'Strategic Bombing' of Russia Integral to Ukraine's Offensive: Ex-General

Ukraine's intensifying long-range drone strike campaign against Russian cities is a key part of Kyiv's ongoing counteroffensive operation, the former commander of U.S. Army Europe, retired Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, has told Newsweek.

Tuesday night saw suspected Ukrainian drone attacks against targets in the western Russian regions of Bryansk, Oryol, Kaluga, Ryazan, Moscow, and Pskov. In Pskov, close to the border with Estonia and Latvia—both European Union and NATO nations—fires broke out at a military airport following explosions, with at least four Il-76s military transport aircraft thought damaged.

Drone attacks on Russian territory have become an almost daily occurrence in recent weeks. President Volodymyr Zelensky said in July that the 18-month-old war "is gradually returning to Russia's territory, to its symbolic centers and military bases," in what he described as an "inevitable, natural, and absolutely fair" process.

Hodges, who has been one of Kyiv's most vocal advocates in the U.S., said in an interview on Monday that the growing drone threat "is a part of the counteroffensive" that is currently raging in southeastern Ukraine. There, Ukrainian troops are pushing into Russian fortified lines, hoping to precipitate a defensive collapse.

"It's important to keep in mind that a counter-offensive is more than just the ground assault. That's been the most obvious visible part," Hodges explained.

"You've got what I would call 'strategic bombing,'" he added. The campaign has seen "drone strikes that have hit Moscow several nights in a row as well as other places throughout Russia, by Ukrainian drone operators and perhaps sabotage happening in Russian controlled areas, going after munitions plants, oil storage areas, these kinds of things."

"All of this puts pressure on their leadership," Hodges said, referring to Russian military commanders. "It gives the initiative to the Ukrainians, which obviously is an important part of bringing this to a successful conclusion. And it exploits the weaknesses inherent on the Russian side."

Both sides are thought to have suffered severe casualties in 18 months of fighting. Moscow, like Kyiv, does not release reliable casualty figures. Newsweek has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry by email to request comment.

Complaints of corruption and abuse within Russia's armed forces have become commonplace, especially as Moscow has been forced into "partial mobilization" to replenish the professional units mauled in the opening stages of the invasion.

The armed forces' public image has been further hurt by internal disputes, regular replacements of invasion commanders, and the Defense Ministry's messy feud with the Wagner Group.

"They don't have a coherent command structure, that they hate each other up there, and the best commanders are either dead or in jail now and the most loyal ones remain in office despite their incompetence," Hodges said of the Russian military.

The army has suffered more than any other Russian military branch. But even those spared such high casualties have been marked by the conflict despite their numerical superiority over their Ukrainian adversaries.

"The great Black Sea Fleet doesn't want to get within 100 miles of Ukrainian coasts right now," Hodges said. "They're terrified of anti-ship missiles and Ukrainian maritime drones. And Ukraine doesn't even have a navy."

"The great Russian air force has not been able to destroy a train or convoy bringing equipment and ammunition from Poland into Ukraine in 18 months. That's because of the very good air defense, as well as Russian inability; they've failed to ever achieve air superiority."

Russian political and military officials have repeatedly, but unconvincingly, declared the defeat of Ukraine's ongoing counteroffensive. Kyiv has acknowledged the slow pace and high casualties of the operation, though officials have urged patience among their Western partners.

Ukrainian troops are now making significant gains in Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk oblasts, reportedly breaking into Russia's defensive lines. How deep and effective the Russian defenses are remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, Kyiv is building a steady tempo of attacks behind the lines. Last week saw significant strikes on valuable Russian targets in Crimea, as well as a commando raid on the northwestern tip of the occupied peninsula. Hodges said these actions are all elements of the larger Ukrainian strategy.

"This commando raid on the western tip of Crimea, this is a part of it," he said. "They destroyed a very important radar site, and air defense weapons which makes it much more difficult for Russia to be able to detect more drones coming in—maritime or unmanned aerial systems. We have to take a broader view of what the counteroffensive is."