Tuesday, July 14Tuesday, July 14
5 days · 2 summary articles
Ukraine forms new long-range force to strike deep into Russia as drone attacks cripple fuel supplies
Ukraine intensifies drone strikes on Russian oil sites: fires reported at refinery and fuel depots
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Friday the creation of a new military force tasked with making deep incursions into Russian territory to degrade Moscow's fighting capabilities. The unit will have a "long-range, effectively global, impact on Russia," Zelenskyy said in his nightly address.
The move comes as Ukraine has increasingly targeted Russian infrastructure and supply lines, disrupting fuel supplies to Russian forces and isolating Moscow-occupied Crimea. In the first four days of this week, Ukraine hit at least 36 of Russia’s ships and set them on fire in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea, according to Ukraine's defense ministry. These included 32 so-called Russian "shadow fleet" tankers and two dry cargo ships. "They were all trying to deliver fuel to Crimea," the ministry said.
Russia launched missile and drone attacks on Ukraine, killing two people and wounding 12, according to Ukrainian officials. In Kyiv, 11 people, including one child, were wounded in overnight attacks, the State Emergency Service reported. In the southern region of Odesa, two people were killed after a Russian missile struck a building, said regional head Oleh Kiper.
Amid the escalating conflict, Chinese President Xi Jinping warned Russian President Vladimir Putin against using nuclear weapons in Ukraine, according to Zelenskyy. "I think you heard such voices in Russian media: 'What if we respond to Ukrainian strikes with nuclear weapons?' And it seems to me that this was the first time China ... directly responded in an ultimatum-like form — that there can be no thought whatsoever of using nuclear weapons," Zelenskyy told reporters on Thursday.
The war in Ukraine has seen a significant shift in dynamics, with Russia's advance stalling and Ukraine gaining the upper hand through effective drone strikes on Russian targets. "Russia's strategic position has deteriorated over the past year, and there are signs of exhaustion within the Russian armed forces," said Ruslan Pukhov, head of the Moscow-based think tank Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies.
Kyiv’s long-range persistent drone attacks have sparked a massive fuel shortage across Russia, leading to widespread reports of escalating prices. Ukraine's increasingly capable drone strikes on petrochemical production facilities are taking a toll on the Russian economy, which heavily relies on exports of fossil fuels. It's gotten to the point that India — the biggest foreign buyer of Russian crude oil — will now export some of what it refines back to its country of origin.
Zelenskyy also announced plans to carry out a transformation of the Assault Forces within the Armed Forces of Ukraine. "The necessary transformation of the assault forces will be carried out. There are many questions and problems that need to be resolved. First and foremost, regarding the treatment of people," Zelenskyy said in his evening video address on Friday.
The decision to establish separate assault forces was made in September 2025. "We have seen the emergence of assault battalions and regiments that have undoubtedly shown good results throughout 2025. So we decided that it is necessary to transition this into a legal framework," Zelenskyy stated at the time.
However, there have been issues with the Assault Forces. An investigation by the media outlet "Babel" published in June 2026 revealed that at least 26 people among the recruits of the 425th Separate Assault Regiment "Skelya" died between late 2025 and the spring of 2026. Relatives of some of the deceased allege untimely medical assistance and potential violence.
Despite these challenges, the Ukrainian military has continued to optimize itself, while the Russian army has not really developed in 2026, fighting in the same way as in 2025, according to Michael Kofman, a specialist on the Russian and Ukrainian militaries at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
After two years of continuous mass assaults, Russia has seized less than 1.5 per cent of Ukrainian territory — despite the full mobilization of its resources. At the same time, Ukraine has effectively displaced the Russian fleet from the Black Sea and is inflicting deep strikes on Russian military infrastructure, logistics, oil refineries, and military production.
The ongoing conflict has also had a significant impact on the Russian economy. Ukraine's drone strikes on petrochemical production facilities have disrupted fuel supplies and caused widespread shortages. India, the biggest foreign buyer of Russian crude oil, has started exporting some of the refined products back to Russia.
As the war continues, the international community watches closely. The creation of the new military force and the escalating attacks on both sides indicate a further intensification of the conflict. With China's warning to Russia about nuclear weapons, the stakes are higher than ever.
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