Ukraine destroys Russian logistics system, causes chaos in Crimea

Ukraine has inflicted serious damage on Russia's logistics system over the past week, with heavy strikes on occupied Crimea and satellite communication centers near Moscow, throwing both regions into chaos despite Russia's prioritization of air defense.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia has been forced to redeploy air defense systems from various regions to protect Moscow and the Kerch Bridge — the route linking Crimea to mainland Russia — following deep strikes into Russian territory earlier this year. "These two outer perimeters are places where Russians are ordered to defend at all costs, weakening other directions," Zelenskyy said on June 24.

According to him, the Kremlin has concentrated "hundreds of launchers of S-400, S-500, and Pantsir systems" solely in the Moscow region, plus 90 launchers in Valdai (450 km north of Moscow) — believed to be a vacation spot for Russian President Vladimir Putin and the elite. In contrast, other Russian regions have only "a few launchers."

Exploiting this redeployment, Ukraine attacked two Russian military satellite communication centers on June 22. Ukraine's General Staff said the Vladimir Space Communications Center (200 km east of Moscow) suffered "serious damage" to its main parabolic antenna (25 m diameter), and a strike on the Dubna Space Communications Center (100 km north of Moscow) the same day destroyed a 32-meter antenna. Buildings housing electronic equipment were also damaged. According to Kyiv, Russia relies on these centers for reconnaissance and force coordination.

In Crimea, on June 23, Ukraine cut off fuel supplies, caused power outages, and blocked transport between the peninsula and mainland Russia. Ukrainian long-range drones simultaneously attacked two key oil facilities on either side of the Kerch Strait: an oil depot in Kerch (Crimea) and the port of Kavkaz (Russia) — a fuel transit hub for the front line. Geolocated images showed oil storage tanks and a cargo ferry on fire. To carry out the attack, Ukraine neutralized four S-400 systems and two Pantsir systems, even though the targets were less than 1 km from the heavily guarded Kerch Bridge.

Crimea's Russian-appointed governor, Sergey Aksyonov, immediately suspended fuel sales to all except state agencies. In Sevastopol, Crimea's largest city, fuel was rationed to 20 liters per week per individual. Authorities also canceled ferry services, banned outdoor gatherings, and turned off street lights.

Ukraine began attacking Crimea in the summer of 2023, after Russia used it as a base to launch airstrikes, missiles, and drones. Kyiv has pushed back Russia's navy and air force, calling Crimea a "graveyard" for Russian air defense systems.

According to an analysis by the independent Russian newspaper Meduza, Ukraine has carried out 270 attacks on Russian trucks and logistics centers this year, with the average strike depth increasing from a few kilometers to tens of kilometers over the past two months. French analyst Clement Molin documented 500 separate attacks from May 1 to June 18 based on posted videos.

Many analysts agree that May was Russia's worst month for territorial gains since late 2023. A Ukrainian commander said Russian soldiers are forced to carry supplies the final 50 km to the front line on foot because his unit has made even motorcycles inoperable.

President Putin denied difficulties, insisting the army is "advancing on all fronts" and "almost reaching" Kostiantynivka — one of Ukraine's four "fortress cities" in Donetsk. Ukraine acknowledged that some Russian soldiers entered Kostiantynivka but denied any risk of it falling. Ukrainian commander Yuriy Madyar said his forces are pushing back Russian troops, with a casualty ratio of 3 Ukrainians to 53 Russians.

In addition to logistics attacks, Ukraine has extended its strike range deep into Russian territory. On June 21, they struck the Tyumen oil refinery in Western Siberia (2,070 km from Ukraine). Zelenskyy said new drones produced by Fire Point have a range of "over 3,000 km." On June 22, Ukraine hit a plant in Voronezh producing cruise missile components and Pantsir systems. On June 25, they struck a gas processing plant in Orenburg (1,200 km from Ukraine), which supplies 60% of Gazprom's gas and produces helium used in rocket engines and ethane used in aircraft wiring insulation.

Ukraine's long-range capability is said to have yielded a no-shot tactical victory: Belarus — Ukraine's northern neighbor — is believed to have removed or disabled four transponders on its territory used to guide Russian drones attacking Ukrainian cities. Zelenskyy said the transponders have been inactive since June 22, three days after he publicly warned Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko that "if he doesn't, we will." This move shows Kyiv's threats are prevailing over Moscow.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Putin threatened to cut financial aid to Minsk if Belarus did not allow Russian drones to launch from its territory. According to the paper, Moscow's strategy is to drag Belarus into the war to open a northern front, relieving the stalled offensive in Donetsk.