Ukraine Conducts Deep Strikes on Russian Military and Energy Infrastructure

Kyiv. Ukraine has carried out long-range attacks deep into Russia targeting its military and energy infrastructure on Wednesday. Ukrainian leadership has described these actions as a strategic effort to make the cost of war even more expensive for Russia.

According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian army has attacked military industry and energy structures within Russia. According to information shared via social media, an FP–5 Flamingo long-range missile targeted a military factory in Cheboksary, Chuvashia, approximately 900 kilometers from the front lines.

The factory is said to produce equipment necessary for Russian drones and missiles. Russia's Ministry of Defense, however, claimed to have shot down 326 Ukrainian drones overnight. The head of Chuvashia, Oleg Nikolaev, confirmed a missile attack but did not provide details of the damage. Russian independent news agency Astra reported that the attack targeted the VNIIR–Progress factory, which produces antennas for drones.

Zelenskyy also informed that an oil refinery in the Samara region was attacked. According to regional head Vyacheslav Fedorishchev, some industrial structures were damaged due to the drone attack, and three people were injured. However, he did not disclose the names of the affected industries. Astra published images of a large fire at the Samara Refinery.

Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) stated that two oil infrastructure facilities in the Vladimir region, approximately 700 kilometers from the front lines, were also targeted.

Meanwhile, a Ukrainian drone attack occurred in Sevastopol, Crimea, occupied by Russia. According to Mikhail Razvozhayev, the head of the Kremlin-backed local administration, the attack hit a building housing a historical panoramic painting by artist Franz Roubaud depicting the 19th-century Crimean War, effectively destroying the artwork.

With the front lines, approximately one thousand kilometers long, remaining largely static for four years, both sides have recently focused more on long-range drone and missile attacks. According to analysts, increasing Ukrainian attacks in Russia's interior are challenging President Vladimir Putin's claims of controlling the war.

Last week, after a fire at an oil terminal in St. Petersburg and damage to a nearby naval base, Putin pledged to further strengthen air defense systems. Security measures were also tightened before the Victory Day parade due to the risk of Ukrainian drone attacks.

Meanwhile, Ukraine is also facing Russian attacks. The Ukrainian Air Force stated that 181 out of 207 drones launched by Russia were shot down.

According to Oleh Syniehubov, the head of the Kharkiv region, 26 Russian drones attacked on Wednesday morning alone, injuring at least four people. He reported one death and 15 injuries in the region over the last 24 hours.

In the Zaporizhzhia region, 10 people were injured in Russian air attacks overnight, said regional head Ivan Fedorov. In Odesa, two residential buildings were damaged by Russian drone attacks. According to regional administration head Oleh Kiper, a mother and her two children, aged eight and ten, required medical attention.

As both Russia and Ukraine intensify attacks on each other's interior regions, the war appears to be becoming more complex and protracted.