President Volodymyr Zelensky said on August 8 that he was “absolutely satisfied” with the results of Ukraine’s 40-day campaign targeting Russian logistics, claiming the operation inflicted losses of one trillion rubles (approximately $12.2 billion) and warning Moscow to expect more.
The campaign, which began in late June under the direction of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), culminated in crippling dozens of Russian tankers supplying occupied Crimea and the destruction of numerous warehouses across Russia belonging to online retailer Wildberries. The SBU released a statement on August 4 outlining the scope of the operation.
“I am satisfied, absolutely. In terms of our logistical responses, we understand how much they have lost; they have major problems,” Zelensky said in a television interview. “After they began striking our logistics, we found another logistical operation and responded to them. The losses there are staggering. It was a very successful operation by Ukrainian forces.”
Zelensky issued thinly veiled threats that strikes on Russian logistics would continue beyond the stated 40-day timeline, saying Ukraine has mapped out Russia’s supply chain vulnerabilities. “They have for a long time allowed themselves to target non-military targets, and they must know that Ukraine strikes military targets. But if they continue, we understand all their weak points,” he said.
Ukrainian officials familiar with the planning said one of the campaign’s central political objectives was to force Russian civilians to experience the consequences of the war more directly, with an eye toward influencing elections in September. The operation represented a significant escalation in Ukraine’s ability to project power deep behind Russian lines using long-range drones and special operations.
The campaign comes as Ukraine faces growing pressure on the battlefield, with Russian forces intensifying attacks on Ukrainian cities. Another overnight Russian attack on Kyiv on August 8 killed four people, including a three-year-old child, and injured eight others. The Air Force reported that Russia launched six Iskander-M ballistic missiles and S-400 surface-to-air missiles overnight.
Zelensky also revealed that Ukrainian forces struck an oil refinery in Samara Oblast and another facility in Krasnodar Krai overnight on August 8, continuing the pattern of deep strikes on Russian energy infrastructure. The strikes are part of a broader strategy that has seen Ukraine target Russian shadow fleet tankers, military logistics hubs, and fuel depots across the country.
Sources: Kyiv Independent, Kyiv Independent – Campaign Analysis
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