An unprecedented huge attack by Ukraine in Russia

Today (Monday) Ukraine carried out a huge and unusual attack deep in Russian territory, and hit a critical target for the first time. Kiev managed to hit the refinery in the Omsk region of southern Russia, near the border with Kazakhstan, and is almost 2,500 km from the border with Ukraine.

This attack exposes another weakness in Russia’s air defense system, and extends the damage to Putin’s oil infrastructure to a critical target that until now has not been subject to Ukrainian drone attacks. According to the announcement of the Russian Ministry of Defense, 613 Ukrainian drones were intercepted tonight, in one of the largest attacks on Russian territory in recent times.

At the same time as the huge attack by Ukraine, Russia also carried out an extensive attack in Ukraine tonight, and the capital Kiev was the target of most of the attacks. The Air Force of Ukraine announced that it shot down 37 out of 68 missiles and 326 out of 351 drones launched by the Russian army last night, and Zelensky announced that at least 12 people were killed in the attack. Just this weekend, at least 30 people were killed in a widespread attack in Kyiv.

Russia’s attack comes as a signal before the NATO summit that will convene this week in Ankara, Turkey, and the war in Ukraine is expected to fill a significant part of the discussions. During the summit, President Trump is expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, this against the background of reports that Ukraine estimates that they are close to the point where the initiative on the battlefield will pass to the Ukrainian side.

Ukraine’s wave of attacks joins a widespread move in recent weeks of massive drone attacks on the Crimean Peninsula, as part of an effort designed to damage Russia’s military and logistical capabilities and make it more difficult for it to continue waging the war. In 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin called Crimea an “unsinkable aircraft carrier”, now Kiev is trying to turn the peninsula, which is under Russian control, into an area that puts the The Kremlin faces a continuous challenge. Thus, the region that was Putin’s “pearl” has become a weak point and a military and political blow to the powerful Russian president.

Crimea’s geography gives it immense military importance to Russia, but also makes it vulnerable. The only direct connection between Russia and the peninsula is the Kerch Strait Bridge, which was previously attacked by Ukraine. In recent weeks, Kyiv has expanded its attacks with the aim of cutting off the vital supply routes to the peninsula. In this way, Ukraine imposes a de facto siege on the peninsula, and life there has become unbearable.

Over the past month, Ukraine has attacked major bridges, roads and transportation routes connected to the peninsula. At first the attacks focused on the air defense systems and the Russian radar systems deployed throughout Crimea, and then they were directed towards the energy infrastructures, the fuel depots and the supply lines.

In June alone, Ukraine claimed that it attacked 31 air defense systems and radars, which were the main targets of the UAV attacks. One of the outstanding achievements, according to Kiev, was the destruction of the Neva-B radar system, whose price is estimated at about 100 million dollars and is capable of tracking targets at a distance of up to 600 kilometers. The New York Times cited military analysts who confirmed that the system is no longer active.

According to the report, the attacks exposed significant weaknesses in the Russian defense system, which was designed to deal mainly with conventional planes and missiles and not with large swarms of drones. After the damage to the air defense systems, Ukraine moved to attack the supply lines. Initially, ships were attacked and ferry operations in the area were stopped, and Russia remained dependent mainly on bridges and narrow land routes. Now the Ukrainian forces are trying to cut them off as well.

One of the main targets was the Chonhar Bridge, which connects Crimea with the Kherson region in southern Ukraine. After it was damaged on June 7, Russia built a temporary floating bridge, but it too was attacked shortly after by Ukrainian drones. Later, Russia began to build an earthen embankment next to the damaged bridge, which is considered more resistant to drone attacks.

At the same time, transport trucks, fuel tankers and trains throughout Crimea were also attacked. Documents published on social networks and also by the Ukrainian army showed burning trucks and derailed train cars, alongside sooty car and truck skeletons on the sides of the roads.

At the same time as the attacks on the transport routes, Ukraine also hit energy facilities and fuel storages. Ukraine’s widespread attacks caused widespread power outages across the peninsula, fuel shortages at gas stations, and the declaration of a state of emergency by local authorities. It was also reported that thousands of people have left Crimea since the latest wave of attacks began. Due to the widespread attacks, the energy situation in all of Russia has become extremely dire, with huge traffic jams miles long of innocent citizens just asking to fill up with gas.

Ukrainian military analyst Kostiantyn Shavets told the New York Times that the attacks have already forced some Russian forces in the south to move into defensive positions. However, he estimated that it will take weeks and even months until the damage to Russian capabilities is severe enough to force the forces to withdraw from some of the positions in southern Ukraine. According to him, in order to achieve the goal, the “siege” on Crimea must be strengthened over time.

The Ukrainian energy expert Nadi Riavtsev also estimated that the destabilizing power grid in Crimea exposed the structural vulnerability of the peninsula. According to him, Russia’s attempts to restore power plants, substations and fuel terminals are encountering complex technical and logistical difficulties, and the accumulation of attacks could turn Crimea into a “huge logistical trap.”