Financial Times: Putin Has Made Yet Another Fatal Mistake
- 6.07.2026, 16:46
- 4,002
Thanks to it, Ukraine now has the capability to launch long-range strikes against Russian territory.
Ukraine is carrying out strikes on oil refineries in Russia more frequently than ever before, and this has already led to the country’s most severe fuel crisis, writes Financial Times.
According to the Polish analytical group Rochan Consulting, which is monitoring the war, Ukrainians successfully attacked Russian refineries 16 times in May—a record number for any single month. Since the beginning of 2026, Russian refineries have been struck at least 194 times. That is 11 times more than during the same period last year.
At the same time, both Ukraine and Russia are launching a record number of drones and missiles at each other this year. The publication notes that long-range warfare has escalated to its highest level since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
According to analysts, Ukrainian drones have been hitting their targets more frequently because Ukraine has been able to significantly ramp up their production and better organize the entire process.
As Ukrainian officials noted in a conversation with FT journalists, assistance from U.S. intelligence has also played a role here—it is helping the Ukrainians chart optimal routes for the drones so they can bypass Russian air defenses.
According to official data from the Russian Ministry of Defense, at least 63,933 Ukrainian drones were shot down over Russia and the occupied Ukrainian territories during the first six months of 2026. Nearly half of all these downed drones were shot down in just the last two months: in May, Russia reported 14,195 downed drones, and in June, 17,832. By comparison, in January and February, the figures did not exceed 6,000 per month.
The article notes that these figures show that Russia’s air defense is operating at full capacity, more so than ever before. As a result, it is becoming increasingly difficult for Moscow to defend key facilities—both energy and military—that are essential for continuing the war.
According to Ruslan Pukhov, director of the Moscow-based defense think tank TsAST , Ukrainian strikes have also shattered the image the Kremlin had carefully crafted: that life in Russia continues as usual, despite the war.
“At a fundamental level, we see that Putin has made yet another fatal strategic mistake in this war, for some reason believing that time is solely on his side. He has failed to force Ukraine to capitulate, but has given it enough time to establish mass production of “deep strike” capabilities,” he said.
Bank's name: Bank Millennium S.A.
Address: ul. Stanislawa Zaryna, 2A, 02-593, Warszawa
IBAN: PL97116022020000000216711123
SWIFT: BIGBPLPW
Name of the account holder: Fundacja “KARTA ‘97”
Purpose/title of payment: Donation for statuary aims
You can contact us by the e-mail charter97@gmail.com
