Ukraine has adopted a new approach to air power that focuses on midrange strike operations aimed at disrupting and dismantling Russian military logistics and supply lines. This strategy signals a departure from earlier, primarily short-range drone engagements and seeks to undermine Russia’s ability to sustain its front-line forces.

The push for a comprehensive midrange strike campaign gained momentum after Ukraine’s counteroffensive in 2023 stalled. Former Defense Minister Andriy Zagorodnyuk, in collaboration with Western advisers, developed an operating concept to guide these efforts. Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov described the approach on May 27 as a “logistics lockdown” against Russian forces. The campaign uses midrange drones—designed to strike targets at ranges between 15 and 125 miles—to systematically attack Russian command centers, communication nodes, ammunition and fuel depots, drone-control facilities, and rear-area logistics hubs.

Ukrainian top military commander Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi reported that in May alone, Ukrainian forces struck 414 critical rear objects, including enemy headquarters and command posts. The sustained interdiction has reportedly forced Russia to grapple with tough decisions on how to allocate its air defenses, stretching resources thin and leaving some targets vulnerable. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s front-line units now deploy more short-range drones than Russia, enhancing their operational agility.

This evolving air-power paradigm is described by experts as an air interdiction campaign aimed at “collapsing the Russian military from behind” by disrupting the infrastructure sustaining front-line troops. Analysts from the Institute for the Study of War note that Ukraine has, for the first time since 2023, begun liberating more territory than it loses. Meanwhile, Russia faces mounting casualties, with Finnish President Alexander Stubb reporting about 35,000 Russian casualties monthly in 2026—outpacing recruitment and declining Russia’s ability to replenish its forces effectively.

A key objective of Ukraine’s campaign is to degrade Russian control over Crimea. The peninsula serves as a critical staging area for Russian air, naval, and supply operations. Ukrainian strikes have targeted vital supply routes including highways, railways, bridges, as well as energy and transportation infrastructure and air defenses near the Kerch Strait. These attacks have impaired the Russian Black Sea fleet, forcing a partial withdrawal from Crimea and creating increasing pressure on Moscow’s position in the region.

Ukraine’s shift to midrange air interdiction has been enabled by increased funding—more than $111 million allocated by the Defense Ministry for procurement—and improvements in domestic drone production and resistance to Russian electronic warfare. The campaign also responds to earlier Russian interdiction attempts, notably by the elite Rubikon drone unit, which conducted air interdiction against Ukrainian rear areas in 2025 but failed to scale operations significantly.

The ongoing campaign involves complex, coordinated drone strikes that rely on experienced Ukrainian personnel conducting combined-arms operations. Volodymyr Mirchuk, commander of the unmanned systems regiment Lava, describes these missions as intricate multi-hour operations integrating various drone types for surveillance and attack, designed to isolate Russian forces and degrade their operational capacity.

The Institute for the Study of War assesses that Ukraine currently holds the initiative in midrange strike capability, increasing risks and costs for Russia while undermining its negotiating leverage amid the conflict. Ukraine continues to pursue the ultimate goal of liberating all occupied territories, including Crimea, with interim objectives focused on weakening Moscow’s control through sustained logistical and military pressure.