Ukrainian Drone Strikes War

 On December 4th, Ukraine used long-range drones to strike a military airfield deep inside Russia, several hundred kilometers from the border. Ukraine has a history of aerospace design and development, and it is likely that they will continue to develop and use drones in the ongoing war with Russia. The initial indicators suggest that the payload was in excess of 150 pounds and if Ukraine can continue to build and use these drones, they can cause real damage to Russia's military assets and infrastructure. The goal of Ukraine is not just to degrade Russia's military capacity, but also to target refineries and pipeline nexus points to degrade Russia's economic capacity to fight the war. One key facility is the city of Samara, which is a pipeline nexus and refining center for much of Russia's oil and gas from South Central Siberia and Bashqiristan. If Ukraine can shut down Samara, it would severely limit Russia's ability to be flexible with their energy supplies, including domestic supplies.

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