KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia is pulling a substantial portion of its air defense systems away from other parts of the country to guard Moscow and several other critical locations, as Ukraine’s long-range drone strikes continue to reach deep into Russian territory.
In his nightly video address on Wednesday, Zelenskyy said Russia has been funneling air defense resources to its capital, to Valdai — a town roughly 500 kilometers (about 300 miles) northwest of Moscow where Russian President Vladimir Putin maintains a residence — and to the Kerch Bridge, a key supply link between the Crimean Peninsula and the Russian mainland.
“In the Moscow region alone, they have amassed hundreds of launchers” for air defense missiles, Zelenskyy said. “Nearly 90 launchers have been redeployed to Valdai from other regions of Russia.”
Ukraine has been ramping up its aerial offensive over recent months, striking Russian military installations and energy infrastructure. Those attacks have contributed to fuel shortages and disrupted supply lines supporting Russia’s military, hampering Moscow’s invasion after more than four years of conflict.
Ukrainian drones have recently struck both Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city and Putin’s hometown. Ukraine is also working to sever Russia’s access to Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula Moscow seized and illegally annexed in 2014.
Zelenskyy suggested the redeployment of Russian air defenses would leave other areas of Russia open to attack from Ukraine’s increasingly advanced drones, which are now capable of traveling more than 1,500 kilometers (roughly 900 miles).
“There are many difficulties (for Russia), all because Putin refuses to end his war and to hear our proposals for a meeting, genuine negotiations, and a dignified peace,” Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy has agreed to an unconditional ceasefire called for by U.S. President Donald Trump, but Putin has declined, and a year of U.S.-led diplomatic efforts has produced no meaningful progress toward peace.
Trump, who has at times been critical of Zelenskyy, said at the White House on Wednesday that the Ukrainian leader is “courageous” and “doing pretty well” in the war.
Ukraine’s outlook has improved over the course of the grinding conflict, as domestic production of sophisticated drones has helped tie down the larger Russian military force.
Zelenskyy said he secured commitments of continued international support during a recent G7 leaders’ summit, which included Trump, and that the promised assistance would help sustain Ukraine’s intensified campaign.
“Our operation, including the one concerning Crimea, has been carefully planned, and the way it is unfolding clearly demonstrates that if Ukraine receives exactly what we discussed with our partners at the G7 — and that depends on our partners’ decisions — we will quickly create conditions in which Russia will be forced to choose peace,” he said.
“We very much hope for a positive response from our partners,” Zelenskyy added. “They know exactly what we are talking about.”
In a separate development, Belarus — whose factories have played an important role in supporting Russia’s war effort — appears to have turned off signal relay equipment on its territory that Ukraine said was being used to help direct Russian drone attacks. Zelenskyy had demanded last week that Belarus remove the relay stations, threatening to take action against them if not removed, a move that could have led to direct conflict between the two countries.
Ukrainian intelligence has confirmed the repeaters are now inactive, Zelenskyy said in an audio message sent to journalists. However, he noted that “there are many questions regarding Belarus,” whose territory Russia used as a launching point for its initial invasion of Ukraine.
The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is carefully navigating his position in the conflict. “Lukashenko continues to stall and deflect the Kremlin’s intensified attempts to drag Belarus into the war in Ukraine while maintaining relatively neutral rhetoric towards Ukraine,” the institute said.
Ukrainian military officials on Wednesday ordered a mandatory evacuation of communities in the Chernihiv region, which borders Belarus, beginning July 1. Ukrainian Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, the armed forces commander, said last week that Ukraine is bolstering its northern border defenses and establishing new army drone units there.
Overnight, Russia launched one ballistic missile and 90 long-range strike drones at Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian air force. A Russian drone hit a gas station Thursday morning in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region, wounding four people including two workers, according to the regional administration head. Russian forces have targeted gas stations in that region 13 times in June alone. A separate overnight Russian strike in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia injured one woman and damaged another gas station, the regional head said.
Russia’s Defense Ministry reported that its air defenses intercepted 269 Ukrainian drones between late Wednesday and early Thursday. Several Russian airports also temporarily halted flights overnight amid the drone attacks.
