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All three Rosneft Samara refineries now offline or reduced as drones halt Kuibyshevsky operations yesterday

11 June 2026 at 14:38

rosneft's kuibyshev refinery joins syzran novokuibyshevsk offline after ukrainian drone strike yesterday · post fires raging kuybyshevsky oil samara russia 10 2026 fires-rage-at-samara-kuybyshevsky-oil-refinery ukraine news reports

Ukrainian drones forced Rosneft's Kuybyshevsky oil refinery in Samara Oblast, Russia, to halt oil processing on 10 June, Reuters reported. The strike puts all three plants in the Rosneft Samara refining hub out of full operation at the same time.

With Ukraine's deep strikes accelerating into the summer season, each new plant taken out compresses Russia's repair window and hardens the fuel-supply squeeze on its military logistics.

Reuters confirms processing halt at both primary units

Reuters cited two industry sources to confirm that processing stopped at both AVT-4 and AVT-5 after the strike. Each unit has a nominal processing capacity of about 73,000 barrels of crude oil (10,000 metric tons) per day. The hits caused damage and subsequent fires at both. 

Samara Oblast Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev claimed a massive overnight drone attack injured three people and caused "damage to several industrial facilities." 

An earlier report on 10 June described fires at the Kuybyshevsky refinery after the strike.

rosneft's kuibyshev refinery joins syzran novokuibyshevsk offline after ukrainian drone strike yesterday · post fires raging kuybyshevsky oil samara russia 10 2026 fires-rage-at-samara-kuybyshevsky-oil-refinery ukraine news reports
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Fire reported at Kuibyshev oil refinery in Russia’s Samara after drone strike

Plant size and output

Kuybyshevsky's 2024 crude oil throughput was 4.7 million tons, equal to 94,400 barrels a day, Reuters reported. That year's output included 0.8 million tons of gasoline, 1.4 million tons of diesel, and 1.3 million tons of fuel oil. Nominal capacity stands at 7 million tons per year. The plant is one of the largest oil refining facilities in the Volga region. It also supplies fuel for the Russian army.

The Kuybyshevsky plant belongs to Rosneft's Samara refining cluster alongside Novokuibyshevsky and Syzran. Syzran's operations have been suspended since a 21 May drone attack, Reuters reported, and the plant has yet to resume. The Novokuibyshevsky plant shut down after an 18 April strike and now operates at reduced throughput. Ukraine has hit all three plants in the cluster in less than two months.

The Kuybyshevsky plant was also previously hit in January 2026, August 2025, and in March 2024. The earlier strikes damaged equipment and forced production cycles to stop.

Same night: Cheboksary defense plant struck

The same night, Ukrainian forces also struck the VNIIR-Progress plant in Cheboksary, Chuvashia, which was previously hit on 5 May. The factory makes "Kometa" antennas that protect Russian drones from electronic warfare. It also makes satellite receivers for GLONASS, GPS, and Galileo systems. Ukraine's General Staff said such modules are used in Shahed-type drones, Iskander and Kalibr missiles, and aerial bombs.

Meanwhile, today saw a strike on the Afipsky refinery in Krasnodar Krai. 

afipsky oil refinery burns again ukrainian drones return krasnodar krai · post fire after drone strike russia 11 2026 5282989402957225318 ukraine news reports
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Afipsky oil refinery burns again as Ukrainian drones return to Krasnodar Krai

By May 2026, Ukrainian drones had taken six of ten Russian refineries hit during that month offline. Russian media counted 24 of Russia's 33 largest refineries struck since 2022. Only the Omsk and Angarsk plants east of the Urals remain untouched so far.

Russia’s fuel crisis jumps from 15 to 25 regions in five days—plus six occupied Ukrainian areas

11 June 2026 at 14:26

russia's fuel crisis jumps 15 25 regions five days—plus six occupied ukrainian areas · post russian truck burns gas station skadovsk kherson oblast after logistic lockdown mid-range strike 11 2026

Russia's gasoline crisis has spread to 25 of its own regions and six occupied Ukrainian ones, the Russian-language Moscow Times reported on 10 June. Six days earlier, the count stood at 15. Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries hit a wartime monthly record in May 2026, dropping Russian refining loading well below the start of the year.

This comes amid the Ukrainian long-range drone strike campaign, targeting Russian oil processing, transportation, and storage facilities almost every day. Additionally, Ukraine has escalated its mid-range "Logistic Lockdown" campaign, targeting Russian logistics in the occupied territories at depths of up to 200 km.

From 15 regions to 25 in under a week

The Russian Telegram channel 7×7 counted at least 25 Russian regions facing gasoline shortages and supply disruptions as of 10 June. Less than a week earlier, on 4 June, the number stood at 15. Restrictions also apply across six Russian-occupied Ukrainian regions: Crimea, Sevastopol, and the Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.

Bloomberg counted 38 Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries from January through May 2026. May alone saw 16 — the highest monthly figure of the war. According to OilX, Russian refinery loading has dropped 14% since the start of the year and stays roughly 20% below pre-war levels.

afipsky oil refinery burns again ukrainian drones return krasnodar krai · post fire after drone strike russia 11 2026 5282989402957225318 ukraine news reports
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Afipsky oil refinery burns again as Ukrainian drones return to Krasnodar Krai

Regional officials have responded unevenly. The acting governor of Belgorod Oblast, Alexander Shuvaev, acknowledged the shortage. Krasnodar Krai governor Veniamin Kondratyev called the situation "artificial hype." Residents publicly mocked the claim under his Telegram post, which was republished on a local channel. Gas stations in Krasnodar Krai have begun closing due to a shortage.

Fuel prices have spiked in occupied Crimea. On 10 June, AI-92 cost about $1.14 per liter, against $0.96 in Moscow. AI-95 traded near $1.25, up from $1.04 in the Russian capital. Resellers were offering fuel at $1.81-$2.08 per liter — about 50% above official Crimean prices.

On 8 June, Russia's Energy Ministry announced the creation of a task force to manage the fuel crisis, citing "growing enemy air attacks."

Occupied Sevastopol cancels fuel coupons after tankers fail to arrive

Sevastopol's Russian-installed governor said on 10 June that planned distribution of rationed petrol had been delayed, Reuters wrote on 11 June. Mikhail Razvozhayev claimed oil tanker trucks could not bring fuel into the city, following recent Ukrainian strikes on supply routes. Crimea, occupied by Russia in 2014, introduced fuel rationing last month due to shortages on the peninsula.

"Unfortunately, oil tanker trucks were unable to come to the city tonight," Razvozhayev wrote on Telegram. 

ukrainian drones knocking out northwestern entrance crimea bridges damaged one night · post rl9vo -ukraine-targets-four-bridges-at-crimea-s-northwestern-choke-point- struck four vehicular crimea's overnight 11 2026 quisling official vladimir saldo claimed strikes part ukraine's
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Ukrainian drones knocking out the northwestern entrance to Crimea: four bridges targeted in one night

He said priority for refueling on 11 June would go to public transport, utilities, emergency vehicles, and government vehicles.

"I am addressing everyone: there is no point in lining up at... the gas stations tomorrow," he added late on 10 June. 

Existing rationing coupons would be canceled and new ones issued today.

Razvozhayev later claimed over two dozen Ukrainian drones were downed in the early hours of Thursday in a fresh attack on Sevastopol. The city is Crimea's second-largest and home to Russia's Black Sea Fleet.

On the same day, a major drone attack hit Russia's Volga region of Samara, more than 900 km from the front line, forcing state-owned oil giant Rosneft to halt processing at its Kuibyshevsky refinery.

rosneft's kuibyshev refinery joins syzran novokuibyshevsk offline after ukrainian drone strike yesterday · post fires raging kuybyshevsky oil samara russia 10 2026 fires-rage-at-samara-kuybyshevsky-oil-refinery ukraine news reports
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All three Rosneft Samara refineries now offline or reduced as drones halt Kuibyshevsky operations yesterday

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday evening that Ukraine’s recently launched mid-range strike campaign against Russian logistics, including large-scale strikes on supply and fuel trucks, had proved its worth.

"In recent months, we are especially grateful for the mid-strikes: Russian military logistics throughout the entire depth of the temporarily occupied territory are now within reach of Ukrainian drones," he said. "Our impact reaches Russia’s border regions as well. The enemy feels it, and we will continue to expand it."

The new precision weapon: Is the West ready for cellular drones?

11 June 2026 at 14:00
In an operation that will likely be studied for years, Ukraine used dozens of internet-connected drones, launched from trucks inside Russia, to destroy strategic Russian aircraft. The drones took off from Russian soil, but they were guided by operators located deep within Ukraine. Operation Spiderweb demonstrated something that should alarm every Western capital: The precision strike…

The new precision weapon: Is the West ready for cellular drones?

11 June 2026 at 14:00
In an operation that will likely be studied for years, Ukraine used dozens of internet-connected drones, launched from trucks inside Russia, to destroy strategic Russian aircraft. The drones took off from Russian soil, but they were guided by operators located deep within Ukraine. Operation Spiderweb demonstrated something that should alarm every Western capital: The precision strike…

US, Iran exchange strikes for second day as hostilities escalate

11 June 2026 at 12:56
The U.S. and Iranian militaries continued to exchange strikes early Thursday in the Middle East region, sidelining negotiations between the two nations. U.S. Central Command said it launched strikes on Iranian military surveillance capabilities, communication systems and air defense sites. The agency added that U.S. Marine Corps, Air Force and Navy assets “fired precision munitions”…

US, Iran exchange strikes for second day as hostilities escalate

11 June 2026 at 12:56
The U.S. and Iranian militaries continued to exchange strikes early Thursday in the Middle East region, sidelining negotiations between the two nations. U.S. Central Command said it launched strikes on Iranian military surveillance capabilities, communication systems and air defense sites. The agency added that U.S. Marine Corps, Air Force and Navy assets “fired precision munitions”…

Ukrainian drones knocking out the northwestern entrance to Crimea: four bridges targeted in one night

11 June 2026 at 12:03

ukrainian drones knocking out northwestern entrance crimea bridges damaged one night · post rl9vo -ukraine-targets-four-bridges-at-crimea-s-northwestern-choke-point- struck four vehicular crimea's overnight 11 2026 quisling official vladimir saldo claimed strikes part ukraine's

Ukrainian drones struck four vehicular bridges at Crimea's northwestern entrance overnight on 11 June 2026, quisling official Vladimir Saldo claimed. The strikes are part of Ukraine's most recent mid-range strike push—now at its fourth day—reaching every road corridor between Crimea and mainland Ukraine. The same night, drone attacks also rolled across Sevastopol, Bakhchysarai, Saky, and other Crimean sites.

Russia depends on the Crimean land corridor to push fuel, ammunition, and replacements to its forces in occupied southern Ukraine. Ukrainian mid-range drones operating under the military's Logistics Lockdown program have steadily shrunk that corridor's reliability since May. Ukraine has now struck all three major connection points between occupied Crimea and mainland Ukraine within four days, damaging some bridges and destroying others.

Four bridges damaged at the Armiansk isthmus

Saldo, the Russian-installed head of occupied Kherson Oblast, named the four targets on his Telegram. They include the automobile bridge in the Perekop-Armiansk area and a bridge near Stavky, Kherson OblastTwo more bridges near Myrne and Preobrazhenka span the North Crimean Canal. Saldo stated all four spans sustained damage.

ukrainian drones knocking out northwestern entrance crimea bridges damaged one night · post google maps view four struck overnight 11 2026 — near myrne between stavky preobrazhenka perekop armiansk crimean
Google Maps view of the four bridges struck by Ukrainian drones overnight on 11 June 2026 — near Myrne, between Stavky and Preobrazhenka, and at Perekop near Armiansk in the northwestern Crimean isthmus. Map: Google Maps

Three Crimean northern choke points hit in four days

Ukraine struck the Chonhar bridge on 7 and 9 Juneclosing Russia's main road link to occupied Crimea, yet the Russians reportedly installed a pontoon bridge next to the severely damaged crossing. On 10 June, Ukrainian drones hit the bridge from Henichesk to Arabat Spit. With both routes fully or partially shut, Russia had rerouted traffic through Armiansk and Perekop — the very corridor struck overnight. DeepState analysts noted that Ukrainian strikes on the bridges are an important part of the blockade of occupied southern Ukraine.

Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory, including Crimea and parts of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts. Illustrative map: Euromaidan Press

Not only an entrance, but also targets across the peninsula

Russia's occupation governor, Mikhail Razvozhayev, claimed 32 drones were shot down over Sevastopol between 22:00 and midnight. He claimed the drones fell near Sevastopol Bay, Cape Fiolent, and Balaklava. The city declared two air alerts during the night and the morning.

Monitoring Telegram channel Krymsky Veter reported machine-gun fire in Pishchane at 21:40 and in Andriivka shortly after, citing subscribers. 

"At 21:40 a machine gun started firing in Pishchane, at 21:48 a machine gun started in Andriivka, after which an anti-aircraft gun fired a couple of bursts," the channel wrote. 

Detonations followed near Cape Fiolent, in Sevastopol, and later in Bakhchysarai. By morning, Krymsky Veter reported explosions and shooting in Saky.

Russia's Defense Ministry claimed the destruction of 330 drones over Russia and the occupied territories in the same overnight period.

Update

The First Assault Brigade shared the footage of the strikes:

Videos emerged of some of the Ukrainian strikes on bridges linking occupied Crimea to occupied Kherson Oblast

Ukraine's 1st Assault Brigade, 475th Assault Regiment, and SBU's Alfa reportedly took part.

📹 1st Assault Brigade
More on the strikes: https://t.co/xkKf15akux https://t.co/7FhAOJbWl0 pic.twitter.com/WFXUcKjfWm

— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) June 11, 2026

Afipsky oil refinery burns again as Ukrainian drones return to Krasnodar Krai

11 June 2026 at 10:14

afipsky oil refinery burns again ukrainian drones return krasnodar krai · post fire after drone strike russia 11 2026 5282989402957225318 ukraine news reports

Ukrainian drones struck the Afipsky oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar Krai overnight on 11 June, sparking a fire later extinguished, according to the Krasnodar Krai operational headquarters. The southern Russian plant, repeatedly targeted by Ukrainian strikes, supplies fuel to the Russian military.

Amid the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war, the Russian oil industry has been under sustained pressure from Ukrainian deep strikes, with gasoline rationing currently spreading across multiple regions and occupied territories. Output at Russian refineries has been falling on Rosstat's own index as repeated hits keep facilities offline.

A blaze at one of southern Russia's largest refineries

The Ukrainian Telegram channel Exilenova+ posted footage from local witnesses showing air defense fire and a blaze. The attack started after midnight, with residents reporting drone overflights and explosions at intervals of a few minutes. 

Krasnodar Krai authorities claimed drone "debris" fell in the village of Afipsky and set the refinery on fire — Moscow's standard framing for Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy targets. The fire was out by 07:32 Moscow time, the operational headquarters later stated. Russian authorities reported no casualties at the plant itself.

The Afipsky plant is one of southern Russia's largest oil-processing facilities, with a capacity of over 6 million tons of crude a year. It produces gasoline, diesel, gas oil, vacuum gas oil, fuel oil, sulfur, and gas condensate distillates. The facility supplies fuel to the Russian army. Ukraine's General Staff has assessed that the refinery processes about 2.1% of Russia's total oil refining.

The plant runs two primary oil distillation units with capacities of 9,786 and 8,829 tons per day. It is export-oriented and does not currently produce gasoline or diesel for Russia's domestic market. Combined throughput at the Afipsky plant and the affiliated Krasnodar refinery reached 7.2 million tons in 2024. Another 3 million tons were processed in the first half of 2025.

afipsky oil refinery burns again ukrainian drones return krasnodar krai · post smoke trail over amid drone attack russia 11 2026 краснодар у росії атакували дрони вночі червня року exilenova+
Smoke trail over Krasnodar amid a Ukrainian drone attack, Russia, 11 June 2026. Photo: Exilenova+ Telegram channel

Third strike on Afipsky in 2026 amid wider drone campaign

Russia's Defense Ministry claimed its air defenses intercepted and destroyed 330 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory overnight, the Moscow Times reported. According to the ministry, drones were spotted over Bryansk, Kursk, Belgorod, Oryol, Smolensk, Kaluga, Tula, Tver, Vladimir, and Moscow oblasts, as well as Krasnodar Krai and occupied Crimea. Russian aviation regulator Rosaviatsia restricted operations at airports in Tambov, Krasnodar, Sochi, Gelendzhik, and Zhukovsky outside Moscow.

afipsky oil refinery burns again ukrainian drones return krasnodar krai · post smoke plume after drone strike russia 11 2026 пожежа на афіпському нпз в рф червня telegram-канал exilenova+ ukraine
Smoke plume after a Ukrainian drone strike on the Afipsky oil refinery, Krasnodar Krai, Russia, 11 June 2026. Photo: Exilenova+ Telegram channel

The 11 June raid was the third attack on the Afipsky refinery this year, following hits on 21 January and 14 March. During the March hit, drones damaged the AT-22/4 primary oil processing unit at Afipsky — the plant's refining starting point. Satellite imagery had previously confirmed structural damage from a November 2025 drone attack.

Ukraine’s drones now have Russian convoys riding out with four gun trucks and a prayer

11 June 2026 at 00:25

A Ukrainian mobile fire team with a mounted machine gun patrols a rural area to hunt incoming Shahed drones.

  • Ukraine's middle-strike drones are forcing Russian commanders to reroute and harden their supply convoys
  • Now some Russian truck convoys are rolling out with air defense gun trucks as escorts
  • Can the Russian gunners shoot down enough drones to make a difference?

Russian logisticians are desperately scrambling to save their truck convoys from Ukrainian drones. Besides rerouting convoys away from the most vulnerable highways, some commanders are also deploying mobile gun teams to escort the cargo trucks.

Whether those gun teams can shoot down enough drones to turn the tide of the escalating logistics war remains to be seen. How high the drones fly before they strike could make all the difference.

This spring, Ukrainian drone units launched an intensive campaign of strikes targeting the thousands of Russian trucks that, every day, shuttle supplies and reinforcements from depots deep in the rear area to front-line field armies. The aim: to weaken Russian regiments before they can launch an assault across the gray zone.

"We are launching a 'logistics lockdown' for the Russian army," Ukrainian defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced. "We are scaling middle-strike operations to systematically destroy enemy logistics and supply lines, stripping them of their capacity to mount offensive actions."

A Russian truck under drone attack near Chernihivka.
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Russia keeps four field armies fed through three southern towns. Ukraine’s drones just arrived.

The counterlogistics campaign, mostly carried out by Ukrainian drone units flying jam-resistant middle-strike drones with AI-assisted targeting—the $5,000 Swift Beat Hornet is one of the most common—initially targeted convoys traveling along the most obvious routes, including the west-to-east M-14 highway connecting southern Russia to occupied Crimea. The M-14 is the Ukrainian portion of the wider European E-58 highway.

By late May, the Ukrainian defense ministry was tallying hits on nearly 500 Russian trucks every day, a ninefold increase on the overall average of daily truck strikes since Russia widened its war on Ukraine in February 2022. Just 3,500 Russian cargo trucks plied the M-14 every day, so the losses were significant. For now, the Kremlin is able to make good its truck losses by redeploying vehicles from the active fleet.

But soon, it may have to tap the tens of thousands of older trucks sitting in long-term storage. And those decades-old trucks are in pretty bad shape. "Most of them are scrap metal husk, utterly impossible to reactivate," analyst Jompy noted.

A Ukrainian Hornet drone about to strike a buhanka.
A Ukrainian Hornet drone about to strike a buhanka. Via WarTranslated.

Hardening the convoys

Clearly realizing they can't sustain the loss of 500 trucks a day, Russian commanders are getting creative. They've begun rerouting trucks away from the M-14 and sending them along back roads instead in order to spread them out and complicate the Ukrainians' drone sortie planning. Military traffic along the M-14 has dropped by 71% since late May as trucks follow alternate routes to forward bases, according to Robert Brovdi, commander of the Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces.

M-14 Ukraine counterlogistics campaign
Map: Euromaidan Press

But the Russians are also arming the truck convoys, which previously traveled without any defensive weapons. Observer Kim Hovik claimed they recently saw videos depicting Russian convoys that included as many as four trucks and utility vehicles carrying gunners.

Guns aren't the best defenses against drones, but the Russians don't have many other options. Electronic warfare systems that scramble drones' control signals don't work against drones with self-contained AI targeting systems that can spot and home in on trucks without any input from a remote operation.

And Russia's longer-range air defense systems, its fixed and mobile surface-to-air missile systems, have been ravaged by a parallel Ukrainian drone campaign specifically targeting air defenses. Between June 2025 and March 2026, Ukrainian drones blew up more than 400 radars and SAM systems: far more than Russia can replace in just nine months.

How well the gunners work against Hornets and other Ukrainian drones might depend on how high the drones fly while patrolling for trucks. Ukraine's own mobile gun teams were effective against Russian Shahed drones until the Shaheds began flying thousands of feet in the air. Now the Ukrainian gunners are "largely ineffective," according to a Ukrainian electronic warfare officer who goes by "Alchemist."

It's unclear how high a Hornet drone can cruise while still effectively scanning for trucks. Higher flights might be necessary, however. Ukrainian drone forces must adapt to Russian adaptation as the counterlogistics drone war grinds on.

Stored Russian trucks.
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Russia is losing so many trucks it’s now eyeing Cold War scrap

Ukraine created drone army one year ago. It already destroyed $40 billion worth in Russian targets

10 June 2026 at 19:53

Semikolodezyanska oil depot in Yedi-Quyu (Lenine), occupied Crimea, amid a Ukrainian drone attack. Screenshot from video: Ukraine's Special Operations Forces

Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces (SBS) have struck Russian targets worth nearly $40 billion in the year since the branch's creation, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. On 10 June, the Ukrainian president signed a decree establishing the Day of Unmanned Systems Forces (SBS Day).

The $40 billion cumulative damage figure Zelenskyy cited represents a 57% increase over the $25.5 billion in cumulative Russian losses that Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi reported in April 2026.

The SBS Day decree institutionalizes the unmanned forces as a permanent feature of Ukraine's military doctrine, alongside the army, navy, and air force.

What Zelenskyy said about SBS's achievements

"Only a year since the creation of the SBS group, Russian targets at various levels worth nearly $40 billion have already been hit," Zelenskyy said in his evening address.

He added that SBS is really a model for many other armies, and "these months we are especially grateful for middlestrikes."

"Russian military logistics across the entire depth of the temporarily occupied territory is now accessible to Ukrainian drones. The Russian border zone also experiences our impact," he stated.

The president added that Russia already feels the effect of these strikes, and Ukraine will continue to scale them.

"The most important thing is that these are different types of strikes, and each one adds to our ability to save lives," the Ukrainian president added.

What does middlestrike mean operationally? 

The middlestrike concept Zelenskyy invoked refers to Ukrainian drone strikes against Russian military logistics in the depth of occupied territory and across the Russian border zone. The depth zone covers Donetsk, Luhansk, Crimea, and parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson Oblasts. The Russian border zone reaches Belgorod and Kursk. Middlestrikes sit between the very-long-range deep strikes against strategic Russian infrastructure, such as the Volgograd refineries, and the tactical frontline FPV operations. The SBS is led by Brigadier General Robert Brovdi, call sign "Madiar".

IAEA documents military activity near all Ukraine’s nuclear sites

10 June 2026 at 19:20

Khmelnitskyi nuclear power plant, 1st block

Military activity has been reported near all Ukraine’s operating nuclear power plants: Khmelnytskyy, Rivne, and South Ukraine, and the Chornobyl site, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). IAEA teams recorded more than 100 drones within observation zones around nuclear facilities over the past two weeks, with some as close as 2 kilometers from the facilities.

The Chornobyl drone strike landed at a centralized spent-fuel storage facility in the exclusion zone, just hundreds of meters from where spent nuclear fuel from Ukrainian operating reactors is kept in containers.

“Attacking a facility with large amounts of nuclear material is extremely dangerous. It must not happen,” IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said.

What happened at Zaporizhzhia NPP on 30 May 

On 30 May 2026, a drone struck the turbine hall of Unit 6 at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP.

During subsequent inspections, IAEA specialists documented a hole in the wall and local damage to the metal cladding of an empty pipe located several meters from the impact point.

Experts are continuing to assess the condition of the affected area and the potential consequences of the incident.

“This is the first time since April 2024 that military activity has directly impacted the ZNPP site,” Grossi said.

ZNPP has been under Russian military occupation since March 2022 and remains a continuous focus of IAEA monitoring. The IAEA statement does not attribute the drone strike to either Russia or Ukraine.

Legal frame: Geneva Convention Article 56 protection

Nuclear power plants and similar installations containing dangerous forces are explicitly protected under Article 56 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions, which prohibits attacks that may release dangerous forces and cause severe losses among the civilian population.

The IAEA does not formally categorize incidents at Ukrainian nuclear sites as war crimes within this framework, which would require a UN Commission of Inquiry or ICC finding. The IAEA's role is technical and monitoring-focused. 

Trump shares ‘West Wing’ clip dismissing ‘proportional response’ after strikes on Iran

10 June 2026 at 12:57
President Trump late Tuesday shared a clip from the series “The West Wing” dismissing the concept of a “proportional response” after the U.S. launched a new round of strikes on Iran in retaliation for an attack on an Apache helicopter. The president first shared on Truth Social the statement issued by U.S. Central Command (Centcom)…

Trump shares ‘West Wing’ clip dismissing ‘proportional response’ after strikes on Iran

10 June 2026 at 12:57
President Trump late Tuesday shared a clip from the series “The West Wing” dismissing the concept of a “proportional response” after the U.S. launched a new round of strikes on Iran in retaliation for an attack on an Apache helicopter. The president first shared on Truth Social the statement issued by U.S. Central Command (Centcom)…

Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine has now lasted exactly as long as World War I — 1,568 days

10 June 2026 at 08:32

Ukrainian troops fire a CAESAR self-propelled howitzer. Autumn 2022, Ukraine. Photo: ArmyInform

Today, 10 June 2026, marks the 1,568th day of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine — exactly the same number of days that World War I lasted, ArmyInform observes. Russia has not achieved its strategic objectives to eliminate Ukraine, with the Kremlin's original "Kyiv in three days" planning now four years and three months past.

Russian losses across that period, as documented by Ukraine's General Staff, total more than 1.3 million Russian military personnel killed and wounded, tens of thousands of tanks, armored vehicles, and artillery pieces destroyed, and 33 Russian ships and boats sunk or destroyed.

The Black Sea Fleet is now operating only in a land-support capacity after Ukrainian strikes forced its retreat from operating bases in temporarily occupied Crimea.

The total cost of destroyed Russian equipment over four years is estimated at approximately $153 billion. May 2026 alone saw more than 31,500 Russian troops killed and seriously wounded, according to Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. These figures are Ukrainian estimates. Russian casualty data is not publicly released.

Strategic ledger after four years

Russia's stated strategic objectives at the start of the February 2022 full-scale invasion, including the capture of Kyiv, the change of Ukrainian government, the demilitarization and "denazification" of Ukraine, and the establishment of a Russian-aligned regime in the Ukrainian capital, have not been reached.

Russian forces retreated from the northern Kyiv and Chernihiv axes in spring 2022, and although Russia has incrementally occupied additional territory in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson Oblasts since then, the pace of advance has been limited. 

Ukrainian fire control and deep-strike expansion

On the Ukrainian operational side, the past 12 months have seen a significant expansion of Ukraine's ability to strike targets across occupied territory and Russian rear areas.

The Ukrainian Defense Forces have established fire control over key logistics nodes in temporarily occupied Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts and in Crimea, including bringing Donetsk Airport within range of regular strikes and striking the Chonhar Bridge. 

In Crimea specifically, where Russia has concentrated air defense systems, 12 Russian Pantsir-S1 systems have been destroyed since the start of 2026. 

Logistics Lockdown and 1,800-kilometer deep-strike envelope

These operations are conducted within Ukraine's $113 million "Logistics Lockdown" program announced in May, which provides for systematic strikes on Russian warehouses, equipment, command posts, and supply routes deep behind the front line. A separate Ukrainian Deep Strike track targets critical infrastructure inside Russia itself, with Ukrainian deep strikes reaching up to 1,800 kilometers into Russian territory and recent operations hitting Russian oil-logistics nodes from Volgograd to Novorossiysk. 

SBU names 10 Russians tied to “human safari” drone hunt on civilians in Kherson

9 June 2026 at 14:18

sbu names 10 russians tied human safari drone hunt civilians kherson · post munition dropped russian explodes near two 2024 explosion civilian khersoners telegram channels ten soldiers single regiment accused

Ten Russian soldiers from a single regiment are accused of hunting civilians in Kherson with attack drones, and now face war-crimes charges filed in absentia, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported. Investigators say the operators tracked people through the streets and struck ambulances and rescue crews. The 10 are among those participating in a Russian long-lasting terror campaign against Khersoners known as a "human safari." 

Kherson lies on the Dnipro River's west bank, with Russian-occupied land directly opposite, and the invading force has made it among the deadliest places to live in Ukraine by deliberately hunting civilians across the city for years.

The drone hunters of one regiment

Counterintelligence officers built a case against 10 drone operators from the 404th Motorized Rifle Regiment, a territorial-defense unit in Russia's "Dnepr" Group of Forces, the SBU reported. The investigation found that the men tracked residents as they moved along Kherson's streets and launched drones at them. The drones carried shaped-charge and high-explosive fragmentation munitions.

Kherson city (Russian-occupied area in red). Map: Deep State

Residents and rights monitors call this campaign a "human safari," the hunting of people going about their ordinary days.

Kherson: human safari rages.

A Russian fiber optic FPV drone chases a car in a residential area; after civilians cut the cable, the drone falls, catches fire.

More drones hit cars.

10 injured as a drone attacks a bus.

Drones attack high rises, flying inside the windows. pic.twitter.com/eeaeyyJdz5

— Zarina Zabrisky 🇺🇸🇺🇦 (@ZarinaZabrisky) May 13, 2026

The 10 named operators

The SBU published each suspect's name and military call sign:

  • Tsolak Grigoryan, call sign "Boroda"
  • Nikita Gubar, "Drovosek"
  • Nikolai Denisenko, "Gami"
  • Vladimir Klimov, "Klim"
  • Vyacheslav Kornenkov, "Skif"
  • Viktor Nizhnikov, "Flyaga"
  • Ruslan Nugaev, "Dok"
  • Vladimir Orlov, "Yakut"
  • Ivan Prusachenko, "Prus"
  • Oleg Pukhlyakov, "Pulya"

russians continue their human safari in Ukraine.

They’re not just killing.

They’re hunting unarmed people like animals — from drones, to cheerful music.

This is not war. This is pure evil.

Anyone still justifying russia is standing on their side.

We will never forget. pic.twitter.com/GtrjNfaU0w

— UAVoyager🇺🇦 (@NAFOvoyager) June 8, 2026

Ambulances and a double strike on rescuers

The documented episodes include attacks on civilian cars and residential blocks, the SBU said. Operators dropped explosives on ambulances at a city hospital. They also carried out a "double" strike on State Emergency Service (DSNS) rescuers who were clearing the aftermath of an earlier Russian shelling. 

UN investigators have described this Russian method in Kherson: a first strike, then a second aimed at the people who come to help. Victims suffered shrapnel wounds, burns, and concussions, and civilian infrastructure took significant damage.

Russian soldiers attacked an ambulance in Kherson with a drone.

Three medics were injured.

Another deliberate war crime. pic.twitter.com/xu3WFUQ2H0

— Денис Казанський (@den_kazansky) June 4, 2026

Charged in absentia

Based on the evidence, SBU investigators notified all 10 of suspicion under Article 438 of Ukraine's criminal code, which covers war crimes. The notices were issued in absentia. SBU officers in Kherson Oblast led the investigation with the 79th Border Detachment of the State Border Guard Service (DPSU), under the oblast prosecutor's guidance. The agency said efforts to hold the operators accountable continue.

The case fits a wider pattern Ukrainian prosecutors have documented across the oblast in thousands of proceedings. 

Russia starts hauling gasoline to the front in the trunks of civilian cars

9 June 2026 at 11:52

russia starts hauling gasoline front trunks civilian cars · post jerrycans loaded supply russian forces occupied ukraine 2026 перевезення-бензину-цивільними-автівками-для-військових-рф-на-тимчасово-окупованій-тери news ukrainian reports

Russia has begun moving gasoline to its frontline units in occupied Ukraine in convoys of civilian cars, the Ukrainian defense outlet Militarnyi reported. Soldiers filmed themselves loading jerrycans into ordinary trunks, an improvised workaround after Ukrainian drone strikes made fuel tankers too risky to run. Russian forces are also disguising army trucks as civilian vehicles along the supply route to occupied Crimea.

This comes amid Ukraine’s ongoing “Logistics Lockdown,” a campaign by several Ukrainian military branches and the Security Service to target Russian fuel, logistics, and other supplies across occupied territories, at depths of up to 200 km.

Soldiers filmed the fuel run themselves

A video on the Exilenova+ Telegram channel showed Russians describing a convoy of passenger cars assembled to carry one metric ton of gasoline, Militarnyi reported. A man off-camera says the cars left the city of Kizilyurt in Dagestan, Russia, on the local head's orders, with the fuel destined for Russian units in occupied Tokmak, Zaporizhzhia Oblast. The footage shows jerrycans filling the trunks:

Besides the fuel, the drivers carried 1.5 million rubles ($20,900) to buy another batch of gasoline. Fuel keeps Russian frontline positions running: generators power electronic-warfare systems, charge batteries for reconnaissance and strike drones, and run communications gear in dugouts and observation posts.

Disguised trucks and a strained supply line

Russian forces have also begun disguising army trucks as civilian transport because of Ukrainian drone attacks deep in the rear. In northern Crimea, monitors spotted a freshly painted blue Ural truck driven by a man in civilian clothes, still carrying military plates, its oversized body posing as a dump truck.

The command of Russia's Dnepr grouping ordered mass use of civilian vehicles to move fuel along the route linking Rostov-on-Don with occupied Crimea, the Krymsky Veter monitoring project reported. That improvisation tracks the M-14 corridor, now within Ukraine's deepening drone range.
Drones of the 20th Separate Brigade of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces (SBS), known as K-2, and the Phoenix drone unit strike a Russian military truck on a logistics route in Donetsk Oblast, 7 June 2026. Photo: SBS
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ISW: The strikes will likely cascade into deeper disruption across Russia’s rear supply network

Why Russia is improvising

Ukraine's Defense Forces have intensified drone strikes on logistics trucks and fuel tankers on the roads from Russia to occupied Crimea. The attacks have already forced the occupiers to limit cargo traffic through the occupied part of Kherson Oblast toward the peninsula, and Russia has closed stretches of its own land corridor to keep them clear of strike drones.

Chonhar bridge linking occupied Kherson Oblast to Crimea is closed again after the second attack in two days

9 June 2026 at 11:32

chonhar bridge linking occupied kherson oblast crimea closed again after second attack two days · post location circled chonhar-bridge-google-maps ukraine news ukrainian reports

Russian occupation authorities closed the Chonhar bridge linking occupied Kherson Oblast to Crimea for the second time in two days on 9 June, with the Russian-installed governor, Vladimir Saldo, claiming another overnight Ukrainian drone strike. The same night, drones swept across occupied Crimea, where a Crimea-monitoring channel reported explosions at a military airfield. Moscow claimed it downed scores of drones, while Ukraine stayed silent.

Occupied Crimea — a peninsula in southern Ukraine, occupied by Russia since 2014 — is the logistical heart of Russia's war in Ukraine's south, and its airfields, air defenses, oil depots, and supply roads draw Ukrainian drones almost daily.

A bridge to Crimea closed for the second time in two days

Saldo claimed the overnight strike caused fresh damage to the Chonhar bridge and that 20 drones were shot down on the approach. He asked drivers to use alternative routes, and traffic was rerouted through Armiansk and Perekop.

chonhar bridge linking occupied kherson oblast crimea closed again after second attack two days · post vg1b5-second-ukrainian-strike-on-chonhar-bridge-in-two-days-9-june-2026- ukraine news ukrainian reports

The bridge carries the R-280 highway, which the Russians built to link their Rostov-on-Don to occupied Crimea through occupied Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, one of their main supply lines to the peninsula. 

Drones over Crimea

The strike on the peninsula came the same night, according to RFE/RL. The Crimea-monitoring Telegram channel Krymsky Veter reported an explosion in the Saky district (western Crimea) at 21:14, then an incoming strike in Dzhankoi (northern Crimea) before midnight. Drones also reached Sevastopol (southwestern Crimea), where a strong explosion hit the Kacha airfield at 00:36, followed by a second and third blast in the early hours.

chonhar bridge linking occupied kherson oblast crimea closed again after second attack two days · post kacha military airfield near sevastopol archive wikimapiaorg военный аэродром «кача» под аннексированным севастополем архивное
The Kacha military airfield near occupied Sevastopol, Crimea. Archive photo: wikimapia.org

Sevastopol's Russian-installed head, Mykhail Razvozhaev, claimed the military was repelling the attack with air defense and mobile fire groups. The city declared air alerts three times, at 22:33, 00:08, and 06:52, and lifted the last at 07:20. In its morning report, Russia's Defense Ministry claimed its air defenses destroyed 140 drones over seven regions, occupied Crimea, and the Azov and Black seas. 

The 7 June Chonhar strike and the wider campaign

The first closure came overnight into 7 June, when Ukrainian FP-2 and Behemoth drones struck the Chonhar bridge. The Falanga multidomain operations center of the 1st separate assault regiment and the 475th separate assault regiment Code 9.2 carried out the strike. Militarnyi reported it was the first known combat use of the Behemoth kamikaze drone, unveiled in late May 2026 by the companies GLEFA and Culver Aerospace. The same day, the occupiers also halted traffic through their "Dzhankoi checkpoint."

A Russian “Svitlyak” border patrol ship seen from a Ukrainian drone before a strike near Yurkine, occupied Crimea. Screenshot from video: Madyar
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The Crimean Bridge is heavily guarded. Ukraine struck its maritime security layer in the Kerch Strait.

Ukraine's head of the Office of the President, Kyrylo Budanov, said in early June that the strikes on Crimea's land corridor are a systematic campaign meant to complicate Russian plans. Ukraine's forces are also hitting the sea routes: the General Staff reported a Russian ship struck near Crimea, and overnight into 4 June, a Russian patrol boat was destroyed near the peninsula. Days before, occupation officials in Sevastopol had reported a similar overnight attack on the city.

Russian crude reaches the sea through tunnels under a mountain ridge—and Ukraine hit the storage end near Novorossiysk

8 June 2026 at 12:12

russian crude reaches sea through tunnels under mountain ridge—and ukraine hit storage end near novorossiysk · post smoke fire rise over after ukrainian drone strike grushovaya oil depot krasnodar krai

Ukrainian drones set a major oil depot ablaze near the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk overnight on 7-8 June 2026, in a strike confirmed by Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces (SBS). Residents reported a string of blasts and heavy smoke over the Grushovaya storage site, which feeds Russia's busiest oil-export port. Ukrainian forces hit two more targets in southern Russia the same night.

Ukraine has spent the past year pushing its deep-strike campaign further into Russia, hunting the refineries, pipelines, and export ports that turn crude into the cash funding the invasion. Each hit on this Black Sea network forces costly repairs and brief loading halts, and steady Ukrainian success deep in Russia's rear, alongside a steadier front, is shifting how the West reads the war.

Drones spark a blaze at Novorossiysk's oil hub

The strike came before dawn. Residents of Novorossiysk, in Russia's Krasnodar Krai, reported about 50 blasts, then heavy smoke over the Grushovaya oil depot. Operators of the SBS's 1st Separate Center, working with Special Operations Forces (SSO) and other units, confirmed the hit. Ukraine's General Staff also confirmed the strike and said a fire broke out, with damage still being assessed. Russian officials claimed no one was hurt.

russian crude reaches sea through tunnels under mountain ridge—and ukraine hit storage end near novorossiysk · post nasa firms satellite data fire hotspots (the red squares top right) grushovaya oil
NASA FIRMS satellite data showing fire hotspots (the red squares, the cluster to the right) at the Grushovaya oil depot near Novorossiysk, 8 June 2026. Map: NASA FIRMS

NASA's FIRMS satellite service detected abnormal heat at the site at 02:48 on 8 June. Ukrainian Telegram channel Exilenova+ began reporting the attack around 3 a.m., posting photos and videos of fire in the mountains above the city. OSINT Telegram channel Falcon insight pinpointed the location. Russian news Telegram channel ASTRA confirmed the burning tank farm from eyewitness footage shot about 11 km away.

A fuel storage depot is burning in Novorossiysk, Russia, after a drone strike hit the tank farm overnight

Novorossiysk is one of Russia's most strategically important Black Sea ports, handling a significant share of Russian oil exports
🎥 Supernova pic.twitter.com/d2ab4SSuH0

— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) June 8, 2026

What the Grushovaya depot feeds

The Grushovaya site is a transshipment depot for the Sheskharis terminal. Chernomortransneft runs it, under Russia's state pipeline monopoly Transneft. It sits in the Grushovaya Balka tract beyond the Markotkh Ridge, about 12 km from Novorossiysk. The tank farm holds more than 1.2 million m³ of fuel across dozens of tanks, on a site of about 212 hectares. SBS called it one of the largest oil-product stores in the Caucasus.

russian crude reaches sea through tunnels under mountain ridge—and ukraine hit storage end near novorossiysk · post smoke burning grushovaya oil depot drifts over after ukrainian drone strike 8 2026
Smoke from the burning Grushovaya oil depot drifts over Novorossiysk after the Ukrainian drone strike, 8 June 2026. Photo: Exilenova+

Novorossiysk is southern Russia's biggest oil-export hub, the Moscow Times reported. The port ships up to 700,000 barrels a day, and its terminals moved 19.8 million tonnes of oil products in 2025. That trade feeds Russia's budget, which bankrolls the war on Ukraine. The port has become a recurring target in Ukraine's strikes on Russia's Black Sea oil logistics.

Volgograd and a coastal radar also hit

The same night, Ukraine's General Staff said its forces struck the Krasny Yar oil-pumping station in Volgograd Oblast, where a fire broke out. Volgograd governor Andrei Bocharov claimed the blaze came from falling drone debris at the Zhirnovsk pumping station and was quickly put out, the Moscow Times reported. Ukrainian forces also hit a Russian radar station near Kabardinka in Krasnodar Krai, according to the General Staff.

Ukrainian drones struck Russia's Baltic Fleet base at Kronstadt near St. Petersburg overnight, flying nearly 1,000 km. Source: Zelenskiy
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Kronstadt, Russia’s major naval Base after Black Sea Fleet losses, gets hit by Ukrainian drones (VIDEO)

Not the first strike on Novorossiysk's oil chain

Ukrainian forces have hit this infrastructure before. Ukrainian defense outlet Militarnyi reported that drones struck the Grushovaya depot on 23 May 2026, when fire spread across much of the site. Strike drones also hit the Sheskharis terminal on 6 April, damaging oil-metering systems and shut-off valves at the loading berths. ASTRA said the wider complex was attacked in early March, early April, and on 22 May.

ISW: The strikes will likely cascade into deeper disruption across Russia’s rear supply network

8 June 2026 at 10:05

Drones of the 20th Separate Brigade of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces (SBS), known as K-2, and the Phoenix drone unit strike a Russian military truck on a logistics route in Donetsk Oblast, 7 June 2026. Photo: SBS

Ukraine's drone strikes on the highways that feed Russian forces in occupied southern and eastern Ukraine are disrupting Russian logistics and will likely bite deeper in the near future, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). The campaign is also rattling Russia's pro-war online community, where bloggers have begun turning their anger on the Kremlin's own military leadership. Russian forces are already rerouting and disguising convoys to keep supplies moving.

Ukraine's drone war has dragged the fight off the trench line and into Russia's rear, where fuel and transport increasingly decide how long Moscow can keep its invasion supplied. If Ukrainian crews keep the main arteries under watch, Russia faces a slow squeeze on its rear and the political cost of admitting those roads are no longer safe.

Ukraine's drones now own a key supply road

Ukraine's 3rd Army Corps said on 31 May that its drones had won "fire control" over five occupied cities. All five sit on or near the M-04 highway: Luhansk City, Starobilsk, Alchevsk, Bryanka, and Kadiivka. In plain terms, Ukrainian crews can now strike traffic on that road.

Map of southern Ukraine and adjacent Russian territory showing three concentric Ukrainian drone strike zones — FPV at 20 km, AI-assisted Hornets at 150 km, and FP-1/FP-2 long-range drones at 200 km — layered over the M-14 highway (Rostov to occupied Crimea) and the H-20 (Mariupol north into Donetsk Oblast). The Mariupol-Crimea-Rostov segment of M-14 is highlighted as closed by Russia for civilian traffic. The Mykolaiv-Kherson segment is highlighted as closed by Ukraine in 2025.
Ukrainian drone strike zones layered over Russia's southern supply network. FPVs reach roughly 20 km from the front, Hornets and other AI-assisted drones to 150 km, and FP-1 and FP-2 long-range drones to 200 km. The M-14 highway (Rostov-on-Don to occupied Crimea) and H-20 (branches north from Mariupol into Donetsk Oblast) both fall inside the deeper rings. Russian authorities have closed the M-14 to civilian traffic. The Ukrainian segment of the same highway, between Kherson and Mykolaiv, was closed by Ukrainian authorities in August 2025 after Russian drones turned it into a "human safari" killing ground. Map: Euromaidan Press.

A Ukrainian drone operator argued the M-04 matters more to Russia than the better-known M-14. The M-14 links Rostov Oblast to occupied Crimea. The M-04 begins near Moscow and reaches Rostov-on-Don before carrying on to Russia's Black Sea coast and into the Caucasus. It feeds occupied Crimea, southern Ukraine, and Luhansk Oblast through the Russian towns of Millerovo and Kamensk-Shakhtinsky. It also supplies Donetsk Oblast through Novoshakhtinsk in Rostov Oblast.

The Russian vehicles are burning on the route to Crimea. Source: The 3rd Separate Special Purpose Regiment
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Flat steppe: Ukraine is strangling Crimea’s supply lines from air. Melitopol-Chonhar road is latest target

The two highways connect, and Ukrainian forces are also hitting the H-20 road that joins them through Donetsk City. ISW assessed that the strikes will likely generate "even more profound cascading effects" across Russia's rear. The effort extends Ukraine's wider push to drive deep strikes further behind the front.

Russia bans buses and repaints its trucks

The strikes are already forcing changes on the ground. Leonid Pasechnik, the Russian-installed head of occupied Luhansk Oblast, issued a decree on 6 June. It bars regular bus and coach services on the section of the highway crossing occupied Luhansk.

A Russian “Svitlyak” border patrol ship seen from a Ukrainian drone before a strike near Yurkine, occupied Crimea. Screenshot from video: Madyar
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The Crimean Bridge is heavily guarded. Ukraine struck its maritime security layer in the Kerch Strait.

Ukrainian Mariupol mayoral adviser Petro Andriushchenko reported on 7 June that Russian forces had changed their Mariupol–Berdiansk route. They now use local coastal roads instead of the M-14. ndriushchenko said the troops are passing army vehicles off as civilian, recoloring the tarpaulins over each cargo bed and spraying the trucks white. ISW assessed the detours will likely slow Russian supply runs as Ukraine keeps hunting vehicles.

Russia's war bloggers turn on the Kremlin's generals

Ukraine's strikes are landing in Russia's information space too. Russia's pro-war military bloggers are voicing discontent and panic over the campaign.

Russian military truck on fire after a Ukrainian drone strike near occupied Horlivka, Donetsk Oblast, 5 June 2026. Screenshot from video: Supernova+
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Ukraine doubles deep strikes beyond 50 km as “Logistics Lockdown” shifts priority deeper into Russia’s transport nodes and rear logistics chains

A pro-war blogger and former Storm-Z assault-unit instructor complained on 7 June that Ukraine is now striking factories and defense plants deep inside Russia while degrading Russian air-defense radars and systems. He blamed bureaucracy and state-corporate infighting for Moscow's failure to respond, and separately complained that Russia cannot read Ukraine's battlefield trends and underrates its capabilities. Other bloggers piled on: one claimed fuel shortages were stoking panic in occupied Crimea, while others faulted the Russian Defense Ministry and top general Valery Gerasimov for not striking Ukrainian logistics, especially the Dnipro River bridges.

ISW found the complaints are escalating, and that the strike campaigns are becoming "points of neuralgia" in Russia's ultranationalist crowd. It noted the discontent feeds on Russia's poor battlefield results, rising casualties, and economic strain. Even before this, Russia's war bloggers had turned on the Kremlin's commanders over inflated victory claims.

Over 2,000 Russian casualties in first six days of June, Madyar reports amid surge in drone strikes on occupied territories

7 June 2026 at 16:29

Russian soldier seen by Ukrainian drone before strike, June 2026. Screenshot from video: Madyar

Commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, Robert “Madyar” Brovdi, says Russian losses reached 1,006 killed and 1,090 wounded during the first six days of June, as Ukrainian drone forces continued strikes against targets on and beyond the front line.

The commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces published the figures on 7 June alongside an update on overnight operations targeting Russian logistics and infrastructure in occupied territory and inside Russia.

More than 2,000 casualties reported in six days

Brovdi said Russian forces suffered a combined 2,096 killed and wounded between 1 and 6 June.

He described the losses as equivalent to the combat strength of a full Russian assault brigade lost within a single week.

The commander also used a railway comparison to illustrate the scale of the casualties, saying the losses would add the equivalent of 20 refrigerated and medical railcars to Russia’s “one-way ticket” train over the six-day period.

Drone strikes target rear-area infrastructure

According to Brovdi, Ukrainian forces also struck 26 targets overnight on 7 June across occupied parts of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Crimea, as well as Russia’s Bryansk Oblast.

He said Ukrainian units destroyed an air defense system and damaged three locomotives, two railway fuel tanks, four electrical substations, and six telecommunications towers. The strikes also disrupted the movement of military cargo toward the front, according to the statement.

Earlier on 7 June, Ukrainian Special Operations Forces reported strikes on the Semikolodezyanska oil depot in Yedi-Quyu and a maritime fuel terminal in Feodosia. Ukrainian officials said the operation was intended to reduce Russia’s logistical and economic capacity to sustain military operations in occupied territory.

The reported targets fit a broader Ukrainian effort to degrade Russian logistics networks, transport infrastructure, and support systems operating behind the frontline.

Ukraine says it doubled the number of successful strikes on Russian targets more than 50 kilometers behind the front line in May under the “Logistics Lockdown” program, which prioritizes attacks on transport networks, fuel infrastructure, depots, and other systems supporting Russian military operations.

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