\n That narrative has always been flawed, given how slow and incredibly costly the Russian advances have been since the initial full-scale invasion of 2022, but it has caused some damage to Ukraine\u2019s cause. At times, even US President Donald Trump has appeared to buy into it, declaring Russia to be winning the war and famously telling Ukraine\u2019s President Volodymyr Zelensky<\/a> last year that he did not \u201chave the cards.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cThe entire premise of Putin\u2019s negotiating tactic is using this cognitive warfare to convince the West that there\u2019s no point in supporting Ukraine and that they should just push Ukraine to cede now to all of Russia\u2019s demands,\u201d Christina Harward, the Russia deputy team lead at ISW, told CNN.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cThis is really poking holes in that entire narrative,\u201d she added.\n <\/p>\n \n Ukraine\u2019s Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said Tuesday that the past few months were \u201crecord-breaking\u201d in terms of Kyiv\u2019s successes along the front line.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cWe have eliminated 35,000 Russians in both April and March\u2026 Russia lacks the forces to continue offensive operations. The Ukrainian army is exhausting the Russians,\u201d he said.\n <\/p>\n \n Western officials have said, citing intelligence data, that Russian casualty rates stand at around 30,000 to 35,000 a month.\n <\/p>\n \n Ukraine\u2019s recent successes can largely be attributed to its current drone superiority<\/a>. After focusing much of its efforts on short-range attacks on Russian positions along the front line, and long-range strikes reaching far into Russia\u2019s territory, Ukraine has recently stepped up its mid-range strikes, targeting Russia\u2019s logistics.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cWe\u2019ve seen a really dramatic uptick in the number of these strikes that Ukrainians have been conducting,\u201d Haward said. \u201cIt\u2019s affecting Russian logistics. If they\u2019re constantly now under threat of Ukrainian drone strikes, that\u2019s going to significantly threaten, slow and hamper their logistics.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Zelensky said in one of his nightly addresses last week that conducting mid-range strikes against Russian military logistics, from depots and command posts to air defense systems, is the country\u2019s top priority and that Ukraine is ramping up contracts and production to sustain that effort.\n <\/p>\n \n Soldiers fighting on the front lines have confirmed the mid-range strikes are making a difference.\n <\/p>\n \n A senior officer in Ukraine\u2019s Security Service (SBU), who goes by the call sign Bankir, told CNN that despite \u201ccontinuous\u201d assaults by Russia in the Zaporizhzhia direction, Ukraine had managed to regain partial control over areas that Russia captured several months ago.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cThere are many different units deployed in our sector. This part of the front is being held thanks to the coordinated efforts of all defense forces \u2013 from the infantry holding the positions to the drones that are constantly operating and striking the enemy,\u201d he told CNN.\n <\/p>\n \n The front line is now so saturated with drones that it is almost impossible for either side to make a move. While the Ukrainians are struggling to liberate as much land as they would like, the inability to move is more damaging for the Russian troops who can no longer grind forward slowly, as they have in the past.\n <\/p>\n \n Instead, they are now attempting to infiltrate areas under Ukrainian control and create an illusion of constant advances, analysts say. They may be able to raise the Russian flag inside the no-man\u2019s land that is the current front line, but they cannot hold the position for long.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cThe Russians constantly report to their commanders that they have captured various villages, but in reality, they are not there. We are constantly pushing them out of there. Our mid-range strikes, which we carry out continuously, are a great help in this regard,\u201d Bondarenko said.\n <\/p>\n \n This strategy is most visible along some of the most heavily contested areas of the front line \u2013 including the once strategically important Ukrainian transport hub of Pokrovsk. When Russia finally managed to take over the city in December, almost two years after its first attempt, the fear in Kyiv was that this could lead to further advances. But Russian troops have been stuck, unable to push ahead.\n <\/p>\n \n Ukraine\u2019s recent successes are not limited to the front lines.\n <\/p>\n \n Kyiv has sought to limit how much Russia can benefit from the rise in oil prices caused by the conflict in Iran, carrying out strikes deeper inside Russian territory and targeting oil and gas <\/a>infrastructure and other key assets.\n <\/p>\n \n This has helped to limit Moscow\u2019s windfall from the higher oil prices, but it has also brought the war much closer to home for its citizens.\n <\/p>\n \n Dmitro, who serves as a drone operator in Ukraine\u2019s 79th brigade and asked to be identified by his first name only, told CNN the day-to-day reality on the front line was \u201can emotional rollercoaster. While morale lifts whenever Kyiv manages a tactical win, he said, those fighting on the front lines are constantly worried about their loved ones back home.\n <\/p>\n \n Russia massively increased its missile and drone attacks against cities across Ukraine last year, targeting energy facilities and other civilian sites. Last year was the deadliest for Ukrainian civilians since 2022, with more than 2,500 killed in 2025, according to the United Nations. The first four months of this year have been even deadlier \u2013 with more civilians killed each month than in the same month last year, according to UN data.\n <\/p>\n \n These attacks are showing no sign of easing. Moscow launched more than 1,400 drones and 56 missiles in the 24 hours to Thursday morning. In Kyiv alone, the air raid alarm was in place for some 11 hours.\n <\/p>\n \n Dmitro said that many Ukrainian people feel a sense of justice when strikes deep inside Russia bring the reality of the war <\/a>closer to home for Russian people.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cWhen we hit Russian cities with their buildings and plants \u2026 Russian people acknowledge there is war,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd later that day we get hit terribly in multiple places, with many casualties. \u2026 it\u2019s just an endless war mess.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n While Ukraine has scored some tactical victories in recent months, Russia has also taken steps that seemingly hinder its own efforts, such as disabling Telegram, the encrypted messenger app widely used by soldiers on the front lines for military communications.\n <\/p>\n \n This happened shortly after Ukraine managed to persuade Elon Musk\u2019s SpaceX company to deny Russia access to its Starlink satellite-based internet service. Even the most pro-war Russian military bloggers were critical of the Telegram decision.\n <\/p>\n \n At the same time, Russia-watchers say the war is becoming increasingly unpopular among Russians. The economy is struggling<\/a>, people are frustrated<\/a> about internet disruptions and frequent Ukrainian attacks against targets deep inside the country are worrying some people.\n <\/p>\n \n The human toll is increasing daily. Last week, opposition Russian outlets Mediazona and Meduza published a new estimate of Russian losses in Ukraine, saying as many as 352,000 Russians have been killed in the four years since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion. The Kremlin has not commented on the figure.\n <\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2026-03-26t101450z-1884449745-rc2gakacjmnb-rtrmadp-3-ukraine-crisis-drones.JPG\")
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