Putin Threatens to Intensify Attacks on Ukraine’s Infrastructure

Russia is preparing to increase large-scale strikes on Ukraine’s infrastructure, framing the initiative as a retaliation to recent attacks on Russia’s territory.

According to TASS on Friday, Russia is preparing intensified strikes in response to Kyiv’s attacks on Russian cities.

“Russia will increase retaliatory strikes to deter Ukraine’s armed forces from targeting civilian infrastructure,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

As a part of continual efforts to degrade Russia’s war-making capacity, Ukraine launched long-range drone strikes on Russia Day, June 12, striking major oil refining facilities in Tatarstan and Samara region which forced the airspace to restrict.

Putin announced that Russia will intensify its strikes in what he described as a systematic retaliation in response to the enemy actions, adding that the damaged infrastructure within Russia is being restored rapidly and that the attacks do not pose any significant challenges.

“We are quickly restoring, there are no problems here,” Putin said, adding that “they [Ukraine] will not be able to create serious problems for us.”

He announced the plan to “answer properly” by intensifying strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure, explaining that the strikes are aimed at discouraging Ukraine from attacking and targeting what he described as Russian civilian infrastructure.

“They will not be able to solve either the task of disunity of society or harming us in the field of economy,” Putin said.

Ukraine’s drone forces hit more than 356,000 Russian targets

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) struck more than 356,000 Russian targets between June 2025 and June 2026.

“The Unmanned Systems Forces are one of Ukraine’s greatest achievements – proof of Ukrainian leadership in technology and in saving lives through technology,” Zelensky said, honoring Ukrainian soldiers.

Ukraine has formally established the USF as a separate military branch with the intention of expanding the use of robotic systems and drones, as well as other types of technologies on the battlefield.

Russia builds its own satellite systems 

As a broader part of improving their wartime capacities and expanding communications, Russia is developing its own satellite internet network, described as its domestic alternative to Elon Musk’s Starlink.

The State Duma passed amendments on June 10, banning the sale and online promotion of unlicensed foreign satellite terminals, aiming to target Starlink-type systems that are widely being used by Ukrainian army forces.

Authorities framed the effort as both a technological and strategic move to reduce reliance on foreign systems and to improve access for state, business and security users.