Ukraine's Drones Cripple Russian Oil Industry as Kupyansk Garrison Surrenders
Ukrainian strikes destroy two-thirds of Russia's refining capacity while encircled Russian troops lay down arms. The asymmetric war Putin cannot win.
Ukraine's drone campaign is systematically dismantling Russia's war machine from within, crippling two-thirds of the country's oil refining capacity while Ukrainian forces reclaim territory and capture surrendering Russian troops by the hundreds.
The Drone War Moscow Cannot Win
In what military analysts are calling one of the most effective asymmetric campaigns of the 21st century, Ukrainian forces have executed 73 precision strikes against Russian oil infrastructure in 2025 alone. According to NPR, the latest strike set ablaze the Zhutovskaya oil depot in the Volgograd region, a facility directly supplying fuel to Russian forces on the front lines.
The International Energy Agency has warned that Ukrainian drone strikes will suppress Russia's refinery processing rates until at least mid-2026, dealing a severe blow to Moscow's ability to fund its illegal invasion. Ukraine is deploying Firepoint FP-1 drones capable of reaching targets 1,500 kilometres away at a cost of just $55,000 per unit, a fraction of the damage they inflict.
This is not merely military success; it is economic warfare that strikes at the very heart of Russia's war chest.
Kupyansk: The Surrender That Humiliated Putin
On the ground, the news is equally devastating for Moscow. The Washington Post reports that Ukrainian forces have successfully pushed Russian troops out of the Kupyansk region, with cut-off soldiers surrendering rather than fighting to the death for Putin's failed ambitions.
Putin had proudly announced last month that Kupyansk was "totally under Russian control." Russian military bloggers have since dramatically reversed their rhetoric, with one admitting that such statements are "not only inaccurate" but "do not even come close to reflecting the actual situation on the ground."
According to UAWire, only several dozen Russian soldiers remain inside the northeastern city without proper supply lines, and Moscow has effectively acknowledged the failure of its attempts to hold the city. Some occupiers are surrendering, including foreign mercenaries who have decided that Ukrainian captivity is preferable to dying for Putin's imperial delusions.
The 77th Brigade documented at least 40 Russian soldiers killed or seriously injured after reconnaissance drones discovered them exiting an unused natural gas pipeline near Bohuslavka, a desperate infiltration attempt that ended in devastation.
The Spirit That Cannot Be Broken
Perhaps nothing captures Ukraine's indomitable spirit better than a video circulating on social media showing a Ukrainian man calmly shoveling snow when a Russian Shahed drone strikes nearby. He pauses for exactly ten seconds before returning to his work.
This is the resilience that Russia cannot bomb into submission. While the EU rushes winter aid to Ukrainians freezing in their homes, ordinary citizens demonstrate the quiet courage that has defined this nation's resistance from day one.
President Zelenskyy has laid bare the human cost of Putin's madness: Russian losses now amount to no less than 1,000 killed per day since December. "This is how Russia is essentially paying just to keep the war from ending," Zelenskyy wrote. "This madness can only be stopped by combined forces, the forces of Europe."
Europe Must Not Waver
The evidence is clear: Ukraine is winning the technological and tactical war against a vastly larger adversary. Its drones strike deep into Russian territory with impunity. Its forces recapture ground that Moscow claimed was permanently conquered. Its people endure bombardment with determination rather than despair.
As Europe rallies behind Ukraine with record support, the continent must recognise that this investment in Ukrainian defence is an investment in European security. Every Russian refinery that burns, every occupation force that surrenders, every day that Ukraine fights is a day that Putin's imperial project crumbles further.
The Ukrainian drone operators striking oil depots in Volgograd and Rostov are not just defending their homeland. They are defending the rules-based international order that Europe has built over decades. They deserve not just our admiration, but our unwavering support until victory is achieved.
January 21, 2026