Kathrine Frich
He also says they probably should have foreseen it.
Modern wars are no longer fought just in muddy trenches or along distant front lines.
When a conflict drags on for years, the everyday logistics that keep a country running often become the next major target.
This week, a surprising admission from the Kremlin showed just how exposed those domestic networks can be.
Caught off guard
Russian authorities failed to predict that Ukrainian forces would target massive storage depots belonging to online retail giants Wildberries and Ozon, according to United24Media.
Speaking at a Business Russia congress on October 15, Russian President Vladimir Putin openly admitted the blind spot in remarks reported by the news outlet Meduza.
“They are constantly taking steps that, frankly speaking, we should have probably foreseen, but we believed they wouldn’t think of doing this,” Putin said during the event.
Neither Putin nor other officials shared exact numbers on how badly the retail hubs were damaged, United24 Media noted. At the same gathering, the Russian leader tried to downplay recent Ukrainian attacks on his country’s energy sector. Referring to those oil refinery strikes, Putin claimed: “They hit a few places, but nothing very significant.”
Hitting the supply chain
According to United24 Media, Ukraine’s long-range strikes on Russian oil sites, supply networks, and rear logistics are designed to sap the military machine behind Moscow’s invasion.
Those operations serve as a direct answer to relentless Russian bombardments hitting Ukrainian towns and power grids.
Even after Kyiv paused its attacks on Russian oil refineries for two days to respect a proposed energy truce, Moscow kept firing, U24 Media reported.
During the night of October 14, Russian troops launched more than 120 attack drones and 39 ballistic missiles at vital infrastructure in Kharkiv and Kyiv.
Heavy winter damage
The overnight barrage hit Combined Heat and Power Plant No. 4 in Kyiv alongside the CHP-5 facility in Kharkiv, leaving essential heating and electricity systems badly wrecked, according to United24 Media. Across six Ukrainian regions, the strikes damaged several gas and power sites and left 33 people injured.
In the wake of the attacks, Ukrainian leaders urged foreign allies to roll out tough new sanctions and send more Patriot air defense systems to protect the grid, U24 Media reported.
