President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting on long-range strikes and said Ukrainian weapons can already hit targets at distances of more than 3,000 kilometres. According to him, Ukraine continues to expand its ability to operate at even greater ranges.
The president said Ukraine’s plan of “long-range sanctions” against Russia was being implemented in line with the established priorities.
“The strike range is already more than 3,000 kilometres, and we continue to increase our capabilities to operate at greater distances,” Zelenskyy said.
According to him, the strategic depth of Russia’s rear, which had long been one of Moscow’s advantages, is now becoming a serious problem for the country’s political and military leadership.
The president noted that a large share of Russia’s air defence systems is concentrated around Moscow, state residences, the Crimean Bridge and St Petersburg.
More than 1,000 strike missions
Zelenskyy stressed that Ukrainian drones had already demonstrated their ability to reach targets in the Ural region, Siberia and other areas far from Moscow.
Since the beginning of the year, Ukraine’s Defence Forces have carried out more than 1,000 strike missions as part of the long-range operations plan. Oil facilities, critical military production sites and strategically important Russian logistics facilities have been hit.
During the meeting, officials approved the continuation of the operations and updated the list of priority targets based on their real impact on Russia and its ability to continue and prolong the war.
Pressure to push Russia toward diplomacy
According to Zelenskyy, the main purpose of the long-range operations is to increase pressure on Russia and push it toward diplomacy.
This includes disrupting the production of weapons components, inflicting losses on the oil sector and the wider economy, and bringing the consequences of the war back onto Russian territory.
“Our precision is effectively helping to create the conditions for real diplomacy,” the president said.
Zelenskyy also said Ukraine had presented Russia’s political leadership with all the necessary proposals to end the war with a dignified peace, while Ukraine’s partners know what steps are required.
