MOSCOW: Ukraine drone strikes on Russian refineries and fuel depots have exposed gaps in Moscow’s rear defences and contributed to fuel shortages, according to analysts cited by Al Jazeera.
Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged on June 28 that drone attacks were “creating problems” but said damage at affected sites was being repaired quickly.
The strikes have also shifted the tone among pro-Kremlin voices. Russian television host Vladimir Solovyov told viewers in mid-June to prepare for “hardships and self-sacrifice.”
A Russian military blogger said Ukraine was using long-range drone strikes and technology that Russia was still trying to match.
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Nikolay Mitrokhin, a researcher at Germany’s Bremen University, said Moscow invested heavily in Shahed-type drones and Iskander ballistic missiles but failed to secure Russia’s rear.
Mitrokhin said Russia would need at least 6,000 mobile Pantsir air defence systems, trained crews and enough missiles to build layered protection along the frontline, border areas and the Black Sea coast.
He said Russia lacked those systems and that effective Ukrainian strikes were likely to continue. Western sanctions had also limited Russia’s ability to scale up arms production and obtain spare parts.
Pavel Luzin, a military analyst with the Jamestown Foundation in Washington, DC, said Russia’s missile-heavy approach reflected organisational, technical and technological weakness.
