Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, emphasized that direct military strikes on facilities in the Russian Federation have caused significantly more damage than all Western economic sanctions imposed to date.
This is reported by Finway
“We have inflicted much greater losses on the Russian Federation through direct action than any economic levers of influence that have been introduced so far”
Attacks on Strategic Facilities in Russia
Budanov highlighted that the current level of sanctions pressure from Western partners remains insufficient to seriously impact the position of the Russian leadership. However, according to him, a comprehensive combination of various measures could yield significant results in the long run.
Recently, Ukraine has carried out a number of effective strikes on strategic industrial and military facilities in Russia. In particular, the Novokuybyshevsk Oil Refinery in the Samara region and the Orenburg Gas Processing Plant were hit, leading to large-scale fires. Additionally, a strike was carried out on a fuel and lubricant base in temporarily occupied Berdiansk, and an ammunition depot was destroyed in the Kinburn Spit area.
Damage to Energy and Military Infrastructure
On the night of October 18, Ukrainian drones attacked the Veshkayma substation in the Ulyanovsk region of Russia. This facility is a key component of the region’s energy system. There were also reports of an explosion at the ammunition manufacturing plant “Avangard” in Bashkortostan, further weakening the military-industrial potential of the aggressor country.
On October 17, the Defense Forces of Ukraine carried out a series of targeted strikes on military facilities and fuel and energy infrastructure in temporarily occupied Crimea. During this operation, Russian forces shot down their own fighter jet, indicating the difficulties faced by Russia on the front lines.
At the same time, Russia continues to strengthen one of its main strategic aviation bases, “Engels-2,” by constructing new parking spaces for missile carriers, from which massive strikes are launched on Ukrainian cities.