Ukraine Deep Strikes Bite

Ukraine kept up its long-range drone campaign against Russian energy and military infrastructure, setting fire to a major oil refinery in southern Russia and killing at least two people, according to Russian authorities. The strikes are designed to cut Moscow’s war revenue, disrupt fuel supplies and bring the costs of the invasion home to Russians as the war moves through its fifth year. Vladimir Putin acknowledged Russia faces a “certain shortage” of fuel and is going through a “difficult period,” while fuel production disruptions and market pressure point to the growing impact of Kyiv’s campaign. Behind the attacks, elite Ukrainian units are using domestically produced long-range drones to reach targets deep inside Russia and weaken the Kremlin’s war machine.