Ukraine's drone attacks pressure Moscow and propose balloon‑borne long‑range strikes

Military analysts say Ukraine could use high‑altitude weather balloons to launch drones capable of striking up to 3,000 km inside Russian territory. By deploying drones from balloons at about 20 km altitude, the payloads would evade radar detection and could overwhelm Russian air‑defence systems, which can track only a limited number of targets at a time. Expert Yury Knutov linked the concept to President Zelensky’s statements about deep‑strike capability and noted that Russia’s S‑400 and S‑300 systems might still be able to intercept such threats.

In recent weeks, Russian cities, including Moscow, have experienced nighttime drone raids. A swarm of Ukrainian drones damaged an oil refinery that supplies roughly 40 % of the capital’s gasoline, prompting fuel prices to jump to €1.30 per litre. Similar attacks across Russia in May set oil tanks ablaze and contributed to the isolation of Crimea, leaving the Sevastopol naval base without power. The drone operations have been cited as a tactic intended to pressure the Russian elite and undermine domestic support for the war.