War in Ukraine: Kyiv strikes key Russian supply lines

Ukrainian forces are fighting for control over the Russian army's key supply routes in the occupied territories of Ukraine . According to Ukrainian military officials, newly developed medium-range weapons are now reaching Russia's logistics routes beyond front lines.

Ukrainian drones were reportedly conducting surveillance and attacks in the area around Mariupol. That would mean that sections of the land corridor connecting Russan-occupied Ukrainian territory with the Crimean penninsula , some 160 kilometers (99 miles) away, are now under fire control. As proof, the Ukrainian military has published numerous online videos purpotedly showing burned-out Russian military vehicles along the road leading through occupied territories in southern mainland Ukraine to Crimea.

"During the bloody and protracted war from 2022 to 2026 , the creation of a land corridor to Crimea was seen as Moscow's greatest potential achievement," Ihor Lutsenko, a soldier in the Ukrainian army and co-founder of the Air Intelligence Support Center, posted on Facebook.

"But it is now clear that this is a fleeting gain," he wrote, adding that "in reality, Ukrainian drones are already circling over the corridor, which civilians are no longer allowed to use. Crimea is becoming an overseas territory for Russia . Of course, we won't leave it at that."

According to Mykola Bielieskov, an adviser at the Ukrainian National Institute for Strategic Studies, full control over Russian supply routes is still a long way off. "If we had full control, Russian troops in the south would feel differently," Beleskov told DW. However, he did note that vulnerability among Russian troops was increasing.

According to Bielieskov, photo and video evidence indicate that Ukrainian attacks have become more effective at medium range. "The Russians are less active now, even though their area of operations is quite large and there have been heavy attacks," he said, adding that "we can't speak of a turning point yet, it just means that the situation isn't getting any worse for us."

Experts attribute the Ukrainian military's progress to technological breakthroughs. Among other equipment, Ukrainian defense forces now have drones from the Ukrainian manufacturer Wild Hornets that are equipped with built-in AI systems.

However, this only provides operators with a limited window of opportunity, as military expert and historian Mykhailo Zhyrokhov explained. The author of numerous publications on military aviation and conflicts in the post-Soviet region assumes that Russia will soon prepare additional mobile fire groups and a comprehensive protection strategy for the roads along the Crimean corridor, complete with nets to defend against drones.