Kyiv has sharply escalated its deep-strike drone campaign in recent weeks, hitting Russian cities, energy facilities, and key military targets – in some cases more than 1,500 km away.
The intensified attacks are increasingly reaching deep into Russian territory, underscoring Ukraine’s growing long-range strike capabilities.
Amid these developments, Russia’s 9 May Victory Day parade – its most important national celebration – has been scaled back and will proceed without heavy military hardware for the first time in nearly two decades, reflecting concerns over potential Ukrainian drone strikes.
Ukraine has also demonstrated an ability to penetrate Moscow’s dense air defense systems. On May 4, a drone struck a high-rise apartment building just a few miles from the Kremlin. A day later, a defense factory near Cheboksary, roughly 1,500km from the front line, was hit by what President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said were Flamingo cruise missiles.
Ukraine’s campaign is becoming more effective overall, with strikes targeting Russian refineries, fertilizer plants, and export ports. These attacks are cutting into the Kremlin’s revenues and limiting its ability to benefit from higher global energy prices driven in part by tensions in the Middle East.
