Ukrainian long-range strikes force Russia to prioritize air defense, - Estonian Ministry of Defense
Ukraine’s growing ability to launch long-range strikes presents the Russian leadership with a difficult choice, as there are not enough air defense systems to protect all targets.
According to Censor.NET, citing ERR, this was stated by Gert Kaju, head of the Defense Readiness Department at the Ministry of Defense.
He noted that this forces the Russian command to deliberately take risks, leaving some of its facilities unprotected.
Russia is forced to leave some of its facilities unprotected
According to him, Ukraine launched strikes this week against two Russian space communications centers that support the Russian military’s communications. Oil refineries in the Moscow, Tyumen, and Orenburg regions were also targeted, as were oil storage facilities, particularly in occupied Crimea. In addition, a rocket component manufacturing plant in the Voronezh region was struck.
"Ukraine's growing ability to strike at long ranges has presented Russia's leadership with a difficult choice: since there aren't enough air defense resources to cover everything, they have to identify priority targets. This inevitably involves risks—some targets remain unprotected and could be taken out of commission," Kayu noted.
He also reported that strikes using medium- and long-range weapons had disabled up to 20% of Russia’s oil refining capacity. According to him, this led to a fuel shortage and the imposition of restrictions on fuel sales in approximately 20 regions of Russia.
Russia has reduced the intensity of its long-range strikes
Kayu added that the intensity of Russian long-range strikes decreased last week: approximately 900 drones and 12 missiles were launched, which is 35% fewer drones and 84% fewer missiles compared to previous periods. At the same time, he said, such lulls are often followed by new large-scale attacks.
On the front lines, activity remained at the same level as in previous weeks. At the same time, Kayu noted that the situation for Ukraine had become more complicated in the Kostiantynivka area—a key element of the defensive line.
"Capturing this line is a priority for Russia as it seeks to advance deeper into the Donbas. Ukraine, for its part, is building up its forces in the area and stepping up medium-range strikes to disrupt Russian logistics," he explained.
According to him, the consequences are already evident: due to logistical problems, Russia was forced to withdraw some of its units from the area.
