The Kremlin’s war machine is short on money and fuel as Ukrainian drones wreak havoc on Russian supply lines.
More than four years after Vladimir Putin failed to seize all of Ukraine in a full-scale invasion, analysts say Kyiv’s forces have turned the tide with improved drones and tactics.
At the same time, Russia is reeling as casualties reach staggering heights, recruitment of replacement troops wanes, and areas far from the frontlines come under attack.
Russia’s changing fortunes were exemplified earlier this week at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, which kicked off just as long-range Ukrainian drones damaged a nearby refinery and naval shipyard, sending plumes of smoke over Putin’s attempt to create his own version of the Davos gathering.
With its war on Ukraine now a quagmire and its economy shrinking, Kremlin finance officials recently told Putin that his war is unaffordable, sources told Bloomberg.
