President Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed Ukraine’s expanding long-range strike campaign is inflicting growing damage on Russia’s economy, forcing oil wells to shut down and pushing the Kremlin deeper into a financial crisis.
In his nightly address, Mr Zelensky said Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian energy infrastructure had sharply reduced the country’s oil refining capacity in recent months, describing the strikes as a direct response to Moscow’s bombardment of Ukrainian cities.
“Ukraine is bringing Russia’s war of aggression back home,” he declared.
The Ukrainian leader said deep strikes against targets linked to the Russian war machine had become increasingly routine as Kyiv ramps up domestic drone production and expands long-range operations far behind enemy lines.
“There was a time when dozens of Ukrainian drones striking Russia was a big deal,” he said.
“Now, hundreds of our long-range sanctions every day are no longer a sensation.”
According to a Ukrainian intelligence assessment cited by Mr Zelensky, Russian oil refining has fallen by around 10pc in recent months following repeated attacks on refineries, depots and fuel infrastructure.
He claimed the damage had forced Russian energy firms to shut down oil wells — a costly and technically difficult process that can permanently affect production capacity.
Mr Zelensky also said Russia’s state budget deficit for the first five months of the year had already exceeded the level Moscow originally projected for the entire year.
“Already now, a significant number of their regions are in a state of bankruptcy,” he said.
“And Putin is leading Russia toward bankruptcy.”
The remarks underline Kyiv’s growing emphasis on economic warfare as Ukrainian forces seek to impose rising costs on Russia beyond the battlefield itself.
Unable to match Russia’s industrial scale in a conventional war of attrition, Ukraine has increasingly turned to long-range drone strikes aimed at degrading the Kremlin’s energy revenues — the financial backbone of Moscow’s military machine.
Recent months have seen repeated attacks on oil refineries, storage facilities and industrial plants deep inside Russian territory, with some strikes reaching hundreds of miles from the border.
Mr Zelensky praised Ukrainian troops and domestic weapons manufacturers for ensuring Russian attacks “do not go unanswered”.
“I am grateful to all our warriors – and to every Ukrainian weapons manufacturer – for making the aggressor feel pain,” he said.
The Ukrainian president also confirmed he had approved a new list of targeted operations for Ukraine’s intelligence services and armed forces, suggesting further strikes are likely in the coming weeks.
While Western sanctions on Russian energy exports have produced mixed results, Ukrainian officials increasingly argue that physically disabling refining infrastructure has had a more immediate impact on Moscow’s finances than international economic restrictions alone.
The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Kyiv of attempting to destabilise Russia’s energy sector through what it describes as “terrorist attacks” on civilian infrastructure. Ukraine argues the facilities are legitimate military-economic targets funding Russia’s invasion.
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