Ukraine says it can strike deep inside Russia as Moscow's battlefield losses top 1.4 million

Ukraine says it has significantly expanded its ability to strike military and strategic targets deep inside Russian territory, signalling a shift in the more than four-year war that has increasingly exposed vulnerabilities far from the frontlines.

According to a recent report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Ukrainian forces have stepped up a campaign of short, medium, and long-range strikes targeting Russian logistics, oil refineries, weapons factories and military infrastructure in 2026.

The growing reach of Ukraine's domestically developed drones and long-range weapons has enabled attacks hundreds of kilometres inside Russia, disrupting fuel supplies and military logistics while forcing Moscow to bolster air defences around key installations.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has previously described the operations as "long-range sanctions", saying they are aimed at weakening Russia's war-making capability rather than targeting civilians.

The latest developments come as Ukraine's military claims Russian forces continue to suffer heavy battlefield losses.

According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Russia has lost an estimated more than 1.4 million military personnel since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

The Ukrainian military said total estimated Russian combat losses stood at approximately 1,404,760 personnel as of July 1, 2026, alongside thousands of tanks, armoured vehicles, artillery systems, drones and other military equipment.

The figures, released by Ukraine's Ministry of Defence, cannot be independently verified, and Russia rarely publishes detailed casualty figures from the war.

A separate CSIS assessment estimates that Russia has sustained roughly 1.4 million total casualties - including those killed, wounded or missing - since the invasion began, with between 400,000 and 450,000 fatalities.

The report says the ratio of Russian to Ukrainian battlefield losses has widened significantly in 2026, reflecting Ukraine's increasing reliance on advanced drone warfare and precision strikes.

Despite Ukraine's expanding long-range capabilities, the conflict remains intense.

Russia recently launched one of its largest missile and drone attacks on Kyiv, killing dozens of civilians and damaging residential buildings, with Moscow saying the strikes were retaliation for Ukrainian attacks inside Russian territory.

There has been little sign of progress towards a negotiated settlement, with both Kyiv and Moscow signalling their intention to continue military operations while seeking to improve their positions on the battlefield.