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Ukraine has significantly expanded the range of its long-range strike capabilities, with drones and other systems now able to hit targets up to 1,750 kilometers inside Russia, according to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, UATV English reports.
Since the start of the full-scale invasion, the reach of Ukraine’s deep strike operations has increased more than 2.5 times — from roughly 630 km in 2022 to current distances approaching 1,750 km.
In December 2022, Ukrainian forces struck the Engels-2 airbase in Russia’s Saratov region — one of the key bases for strategic aviation — damaging Tu-95MS bombers capable of carrying cruise missiles. That strike covered about 650 km, marking a record at the time. Simultaneously, the Dyagilevo airbase in the Ryazan region was also hit.
By 2024, Ukraine expanded its deep strike geography further. In April, drones reached the Alabuga special economic zone, targeting a Shahed drone production facility about 1,200 km away. In May, a refinery belonging to Gazprom was struck at a distance of roughly 1,500 km. The Defense Ministry described 2024 as the year Ukraine transitioned to systematic long-range strikes against Russia’s military-industrial infrastructure.
In February 2026, Ukrainian forces hit the Ukhta oil refinery in the Komi Republic — nearly 1,750 km from the border — marking the longest confirmed strike to date.
Operations have continued throughout 2026, including attacks on oil refineries in Ufa at distances of around 1,400 km. In March alone, Ukrainian strikes reportedly targeted five strategic industrial facilities and ten oil-processing sites across Russia, spanning from occupied territories to deep rear regions such as the Leningrad area.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the development of deep strike capabilities a key defense priority, noting that Ukrainian drones have fundamentally changed the nature of modern warfare.
“Today, our deep strikes are no longer a sensation. Ukrainian drones have completely transformed approaches to warfare,” he said, adding that the financial losses inflicted on Russia already amount to tens of billions of dollars.
Ukraine’s leadership emphasizes that sustained long-range pressure on military and energy infrastructure is aimed at weakening Russia’s war capacity and forcing it toward peace.
