In May, the Defense Forces doubled the number of strikes on Russian targets at a distance of more than 50 km from the line of contact. Defense Minister Mikhaylo Fedorov wrote about this on Telegram at the end of the month — not as a promise, but as a summary.
"The logistics lockdown is working. Following the President's directive, we are scaling up strikes on targets at distances of 20–150 km. We have record indicators for the destruction of enemy vehicles and motorcycles."
Mikhaylo Fedorov, Defense Minister of Ukraine
What stands behind the numbers
"Logistics lockdown" is not a metaphor, but a separate government program announced by the Ministry of Defense on May 27. Its logic is simple: the further from the front the supply chain is disrupted, the harder it is for the adversary to restore it before an offensive. Strikes target not only columns — but ammunition depots, fuel depots, and key rotation points.
For the procurement of middle strike weapons — drones with a range of 20–300 km — the Ministry of Defense together with the General Staff allocated 5 billion hryvnia. The first units have already received funds and begun direct purchases; simultaneously, centralized tenders are being prepared to scale up production.
Confirmation from independent sources
On May 31, ISW documented that medium-range strikes are disrupting Russian logistics across the entire theater of operations — from occupied Luhansk to Crimea. Russian military bloggers, cited by ISW, acknowledged that Ukrainian drones now penetrate air defense in the deep rear. The Third Army Corps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported regular strikes on logistics facilities, armored vehicles and ammunition depots, as well as reaching the Izyvaryne checkpoint — over 205 km from the front line.
Kyiv Independent, citing analysts, reports that the previous wave of such strikes has already forced some Russian units to reduce diesel fuel usage to 20% and relocate depots and command posts further from the front.
Parallel result: the skies
May showed another figure. Despite Russia launching over 10,000 Shaheds — 25% more than in April — the number of intercepts increased by 50%. Fedorov attributes this primarily to interceptor drones, which have become a separate priority for the Ministry of Defense.
The cost of a kilometer
Fedorov provided broader context. If in October Russia was losing 67 troops per 1 km² of advance, then in April this figure rose to 179. Logistics pressure and growing casualties are two sides of the same process: an army that cannot properly supply forward positions attacks more expensively.
Fedorov promises that "already by summer the results of centralized purchases of middle strike weapons will be felt on the front." The question is specific: will the production pace of Ukrainian drones be sufficient to maintain the density of strikes after Russia adapts supply routes and brings electronic warfare means closer to logistics hubs?
