Ukraine launched one of its broadest recent drone offensives against Russias maritime and energy networks this week, claiming strikes on 21 vessels in three days as attacks on major refineries deep inside Russia intensified pressure on Moscows fuel supplies.
The wave of attacks offered a striking display of Ukraines growing long-range capabilities.
On Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met President Donald Trump at the NATO summit in Ankara, where Trump said the United States would allow Ukraine to manufacture Patriot air-defense interceptors and the two leaders discussed a potential drone agreement.
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Zelenskyy made air defense his top priority during the bilateral meeting and said the two governments had also begun working on a separate drone agreement.
“Air defense is the priority,” Zelenskyy said. He described the emerging drone deal as “a very good beginning” and said he hoped to discuss additional details with Trump.
The timing allowed Zelenskyy to arrive at the summit with evidence that Ukraines domestic drone industry can threaten Russian assets far beyond the conventional battlefield.
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Trump praised Zelenskyy as “very effective” and credited Ukrainian forces with successfully operating American weapons against Russias much larger military.
“Hes had the best equipment because he had our equipment,” Trump said. “But somebody has to use that equipment. And you have a lot of brave people that are using that equipment.”
Ukraine is increasingly forcing Russia to defend refineries, airfields, shipping routes and other infrastructure far beyond the front. Kyiv has not achieved a comparable breakthrough in the grinding ground campaign, and Russia continues to bombard Ukrainian cities. But repeated long-range strikes have begun disrupting fuel production and maritime logistics while imposing costs on parts of Russia that were once largely insulated from the fighting.
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On Tuesday, Ukraines Unmanned Systems Forces said nine Russian-linked vessels were struck in the Sea of Azov on Wednesday, bringing the number targeted over 72 hours to 21.
Commander Robert “Magyar” Brovdi said the targets included 19 oil tankers, a cargo ship and a ferry operating near Russian-occupied Crimea, according to East2West news agency. He described the campaign against the fleet as reaching an “industrial scale.”
Ukrainian and Russian officials confirmed that the overnight offensive targeted tankers, refineries, pipeline facilities and a military airfield across several Russian regions.
Ukraine says many of the vessels were part of Russias so-called shadow fleet and were being used to transport fuel to Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula Moscow seized and illegally annexed in 2014.
The maritime strikes were accompanied by attacks on the Saratov refinery and energy facilities in the Russian regions of Tatarstan and Bashkortostan. Russian authorities said one person was killed in Saratov.
Ukraine also said it struck t
