Russia’s war correspondents have started saying the country has “no rear.” That phrase, quoted in a July 7 analysis by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), shows how far the mood among Kremlin-friendly commentators has shifted as Ukrainian strikes reach deep into Russian territory.
One Russian propagandist described air defenses as being in a state of chaos and urged the Defense Ministry to set up a single operational headquarters for defending against civilian drones. A Kremlin-linked military blogger complained that the government was pushing responsibility for air defense onto businesses and civilian bodies. A prominent political commentator also wanted one unified structure, and admitted that regions lack the resources to organize their own protection. Several correspondents said Russia’s sheer size is turning into a weakness.
Why the strikes keep landing
ISW found that disputes between federal and regional authorities, together with the lack of a clear chain of command, have helped Ukrainian attacks on critical infrastructure succeed. Russia does not have enough air defense systems to cover every key facility and private enterprise in its western regions, the institute said. It is struggling to guard important targets even where protection is supposed to be strong.
The effects are visible at the pump. Ukrainian strikes, working through those gaps, have produced widespread fuel shortages in Russia and in Ukrainian territory under Russian occupation.
The proposed fixes run into a second problem. Moscow has talked of adding mobile air defense units and specialists for rear-area protection, but ISW noted that this competes with the front line for personnel, and military recruitment has declined in recent months. Reinforcing the rear while keeping the front adequately covered will be hard, the report said. Ukrainian forces are likely to keep up their long-range campaign, or widen it.
Omsk
On July 7, Ukraine’s Defense Forces struck the Omsk refinery, one of Russia’s largest, for the first time. The plant sits roughly 1,550 miles (2,500 kilometers) from the Ukrainian border.
The same day, Finnish President Alexander Stubb said NATO leaders back Ukraine’s efforts to extend its strikes deeper into Russia. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the United States has responded positively to the strike campaign.
