Kyiv’s strategy of using its long-range bombs to force the closure of airspace has resulted in the grounding of thousands of passengers..One of Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s maxims is that Russians must also experience war. Russia has brought destruction to his country, and the least he can do, the Ukrainian president has said on numerous occasions, is to make its citizens to be aware of this so they understand the need for peace. There are many ways to bring the war to Russia. One of them — that Ukrainian forces are working hard to achieve — is to disrupt the start of the summer vacation for Russian travelers.
Ukrainian drones have been periodically forcing the closure of airspace in major Russian cities throughout July, resulting in the cancellation or delay of hundreds of flights. The most devastating moment for the Russian aviation sector occurred between July 19 and 22, when more than 500 flights were canceled at airports in Moscow and St. Petersburg alone, according to data from the state news agency TASS. Meduza, a Russian media outlet in exile, estimates that only 100 were canceled in the entirety of 2024.
The nights of July 19 and 20 were the toughest, when more than 230 Ukrainian drones were shot down in Russia, around 30 of them over Moscow, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense. The power of Russian long-range bombing raids on Ukraine has meant that since the first day of the invasion, almost three and a half years ago, Ukrainian airspace has been closed, allowing only military aircraft to fly.
Russia has been firing an average of 209 long-range bomb drones per day in July, which is at least three times as many as Ukraine, according to a comparison of statistics provided by their respective defense ministries. Russia also used an average of six cruise and ballistic missiles per day in July, weapons that Kyiv does not possess.
On Tuesday night, eight Russian missiles targeted the city of Zaporizhzhia, in southeastern Ukraine. The strikes destroyed a prison, leaving 17 people dead and more than 40 wounded. Zaporizhzhia is located just 23 kilometers (14 miles) from the front lines, and Russian troops are advancing in this sector for the first time in months. The fear among the population is that the city could soon be within range of enemy artillery.
“The Ukrainian tactic [of attempting to close Russian airspace], with this intensity, is unprecedented,” Meduza reported on July 23. There is no official confirmation from the Ukrainian authorities that the goal is to disrupt the summer vacations of the population, but activists, military personnel, and officials close to the presidency are celebrating on social media and in the press.
“These actions damage the morale of the Russian people,” military analyst Ivan Stupak told the Kyiv Independent on July 28. “They are used to seeing war only on YouTube, but with what we are doing, we are sending a clear message: the war is very real, and your comfort depends on what we do.”
Zelenskiy’s only comment on the issue came in a July 26 statement in response to another night of large-scale Russian bombing of Ukrainian cities: “In the face of these attacks, we cannot remain silent, and Ukrainian long-range drones guarantee this. Russian military, logistics, and airport companies must feel the real consequences of its war.”
Forcing Putin to negotiate
“The precision of our drones and the frequency with which Ukraine responds are arguments that will undoubtedly bring peace closer,” Zelenskiy added. The Ukrainian president has reiterated over the past three years of war that it is essential for Russia to feel the threat on its territory to force Vladimir Putin to negotiate.
Officially, what is being carried out, as has been the case for the past two years, are drone bomb attacks by the intelligence services of the Ministry of Defense (GUR) and the Security Services of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine (SSU) against military installations and arms production plants on Russian soil. The GUR and SSU are responsible for operations far from the front lines in Russian territory.
One of the latest blows came on the night of July 26-27, when Ukrainian drones bombed the Signal factory producing military radio-electronic equipment in Stavropol, in the North Caucasus. The attack forced the suspension of operations at Volgograd Airport, and 70 flights were grounded.
Not all drone waves have a specific target. In the case of the flights over Moscow, the intention, according to independent observers such as Meduza, is to force the closure of commercial aviation. The clearest example, according to this outlet, is the fact that the day Russia suffered the most flight cancellations in 2025 coincided with the Victory Day long weekend last May: 15 airports had to suspend operations just as a large part of the population was preparing to travel and enjoy a few days of rest.
Further evidence of Ukraine’s intention to destabilize Russia’s transportation sector during the summer vacation came on July 27, when the Ukrainian hacker group Silent Crow and the Belarusian opposition group BY hacked into Aeroflot’s computer system. According to Russia’s largest airline, 53 flights in Moscow were canceled on Monday and Tuesday. The hackers claimed they had primarily damaged the ticket refund system for thousands of people who had been stranded in recent weeks.
Attacks on the railway network
The rail network is also experiencing significant disruptions at a time of high passenger traffic due to the summer holidays. Ukrainian drones struck key railway infrastructure for military logistics four times in July. The latest attack occurred early Tuesday morning, when Ukrainian bombs caused damage to a key station for the war front in the Russian province of Rostov. There were no injuries, according to regional authorities, but nine trains had to be suspended.
The attack that caused the most disruption took place on July 19, also in Rostov Province, where thousands of people travel to spend their holidays on the Black Sea. A drone cut off the power supply and left 130 trains unable to operate for an entire day.