, which was reflected in President Vladimir Putin’s decision to perform the annual military parade on Victory Day in a dramatic manner. The Center for Strategic and International Studies did not hesitate to consider Putin’s decision as a field admission of confusion.
The Al Jazeera report indicates that Kyiv The ground fronts are betting on raising the cost of the Russian advance more than preventing the advance itself, which is what he mentioned A report by the Institute for the Study of War, which stated that Russian forces were making only a creeping advance at a rate of one square kilometer per day in June, but at a huge human cost of 1,298 One casualty killed or one wounded per square kilometre.
On the other hand, Moscow still adheres to a strategy based on gradual ground advance and reliance on human and firepower to exhaust Ukrainian defenses and control more territory, but the Russian approach It faces increasing challenges, with the slow pace of progress, rising losses, and the growing impact of Ukrainian strikes on Russian supply lines and depth.
Yesterday, Saturday, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced its control of 5 villages in eastern Ukraine: Shekiyivka, Novy Mir, Chernyshina, and Drozlyubivka in the Kharkiv region, and Vasilievka in the Donetsk region.
