Ukraine has dramatically escalated its campaign against Russia, with President Volodymyr Zelensky vowing to intensify deep strikes on targets inside Russian territory in an effort to cripple the Kremlin’s war machine.
In one of his strongest statements since the invasion began, Zelensky declared that Ukrainian intelligence services and special forces would expand pre-emptive attacks on facilities supporting Moscow’s military effort.
“I instructed our intelligence services and military to act pre-emptively against facilities Russia uses to expand its war effort,” he said, adding that it was important for ordinary Russians to “feel that this war exists”.
The warning came just hours before Ukrainian forces reportedly launched another long-range strike against a major fuel depot in Russia’s Krasnodar region, the latest in a growing series of attacks targeting oil, fuel and logistics infrastructure deep behind the front lines.
Kyiv argues that the campaign is a direct response to relentless Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities and towns, including in the Sumy, Kharkiv, Kherson and Donetsk regions.
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The strikes are increasingly hitting areas once considered safely beyond Ukraine’s reach, raising fresh questions about the Kremlin’s ability to protect critical infrastructure.
At the same time, concerns are mounting over Russia’s attempts to drag neighbouring Belarus further into the conflict.
According to the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War, the Kremlin is intensifying pressure on Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko to expand Minsk’s role in the war.
Analysts believe Moscow wants Belarus to provide greater military support and potentially allow new operations against Ukraine from the north, forcing Kyiv to divert troops away from the eastern battlefield.
The think tank says Lukashenko continues to resist the most far-reaching demands, wary of becoming fully entangled in a deeply unpopular conflict while trying to preserve what remains of Belarusian independence.
Reports suggest the Kremlin may even be threatening to reduce financial support to Minsk if it refuses to cooperate.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov insisted Russia would continue to defend Belarus against any perceived threats.
The latest developments underline how the war is entering a new phase, with Ukraine increasingly taking the fight deep into Russian territory while Moscow struggles to secure support from its closest allies.
As Ukrainian drones and special forces continue to strike fuel depots, military facilities and supply hubs hundreds of miles from the front line, the pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin is growing — not only on the battlefield, but increasingly at home as well.
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