“Today I signed a decree establishing a special command within the Armed Forces, a Long-Range Command, effectively a command for global reach against Russia in this war.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that in his evening address, according to The Gaze.
The command is meant to bring Ukraine’s existing long-range assets under one structure. Zelenskyy said it “must concentrate 100% of the available resources to further reduce Russia’s war potential.” He did not say who will lead it, describing the future commander only as “strong and highly experienced.”
Why now
Kyiv has leaned more and more on domestically produced long-range drones and missiles. Their targets include airfields, logistics hubs, ammunition depots and oil refineries deep inside Russia, all aimed at making it harder for Moscow to sustain the invasion.
Zelenskyy has also claimed that Ukrainian drones struck a Russian oil refinery about 2,500 kilometers (1,550 miles) from Ukraine, and that no Russian refinery now lies beyond the reach of Ukrainian weapons. Leon Panetta, a former U.S. Defense Secretary, said Vladimir Putin is increasingly running out of options as the drone campaign grows.
Changes to the assault forces
The president said reforms of the assault forces would come alongside the new command, and he admitted that several problems remain unresolved. “There are many issues that need to be addressed, first and foremost in how people are treated,” he said. “Law enforcement agencies are taking procedural steps. Changes will also be made to the command structure of the assault forces.”
A second decree created the Joint Rapid Response Forces. This formation is meant to combine assault troops with unmanned systems, artillery and other supporting assets, so that it can respond as fast as possible on the battlefield. Zelenskyy said it should help the military react to rapidly changing conditions on the front line and speed up the transformation of the assault forces into a more technologically advanced and effective force.
