Russia targets Ukraine's drone and missile hubs in large-scale airstrikes

Russia has intensified its intelligence efforts against Ukraine's drone and missile programs, viewing the country's burgeoning defense sector as a significant threat, according to Ukraine's military intelligence deputy chief Vadym Skibitskyi. Skibitskyi highlighted Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, and Kharkiv as additional centers of Ukraine's defense industry, stating that the enemy is closely monitoring these key areas, particularly the country's ballistic missile capabilities and UAV/drones.

Ukrainian medium and deep strikes have reportedly yielded positive results, targeting the enemy's oil refining sector and Russia's logistics system, including Wildberries, Russia's largest online retailer. This has had a substantial impact on Russia's banking system, small and medium-sized businesses, and its war efforts. Skibitskyi noted that Russia is capable of conducting large-scale combined strikes on Ukraine three to four times per month.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expects Ukraine to achieve key milestones in domestically produced ballistic missiles and anti-ballistic systems by 2026-2027, with the possibility of the newly developed missile entering combat as early as this fall, though widespread deployment remains a long-term goal.