Ukraine and Russia are intensifying long-range drone and missile bombardments, reshaping a war now stretching into its fifth year. Ukrainian forces struck more than 130 Russian vessels in the Sea of Azov and over 80 in the Black Sea in the past month, while drone strikes have caused critical fuel, power, and water shortages in Crimea. Kyiv hit the Russian port of Novorossiysk and a communications centre in Crimea, and Ukrainian drones struck a Wildberries warehouse in Yekaterinburg, more than 2,000 km from the border.
Moscow responded with over 138 drones in a single night across areas from Odesa to Kharkiv. Russia can deploy up to 77 ballistic and cruise missiles simultaneously and is working to raise that to 200 per strike, with monthly missile production running 10–20% above targets.
On the ground, the pace of Russian advances in 2026 has slowed considerably compared with last year, according to the Institute for the Study of War. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine has moved into the air domain, calling the two sides competitors in the sky, while Moscow could mobilise 300,000 to 500,000 additional soldiers later this year.