Russia’s war of aggression
Moscow’s war against Kyiv – escalation instead of negotiations
Updated August 13, 2026 – 4:55 amReading time: 4 minutes
‘In its defensive struggle, Ukraine is trying to use drone strikes in the Russian hinterland to target Moscow for negotiations. Is this strategy successful? Or does it even have the opposite effect?
In the Russian war of aggression against the Ukraine The signs are currently pointing to escalation. Negotiations are not in sight. There is hardly any movement at the front. Neither for Moscow still for Kyiv is the war of attrition to be won. At the same time, both sides have intensified their air and sea war – with sensitive hits in the hinterland. Some questions and answers about the situation and prospects in the fifth year of the Russian invasion:
What is the situation along the front line?
There has been little movement along the 1,200 kilometer long front line for months.
Despite the slow Russian advance, even DeepState military observers close to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry admitted that territory had been lost by more than 700 square kilometers since the beginning of the year. Kyiv is against this, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky roughly the same area was reclaimed.
The Russian military is largely focused on Erlangen the control over the city of Kostiantynivka, especially to the parts of the Donetsk region that remained under Ukrainian control around the cities of Slovyansk, Kramatorsk and Druzhkivka. Major front breakthroughs continue to be successfully prevented by the Ukrainian drone pilots.
At the current rate, military expert Dmitri Kuznets of the Kremlin-critical online portal “Meduza” believes that the Kremlin’s planned conquest of Donbass is not possible this year, but it is possible in 2027.
What developments are there in the attacks on the hinterland?
Ukrainian drones have been hitting oil refineries and logistics centers of the largest Russian online mail order company Wildberries for weeks. There are billions of dollars in economic damage affecting Moscow’s war economy. Russia loses income from oil exports, the budget deficit grows. People complain about a shortage of gasoline. The ruble is losing value – and is currently weaker than it has been in months.
The impact of Ukrainian attacks on Russian shipping is less visible. The Ukrainian drone troops claim to have damaged more than 200 tankers and freighters since July 6th. Russian missile and drone attacks on ships calling at Ukrainian Black Sea ports in turn led to a halt in maritime trade, which is important for Kiev’s grain exports.
However, it is not the air strikes in the hinterland that are crucial, but the situation on the ground, says expert Kuznets. Both Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyj have just assigned new commanders to their troops, who will now determine the further course of the war.
Is Ukraine achieving its goals by attacking Russia?
With its attacks, Ukraine is succeeding in driving up Russia’s costs for its war, in addition to Western sanctions. President Zelensky’s stated goal is to bring the war back to Russia. This has a particularly psychological effect on people – also because there are impressive images of major fires in Russia on social networks and other media. However, no major impact on the logistics of the Russian military was reported.
