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Strana 36

locations. Ukraine‘s internet infrastructure
is much more decentralized, allowing it to
cope with outages more effectively, whereas
the destruction of data centers poses a major
problem for Russia.
Refineries Are Feeling the Impact
Ukraine continued its campaign against
Russian logistics and energy infrastructure in
Crimea, but focused primarily on Russian oil
refineries. This year, Ukrainian drones have
attacked refineries more than seventy times
(several facilities have been hit repeatedly),
and Russian oil processing has fallen to its
lowest level in 20 years. Russia is turning from
an exporter into an importer and has been
forced to import fuel, while diesel and gasoline
prices for ordinary consumers continue to rise.
Ukraine‘s General Staff estimated that Russia‘s
oil industry suffered $13.5 billion in damage
during the year from August 2025 onward.
Despite the significant impact on the
Russian economy—and consequently on its
ability to wage war—U.S. President Donald
Trump has repeatedly begun calling on Ukraine
to stop attacking Russian refineries. He argues
that these attacks are driving up global diesel
prices. He seems to overlook the fact that
prices surged following his attack on Iran
and the subsequent blockade of the Strait
of Hormuz. Ukrainian President Volodymyr
Zelenskyy has repeatedly offered to halt
attacks on Russian refineries if Moscow stops
attacking Ukraine‘s energy infrastructure.
However, Trump is putting no pressure on
Russia whatsoever in this regard, directing his
demands exclusively at Ukraine.
Operation Vivaldi
Russia has also intensified its air raids
because its forces are making virtually no
progress on the ground. Thanks in part to
Operation Vivaldi near the city of Lyman,
Ukrainian forces managed to liberate more
territory than Russia succeeded in capturing
in other sectors of the front. Operation Vivaldi
was also notable for its innovative use of
drones. The Ukrainians converted old Soviet
BTR-60 wheeled armored personnel carriers
for remote control, filled them with explosives,
and used them to breach Russian defensive
lines. However, this type of tactic had already
been used before.
What was entirely new, however, was the
deployment of ground robots behind Russian
lines using large aerial drones. These ground
drones were armed with grenade launchers.
They approached the entrances to bunkers
occupied by Russian soldiers and began firing
grenades inside. Once their ammunition was
exhausted, they entered the bunkers and
detonated the explosive charges they were
carrying, effectively acting as kamikaze
weapons.
F-16s Will Also Arrive
from Belgium
Several pieces of good news also concern
Ukraine‘s F-16 fighter jets. Ukraine has
been warning for some time that it is facing
a shortage of missiles for its air defense
systems. As a result, fighter jets are playing
an increasingly important role in the country‘s
defense. Their importance has increased even
further since the Russians began using jet-
powered Geran drones on a larger scale.
In September, Lieutenant General Anatolii
Kryvonozhko, commander of the Ukrainian Air
Force, informed representatives of Lockheed
Martin at a meeting that Ukrainian F-16 pilots
had shot down more than 660 cruise missiles
and 2,500 unmanned aerial vehicles over the
course of two years.
In addition to defending against Russian air
raids, Ukrainian F-16 pilots have also carried
out more than 650 strikes against enemy
ground targets using guided bombs. Their
record also includes one officially confirmed
shootdown of a Russian Su-35 fighter jet.
Ukraine has lost five F-16s in return.
It is estimated that the Ukrainian Air Force
currently operates just under 40 F-16s.
These aircraft were supplied by Denmark,
the Netherlands, and Norway. Belgium also
pledged to provide fighter jets in 2024, but
delayed deliveries until it had received
a sufficient number of new F-35 aircraft for its
own air force.
Now, however, F-16 deliveries from Belgium
are also set to begin. The first seven aircraft
are expected to arrive by the end of this year.
Three will immediately enter combat service,
while four will be used exclusively as sources
of spare parts. In total, Belgium will provide
Ukraine with 53 F-16 aircraft in several stages,
with deliveries scheduled to continue through
the end of 2029.
The aircraft currently operated by Ukraine
are older but modernized F-16AM Block
15/20 MLU variants. Lieutenant General
Kryvonozhko and representatives of Lockheed
Martin discussed possibilities for increasing
the combat capabilities of these aircraft.
In the future, Ukraine could also receive the
latest F-16C Block 70/72 variants. In this case,
however, these aircraft would probably be
intended more for rebuilding and modernizing
the Ukrainian Air Force after the war, similar to
the JAS 39 E/F Gripen and Rafale aircraft.
Innovations in
the fight against
Russian drones
– launching inter
-
ceptor drones from
a Ukrainian Mi-8
helicopter.
Belgium will begin delivering F-16 fighter jets
to Ukraine later this year.
The Ukrainian Air Force currently operates
just under 40 F-16 aircraft.
AIR WAR IN UKRAINE
INFO Eduard36
November 2026

AIR WAR IN UKRAINE

locations. Ukraine‘s internet infrastructure is much more decentralized, allowing it to cope with outages more effectively, whereas the destruction of data centers poses a major problem for Russia.

Refineries Are Feeling the Impact

Ukraine continued its campaign against Russian logistics and energy infrastructure in Crimea, but focused primarily on Russian oil refineries. This year, Ukrainian drones have attacked refineries more than seventy times (several facilities have been hit repeatedly), and Russian oil processing has fallen to its lowest level in 20 years. Russia is turning from an exporter into an importer and has been forced to import fuel, while diesel and gasoline prices for ordinary consumers continue to rise. Ukraine‘s General Staff estimated that Russia‘s oil industry suffered $13.5 billion in damage during the year from August 2025 onward.

Despite the significant impact on the Russian economy—and consequently on its ability to wage war—U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly begun calling on Ukraine to stop attacking Russian refineries. He argues that these attacks are driving up global diesel prices. He seems to overlook the fact that prices surged following his attack on Iran and the subsequent blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly offered to halt attacks on Russian refineries if Moscow stops attacking Ukraine‘s energy infrastructure. However, Trump is putting no pressure on Russia whatsoever in this regard, directing his demands exclusively at Ukraine.

Operation Vivaldi

Russia has also intensified its air raids because its forces are making virtually no progress on the ground. Thanks in part to Operation Vivaldi near the city of Lyman, Ukrainian forces managed to liberate more territory than Russia succeeded in capturing in other sectors of the front. Operation Vivaldi was also notable for its innovative use of

drones. The Ukrainians converted old Soviet BTR-60 wheeled armored personnel carriers for remote control, filled them with explosives, and used them to breach Russian defensive lines. However, this type of tactic had already been used before.

What was entirely new, however, was the deployment of ground robots behind Russian lines using large aerial drones. These ground drones were armed with grenade launchers. They approached the entrances to bunkers occupied by Russian soldiers and began firing grenades inside. Once their ammunition was exhausted, they entered the bunkers and detonated the explosive charges they were carrying, effectively acting as kamikaze weapons.

F-16s Will Also Arrive from Belgium

Several pieces of good news also concern Ukraine‘s F-16 fighter jets. Ukraine has been warning for some time that it is facing a shortage of missiles for its air defense systems. As a result, fighter jets are playing an increasingly important role in the country‘s defense. Their importance has increased even further since the Russians began using jetpowered Geran drones on a larger scale.

In September, Lieutenant General Anatolii Kryvonozhko, commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, informed representatives of Lockheed Martin at a meeting that Ukrainian F-16 pilots had shot down more than 660 cruise missiles and 2,500 unmanned aerial vehicles over the course of two years.

In addition to defending against Russian air raids, Ukrainian F-16 pilots have also carried out more than 650 strikes against enemy ground targets using guided bombs. Their record also includes one officially confirmed shootdown of a Russian Su-35 fighter jet. Ukraine has lost five F-16s in return.

It is estimated that the Ukrainian Air Force currently operates just under 40 F-16s. These aircraft were supplied by Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway. Belgium also

pledged to provide fighter jets in 2024, but delayed deliveries until it had received a sufficient number of new F-35 aircraft for its own air force.

Now, however, F-16 deliveries from Belgium are also set to begin. The first seven aircraft are expected to arrive by the end of this year. Three will immediately enter combat service, while four will be used exclusively as sources of spare parts. In total, Belgium will provide Ukraine with 53 F-16 aircraft in several stages, with deliveries scheduled to continue through the end of 2029.

The aircraft currently operated by Ukraine are older but modernized F-16AM Block 15/20 MLU variants. Lieutenant General Kryvonozhko and representatives of Lockheed Martin discussed possibilities for increasing the combat capabilities of these aircraft.

In the future, Ukraine could also receive the latest F-16C Block 70/72 variants. In this case, however, these aircraft would probably be intended more for rebuilding and modernizing the Ukrainian Air Force after the war, similar to the JAS 39 E/F Gripen and Rafale aircraft.

Belgium will begin delivering F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine later this year.

The Ukrainian Air Force currently operates just under 40 F-16 aircraft.

Innovations in the fight against Russian drones – launching interceptor drones from a Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopter.

36

INFO Eduard

November 2026

Info EDUARD