Ukraine’s biggest defense gap: More than 92% of Russian ballistic missiles hit their targets

Putin escalates ballistic missile attacks as Patriot shortages leave Ukraine defenseless

Ballistic missiles are accounting for a growing share of Russia’s increasingly deadly attacks on Ukrainian cities, as Moscow unleashes a new bombing strategy seeking to exploit a global shortage of US-made Patriot air defense systems, writes Karlis Kuskevics. The post Putin escalates ballistic missile attacks as Patriot shortages leave Ukraine defenseless appeared first on Atlantic Council.

The current situation along the line of contact, as described by the President of RussiaLet us [...]

The current situation along the line of contact, as described by the President of RussiaLet us start in the north, meaning the North group of forces. You will recall that the goal for the Russian troops in the Sumy and Volchansk sectors is creating a security zone along our borders. This goal was set after the Armed Forces of Ukraine invaded the Kursk Region and due to the attacks on our border regions that persist to this day. The Ukraine regime will pay for its crimes in the Kursk Region by losing the territory that we need to secure our borders. By the way, the city of Sumy, which is a small regional centre with just over 30 thousand buildings in total, is just 10.5 kilometres away from our current positions.

Ukraine's drone campaign turning Russia's oil system into new frontline

The escalation of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has taken a highly destructive turn along the frontlines and border zones, shifting the focus of tactical strikes heavily onto retail energy networks. In recent months, Russian forces have initiated a systematic campaign targeting civilian petrol stations within a 30 to 50-kilometer radius of the Ukrainian border. Utilizing a combination of kamikaze drones, heavy artillery, and precision guided missiles, these strikes have left hundreds of local distribution points in ruins across regions like Kharkiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv.

Russia’s 11-Time-Zone War Just Backfired

Ukraine’s long-range strikes – reaching targets like Ufa, 930 miles from the front – are turning Russia’s size into a liability, argues Kyiv Post’s Jason Jay Smart. Refineries, factories, and rail links across Russia’s 11 time zones can’t all be defended, straining fuel supplies, weapons production, and air defense simultaneously. This exposes fuel shortages, recruitment problems, and mutiny talk, undercutting Putin’s promise of a contained war and revealing Moscow’s struggle to protect what its war machine depends on.

Ukraine's missiles now have almost half of Russia in reach

Ukraine has expanded the range and intensity of its missile strikes inside Russia, triggering alerts across nearly half of the regions in the world’s largest country so far this year. Missile threats were declared in at least five regions of ...