From Yamal to Western Siberia: Zelensky announced the expansion of the range of Ukrainian drones

Russia continues to strike at Ukraine's energy system, and new attacks regularly undermine the efforts of emergency services to restore damaged infrastructure. This was stated by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, on Friday, October 30, in his evening video address. According to the LETA agency, citing DPA, the Ukrainian president emphasized that Russian attacks on energy facilities continue daily. "Unfortunately, strikes on energy infrastructure are carried out every day, causing significant damage. The Russian operation against our energy production, our energy systems, and our energy connections continues," Zelensky stated. According to him, in many regions of Ukraine, emergency crews are trying to restore electricity supply, but repeated strikes damage the infrastructure and force specialists to start repair work again. As a result, residents face new power outages even in areas where the consequences of previous attacks have already been partially eliminated. "The Russians have not taken a single step towards de-escalation in the energy sector," the President of Ukraine emphasized. ### Ukrainian drones can reach targets in Western Siberia At the same time, Ukraine continues to develop its own long-range strike capabilities. Zelensky reported on Facebook that the capabilities of Ukrainian combat drones have significantly expanded, and Russian facilities are now within their reach at a considerable distance from the Ukrainian border. "Russian facilities along the line stretching from the Yamal Peninsula to Western Siberia are now within the reach of our long-range combat drones," he wrote. The president also announced plans to expand units specializing in long-range strikes. However, he did not provide specific technical specifications for the drones or details on the increase in the number of relevant units. ### Zelensky called long-range weapons a guarantee of security According to the Ukrainian president, the development of its own strike capabilities is important not only for current combat operations but also for ensuring the country's security after the war ends. "Ukraine's capabilities for long-range strikes are one of the real guarantees of our independence in this war and will remain a guarantee of our long-term security even after the war," Zelensky stated. Thus, Kyiv is simultaneously faced with the need to protect and restore its own energy infrastructure while continuing to develop means to strike targets on Russian territory. The statement about the expansion of the range of Ukrainian drones is currently based on Zelensky's words. There is no independent data confirming the ability to strike the entire area he mentioned in the provided statement.