"This Has Never Happened Before In History."
- 14.08.2026, 22:55
In 2026, the Ukrainian Defense Forces launched thousands of drones into Russia.
In 2026, Ukraine launched thousands of medium- and long-range drones into Russian territory and the occupied territories, striking targets across a vast area. This is reported in his blogKlemens Molin, a well-known OSINT expert, who analyzed the scale of Ukraine’s campaign of strikes against Russian logistics, energy infrastructure, and transportation.
Strikes on the Energy Sector in the Occupied Territories
The “Ptaki Madjara” unit continues to attack energy infrastructure facilities in the occupied territories. Since early July, 240 power substations and transformers have been hit—primarily in Crimea and the south. In recent strikes, the focus has shifted from Crimea to the southern regions of the occupied territories: virtually all of the peninsula’s power substations have already been attacked multiple times, and most of them have been out of service for several months.
According to the analyst, the intensity of these strikes—240 in two months—suggests that the campaign’s goal is not so much to prepare Russia for winter as it is to deprive the enemy’s industrial enterprises, cities, and military of electricity. By comparison, during the same period, Russia carried out about 40 strikes on Ukrainian power substations.
Strikes on Fuel Infrastructure and Trucks
In terms of the number of attacks on gas stations, Russia is outpacing Ukraine by about a factor of four. However, Molin draws attention to another metric: Ukraine has destroyed more than 100 fuel tankers, leaving many Russian gas stations without fuel for several weeks.
Massive strikes on freight transport using medium-range drones also continue. Since early May, at least 1,785 trucks and other vehicles have been destroyed or damaged within a strike radius of 20 to 200 km—many of which were transporting equipment, military personnel, supplies, ammunition, or fuel. Footage from the occupied territories continues to surface online, showing numerous destroyed trucks along the roads. The Rostov–Crimea highway and supply routes toward Donetsk remain priority targets.
In response, the Russian side has begun grouping valuable vehicles into convoys under the cover of ground-based air defense systems. This tactic works to some extent, but it has a downside: large convoys are highly visible and become easy targets.
The Situation in the Black Sea and Future Challenges
The July campaign against vessels of Russia’s “shadow fleet” in the Black Sea appears to have ended or been temporarily suspended. Nevertheless, operations in the region continue—as evidenced by the recent strikes on Novorossiysk.
According to the analyst, Ukrainian forces are currently attacking energy infrastructure, cargo transport, air defense systems, radars, electronic warfare systems, and logistical bases—in parallel with long-range strikes deep into Russian territory.
Among the key challenges for Ukraine, Molin highlights: the development of Russian jamming capabilities against Starlink, countering Russian medium- and long-range strikes (including the use of “Geran-4”), increasing pressure on enemy logistics, as well as locating and destroying Russian “Iskander” launchers and air defense systems.