KYIV — Ukraine has intensified military pressure on Russian forces across occupied regions, expanding drone and precision strikes against logistics hubs, transport links and military infrastructure as part of a broader campaign aimed at disrupting Moscow's supply lines, Ukrainian and Russian officials said on Friday.
The stepped-up operations come as fighting continues along multiple sections of the front and as Ukraine seeks to increase pressure on Russian forces holding occupied territory in the country's south and east. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this week he had approved a 40-day operation designed to increase pressure on Russia, while emphasizing strikes on military and logistical targets.
In his nightly address earlier this month, Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces were capable of reaching Russian military logistics "across virtually the entire depth of the temporarily occupied territories." He added: "In practice, there are almost no safe roads left for the occupier in the south and east of our country."
Ukrainian officials have said recent operations targeted transport corridors, fuel facilities and military infrastructure supporting Russian forces in occupied Crimea and southern Ukraine. Reuters previously reported that Ukrainian strikes had hit the Russian-occupied port of Mariupol and bridges linking occupied territory to Crimea, part of what Kyiv describes as an effort to complicate Russian military logistics.
Russia's Defense Ministry has acknowledged repeated Ukrainian drone attacks in recent days, saying its air defenses intercepted large numbers of drones over Russian regions and occupied Crimea. Moscow has not confirmed the full extent of damage reported by Ukrainian officials, while independent verification of all battlefield claims remains difficult.
Russian-installed authorities in occupied Crimea have also reported disruptions to fuel supplies and infrastructure following Ukrainian strikes. Ukrainian officials say such attacks are intended to reduce Russia's ability to sustain military operations rather than target civilians.
The escalation follows months of increasing Ukrainian use of domestically produced drones and longer-range weapons against military objectives beyond the front line. Analysts monitoring the conflict have reported a broader pattern of strikes on logistics routes and rear-area facilities supporting Russian operations, although assessments vary and remain subject to battlefield conditions.
Fighting continued on Friday across eastern and southern Ukraine, with both sides reporting ongoing combat and aerial attacks. Ukrainian and Russian authorities continued to issue competing accounts of military developments, and several reported strikes and their effects could not be independently verified.
