Ukraine’s Long-Range Strikes Prompt New Russian Threat Against Europe

KYIV / MOSCOW – A wave of unprecedented Ukrainian drone strikes deep inside Russian territory has denied Moscow billions in oil profits and prompted a stark new warning from the Kremlin to European nations: any further support for Ukraine’s long-range strike capabilities will be met with “unpredictable consequences.”

The threat, issued by the Russian defence ministry on Wednesday, comes after Ukraine signed a new series of agreements with European defence companies this week, significantly expanding its domestic drone production capacity.

“We consider this decision to be a deliberate step leading to a sharp escalation of the military and political situation on the entire European continent and the creeping transformation of these countries into a strategic rear for Ukraine,” the ministry said in a statement.

Moscow went further than diplomatic rhetoric, publishing a list of addresses of European companies involved in joint weapons production with Ukraine. Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s former president and current deputy head of its National Security Council, later clarified the intent behind the release: “This amounts to a list of potential targets for the Russian armed forces.”

The warnings did not deter European allies. In the past week:

• Germany agreed to invest €300 million ($355 million) in Ukraine’s long-range strike capability and separately commit to 5,000 mid-range attack drones targeting Russian battlefield supply lines.

• Norway signed a joint drone production agreement with Ukraine and donated €560 million ($661.5 million) to support front-line drone operations.

• The Netherlands announced €248 million ($293 million) in drone support.

• Belgium pledged €85 million ($100 million).

Putin’s Missing Millions

The intensified European support follows a series of devastating Ukrainian strikes on Russia’s energy infrastructure. While the world’s 100 largest oil companies  including Russia’s Gazprom  made a combined $23 billion windfall in March due to a global supply crisis triggered by the Iran war, Russia has seen much of that profit evaporate.

According to Reuters, Russia missed out on 40% of its potential bonanza because Ukraine has effectively destroyed its ability to export at least 2 million barrels of oil per day.

In the past two weeks alone, Ukrainian drones have hit a wide range of targets, including:

• Two drilling platforms in the northern Caspian Sea

• Two oil pumping stations in Volgograd and Krasnodar Krai

• An oil depot in the city of Tver, northwest of Moscow

• The Cherepovets Azot ammonia plant in the Volga region

• The Sterlitamak Petrochemical Plant in the Republic of Bashkortostan

• The oil export terminal and refinery at Tuapse on the Black Sea

All strikes have been confirmed by geolocated video or Russian officials.

“Today, our deep strikes are no longer a sensation,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, underscoring how routine Ukraine’s ability to reach deep inside Russia has become.

His deputy defence minister, Serhiy “Flash” Beskrestnov, noted that Russia cannot produce enough air defence systems to protect its vast territory. He posted photographs of improvised Russian air defences, including truck-mounted R-77-1 air-to-air missiles.

“Russia does not appear to have fully developed or deployed mobile fire teams, drone interceptors, or other low-cost distributable systems to defend against repeated massed Ukrainian drone strikes,” wrote the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank.

Ukraine, meanwhile, has since last year built up its domestic arms industry to strike Russia without Western-supplied equipment  or permission. On Tuesday, Zelenskyy released a video for the newly named “Arms Makers’ Day,” showcasing 56 types of Ukrainian-built weapons, including 31 drone models.

“Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the capabilities of the Ukrainian defence industry have increased by more than 50 times,” said former Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, who was instrumental in building up drone production during 2025.

A Devastating Toll

The most damaging strikes on Russian oil infrastructure occurred between March 22 and April 10, with the Baltic ports of Primorsk and Ust-Luga particularly hard hit. Satellite photography suggests Primorsk lost 40% of its storage facilities and Ust-Luga 30%. Industry sources also said Russian energy company Novatek had suspended gas condensate processing and exports at Ust-Luga.

As of April 3, both ports remained unable to handle oil shipments, industry sources told Reuters. Finnish maritime officials reported that shipments had dropped sharply to “individual vessels,” down from a weekly average of 40–50.

When an Aframax tanker finally docked at Ust-Luga on April 5  the first in many days  Ukraine struck the port again that same night, setting three 20,000-cubic-metre (706,300 cu ft) storage tanks ablaze. That same day, Ukraine also hit Primorsk and the Sheskharis oil terminal on the Black Sea, operated by Russian oil major Transneft. Geolocated footage showed fires at oil tanker berths. Satellite imagery suggested offloadings had still not resumed by April 14.

During that attack, Ukraine also damaged the Admiral Makarov, a Kalibr missile-carrying frigate. An industry source estimated that at least $200 million worth of oil had been burned in Primorsk alone.

On April 8, Ukraine struck Russia’s largest oil terminal in occupied Crimea, at the port of Feodosia  a frequent target due to its role in supplying Russian front lines. In the first 10 days of April, Ukraine also hit refineries in Bashkortostan, 1,200 km (745 miles) from its borders, and in Nizhny Novgorod.

“Only significant financial losses force Russia to consider a scenario of abandoning this war,” Zelenskyy said, defending the strikes.

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