You cannot underestimate the enemy
Ukraine invested $113M in medium-range attack operations, with elite drone units conducting hundreds of missions to disrupt Russian supply lines and military infrastructure. The Institute for the Study of War confirms these attacks limit Russia's ability to transport personnel and maintain front-line positions, creating openings for longer-range strikes.
- Ukraine quadrupled medium-range drone attacks since February 2026
- $113 million allocated to medium-range strike operations
- Russia captured only 50 square kilometers in May 2026
- Medium-range attacks target Russian positions 30-180km behind front lines
Ukraine has quadrupled medium-range drone attacks targeting Russian logistics and air defenses 30-180km behind front lines, significantly slowing Russian territorial gains to just 50 sq km this month.
In a cornfield in eastern Ukraine, soldiers launch drones into the sky using catapults, sending them toward Russian-held territory dozens of kilometers away. The targets are methodical: enemy field bases, ammunition depots, air defense systems. The commander of the 1st Center for Unmanned Systems Forces—an elite deep-strike drone unit—speaks with his face covered, using only his military callsign: Kyt, which means whale in Ukrainian.
Ukraine has poured resources into what it calls "medium-range attacks," strikes aimed at Russian air defenses and supply lines positioned between 30 and 180 kilometers behind the front. President Volodymyr Zelensky announced this month that the frequency of these attacks has quadrupled since February. The shift is not merely tactical; Ukrainian officials and military analysts argue it has fundamentally altered the war's trajectory, slowing the Russian advance to a crawl. According to DeepState, an open-source intelligence mapping project, Russia captured only about 50 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory in May.
The investment backing this strategy is substantial. Ukraine's 35-year-old Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, a technology enthusiast tasked with modernizing the armed forces, has allocated more than $113 million to these medium-range strike units. The money funds operations designed to sever Russian logistics networks and supply lines—the sinews that keep an army moving and fighting. Kyt explained that his unit conducts hundreds of such missions, constantly relocating to avoid detection. The drones themselves are Ukrainian-made, called Drakosha or "little dragon," capable of reaching both occupied Ukrainian territory and Russian soil. He declined to name the manufacturer or elaborate on technical specifics, saying only that the systems are complex and intensifying.
The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based research organization, released a report on May 28 confirming what Ukrainian commanders already knew: these medium-range attacks are constraining Russia's ability to move personnel to the front and sustain positions there. Defense analysts caution that the strikes alone cannot reverse the war's momentum, but they create conditions for something more damaging—they clear the way for Ukraine's longer-range drone operations. In recent months, those longer-range strikes have inflicted the most extensive damage to Russian oil infrastructure since Moscow's 2022 invasion.
Yet Kyt harbors no illusions about the conflict's nature. Four years of war have taught both sides a hard lesson: technological advantage is temporary. One side develops a capability, the other adapts and counters it. The cycle repeats. "This is a constant process," he said. "As soon as we discover the technology, they work to fight it." Russia possesses deep expertise in air defense systems—a legacy of decades of military development. Ukraine cannot afford complacency. "You cannot underestimate the enemy," Kyt concluded, a statement that carries the weight of someone who has watched this arms race unfold in real time, knowing that whatever edge Ukraine holds today may narrow tomorrow.
Notable Quotes
We are focusing on enemy field bases, ammunition depots, and air defense systems— Commander Kyt, 1st Center for Unmanned Systems Forces
This is a constant process. As soon as we discover the technology, they work to fight it— Commander Kyt
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why focus on medium-range attacks specifically? Why not just go for the deepest strikes possible?
Because logistics are the skeleton of any army. If you can't move ammunition, fuel, and soldiers reliably, you collapse from the inside. Medium-range lets Ukraine hit the supply depots and air defenses that protect those routes—the infrastructure Russia depends on every single day.
The numbers sound impressive—$113 million, quadrupled attacks. But is this actually winning the war, or just slowing it down?
Slowing it down is the point right now. Russia was advancing faster earlier this year. Now they're taking 50 square kilometers a month instead of more. That buys Ukraine time to regroup, to build more drones, to get Western weapons integrated. In a grinding war, time is a resource.
Kyt seems almost resigned when he talks about Russia adapting. Does he think Ukraine can stay ahead?
He's not resigned—he's realistic. He knows Russia has serious air defense capabilities built over decades. He's saying Ukraine has to keep innovating faster than Russia can counter. It's an exhausting race, and he knows it.
What happens if Russia figures out how to neutralize these medium-range drones?
Then Ukraine pivots. They already have longer-range systems causing real damage to Russian oil infrastructure. The medium-range attacks are one layer in a larger strategy. If one layer gets compromised, there are others.
Is there a moment where Ukraine runs out of resources or will to keep innovating?
That's the real question nobody can answer yet. Ukraine has shown remarkable ingenuity—building effective drones with limited resources. But innovation requires money, talent, and time. All three are finite.