Russian Labour Force Flees Dangerous Military Facilities

(KYIV, UKRAINE) – Ukraine is systematically dismantling the Russian war economy through a sustained campaign of deep strikes against strategic rear area targets, according to journalist and analyst Anna Danylchuk. Speaking to UA TV, Danylchuk, host of the “Anna from Ukraine” YouTube channel, argued that the era of a safe Russian rear has evaporated, with the economic and psychological impacts now compounding pressure on the Russian dictator.

Danylchuk stated that for years the global conversation focused primarily on explaining Ukraine’s resilience while underestimating the internal rot within the Russian Federation. “Right now I do have this feeling that people know and understand more about our people, our strategies and at the same time they know very very little about real problems inside the Russian Federation,” Danylchuk said. “We need to bring to the English speaking world what Russian military experts, financial experts are talking about on the local TVs.”

The analyst emphasised that Russia is a fundamentally energy dependent country, competitive in neither the car market nor mobile telephone sector. Its budget relies almost exclusively on the export of oil and gas. Ukrainian drone strikes, described by Danylchuk as “kinetic sanctions,” have dealt a severe blow to this financial lifeline. Danylchuk noted that Ukrainian forces specifically targeted four major Russian oil export terminals on the Black Sea and in the Baltics, effectively slamming shut a temporary sanctions loophole. “What made me particularly happy is when this window of opportunities was open to Putin with sanctions temporarily lifted on some of their oil that was already in the sea that we managed to prevent them from using this window literally shut it for them by targeting four of Russia’s major oil export terminals,” she said.

Crucially, these strikes have exposed the inadequacy of Russian air defence systems tasked with protecting strategic economic sites. “The air defence kept failing and we visited Luca with drones for four, five days in a row and they simply recorded explosions,” Danylchuk observed. “With all the dangers and understanding of the situation, Russia was not able to protect these strategic sites.”

The persistent threat has altered the calculus inside Russia, eroding the concept of a secure hinterland. Danylchuk noted that the Russian dictator is visibly responding by building more air defence systems around his personal residence in Valdai. Furthermore, the strikes are fuelling public anxiety and shifting attitudes toward the so called “special military operation.” Danylchuk pointed to a growing chorus of disillusionment among previously staunch pro war Russian military activists. “A lot of their super military supporters, Ruski activists, people who are very much anti Ukrainian and super pro Imperial openly say we cannot defeat Ukraine we cannot win this special military operation,” she said.

This internal discontent is compounded by labour shortages at critical military and industrial sites. Workers are increasingly reluctant to staff drone production facilities or oil terminals due to the danger of Ukrainian strikes. Regional governors in areas bordering the active war zone, which Danylchuk suggested could be named as such, are openly begging the Kremlin for air defence protection, prioritising the safety of Russians over attacks on Ukrainian territory, yet receiving no response. “I believe that this dissatisfaction is brewing and people understand that they see how the special military operation now destroys Russia from inside and Putin remains in denial,” Danylchuk said.

Regarding the international response, Danylchuk dismissed recent comments by Donald Trump describing Russian strikes as “terrible” as having no tangible weight. She argued that words from Washington have become decoupled from actionable policy. “Unfortunately whatever Donald Trump says does not mean anything,” Danylchuk stated.

“I partially believe that even when we are talking about security guarantees we are more talking about this joint efforts of the American people, of NATO, of our EU partner countries like Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia they do not need any explanation or any arguments. They are all in.” She drew a sharp distinction between the American nation and its current leadership, adding, “America is not Trump and Trump is not America.”

Looking ahead to a potential Russian spring offensive, with Ukrainian intelligence suggesting a political goal to capture the entirety of the Donbas region by September, Danylchuk expressed scepticism about Russia’s capacity to absorb the required losses without triggering domestic political crisis. She argued that achieving such a goal would necessitate a general conscription, a step the Russian dictator fears due to memories of mass emigration and protest in 2022. With Duma elections scheduled for September, Danylchuk believes the regime will avoid such a destabilising move. She also highlighted a rarely discussed friction point within the Russian military: the integration of poorly paid conscripts with well compensated contract soldiers. “Just imagine what kind of conflict that will create inside the Russian army what it may lead to,” she said.

Danylchuk concluded that the only viable strategy for Ukraine is to double down on deep strikes against logistics, warehouses and air defences. “That is the only working strategy to keep defeating and demilitarizing them,” she said. “This war will only end when Russia has no money and no resources to continue it.” She added that the ongoing dissolution of the Russian Federation is an irreversible process driven not merely by Ukrainian resilience but by profound economic mismanagement and the unsustainability of an imperial structure in the 21st century.