Ukrainian long-range drones have repeatedly struck the Moscow Oil Refinery, demonstrating Ukraine's "long-range sanctions" capability and bringing the war to the Russian capital. On June 16, drones damaged a primary processing unit at the Gazprom-run plant in Kapotnya, followed by a larger swarm attack on June 18, which Russian officials called one of the heaviest attacks on Moscow since the full-scale invasion began.
President Zelenskyy confirmed these strikes as a justified response to Russian attacks, targeting facilities sustaining Russia's war machine. These operations, described as "long-range sanctions," aim to attack Russia's physical ability to refine and export oil, thereby strangling the revenue stream underwriting its war effort. The campaign seeks to raise the cost of war faster than Russia can absorb, forcing a recalculation of Putin's maximalist ambitions and denying his assumption that time is on his side. Striking Moscow also removes the capital's insulation from the war, making its costs increasingly felt at home. Zelenskyy links the campaign to diplomacy, using it as leverage to push Moscow toward negotiations, coinciding with renewed Western focus on the war and G7 discussions on Russian oil sanctions. Ukraine demonstrates strategic initiative, aiming for a just settlement.
No comments:
Post a Comment