Ukraine steps up drone strikes on Russian logistics

Ukrainian forces have intensified a campaign of drone strikes targeting Russian military logistics deep in occupied southern Ukraine, aiming to disrupt supply lines to the front and to Crimea. The strategy, described by officials as a "logistics lockdown," employs medium-range drones to threaten an area extending roughly 20 to 200 kilometers behind Russian lines.

Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, announced the initiative, stating an additional 5 billion hryvnias (approximately $100 million) had been allocated for direct procurement of drones for front-line units. The effort involves both direct purchases and large-scale public tenders intended to scale up production and foster competition among manufacturers. Fedorov stated the goal is to systematically destroy enemy logistics and supply routes to deprive Russian forces of the ability to conduct offensive operations.

Analysts report the strikes are concentrated along critical highways like the M14 and H20, which form a land bridge from Russia through occupied Mariupol to Crimea and north toward Donetsk. Open-source analysts have documented over 125 strikes along this corridor in recent weeks, with...