Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, stated that the losses inflicted on Russia by Ukraine through direct strikes significantly exceed the impact of Western sanctions.
This is reported by Business • Media
“We have inflicted much greater damage on the Russian Federation through direct action than any economic levers of influence that have been introduced so far.”
Scale of attacks on Russia’s critical infrastructure
Budanov emphasized that the current level of sanctions pressure from Western partners on Russia remains insufficient to influence its strategy. According to him, if sanctions are not strengthened, they will not change the worldview of the Russian leadership, but in combination with other measures, they may yield results.
Recently, Ukraine carried out a series of effective attacks on strategic enterprises of the Russian Federation. In particular, strikes were made on the Novokuybyshevsk Oil Refinery in the Samara region and the Orenburg Gas Processing Plant. As a result of the attacks on these facilities, large-scale fires broke out.
Additionally, Ukrainian forces struck a fuel and lubricants storage base in temporarily occupied Berdiansk, as well as an ammunition depot in the Kinburn Spit area.
Strikes on the energy system and military targets
On the night of October 18, drones attacked the Veshkayma substation in the Ulyanovsk region of Russia, which is a critical hub of the region’s energy system. An explosion was also reported at the “Avangard” ammunition production plant in Bashkortostan.
On October 17, the Ukrainian Defense Forces carried out a series of targeted strikes on military facilities and fuel and energy infrastructure in temporarily occupied Crimea. During this operation, Russian military forces shot down their own fighter jet.
In light of these events, Russia is expanding the main airbase for strategic aviation, “Engels-2,” where new parking spaces for missile carriers are being constructed. This base regularly conducts massive missile attacks on Ukrainian cities.