Ukraine's Long-Range Drones Now Reliably Penetrate Russian Air Defense at Scale

On June 3, Ukrainian drones struck St. Petersburg and Tambov—roughly 1,000 and 600 kilometers from the border respectively—hitting an oil terminal, naval base, and weapons plant. Russia intercepted approximately 60 drones over the Leningrad region alone, yet enough penetrated to set infrastructure ablaze across three city districts. The operation confirms Ukraine has mastered saturation tactics that overwhelm layered defenses, rendering deep-strike campaigns effective against even densely protected targets. This capability reshapes the conflict's strategic calculus.