Ukraine Turns Russia's Depth Into a Deathtrap - Jason Jay Smart

Moscow once counted on distance to keep its war economy safe. That era is over. Ukraine now has the reach and the intelligence to strike the nodes that keep Russia’s invasion alive. Tomahawk cruise missiles under U.S. discussion can hit targets at 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles). Ukraine’s Flamingo FP-5 is reported to reach 3,000 kilometers (1,800 miles). Engels-2 bomber base, the Ryazan and Yaroslavl refineries, and the Novorossiysk export port are no longer behind glass. These sites fuel Russian aircraft, move diesel to the front, and convert oil into the hard currency that pays soldiers and buys imported parts. Precision finds the nodes that matter. Mass keeps them offline long enough for shortages and panic to spread through the ranks and the ministries. When fuel does not flow and cash does not arrive, sorties fall, convoys thin, and commanders lose time.

This is how a rear becomes a front. Ukraine is pairing range with real targeting. Satellites, terrain data, and air defense mapping make each launch count. A refinery that goes dark today becomes slower armor tomorrow. A delayed transfer at Novorossiysk becomes a late payroll and an angry supplier. Engels-2 matters because long-range missions start there. Ryazan and Yaroslavl matter because a tank without diesel is a bunker that cannot move. Ports matter because barrels without buyers are just pools of crude. The pattern is simple. Disrupt fuel and cash. Force repairs into queues. Make the Kremlin choose between paying elites or paying mechanics. Either way, combat power erodes.

Russia’s answer is to pull air defenses back to shield industry. That trade creates holes at the front and hesitation in the cities. Units begin to feel rationing. Rotations stretch. Orders slow. Insurance rises and shipping costs climb. Spare parts arrive late or not at all. Repair yards fill. Skilled technicians cannot be in three regions at once. A regime can fake statistics. It cannot fake diesel in the tank or turbines on the line. History is clear. When industry falters, loyalty thins. In 1917 it was bread and rails. In the late 1980s it was coal and confidence. Today it is fuel, exports, and command nodes that fail to restart on time.

Ukraine’s method is disciplined and modern. Use Flamingo mass to keep refineries, depots, and terminals down. Use Tomahawk precision to cut recovery points like transformers, relay stations, and command centers. Keep pressure steady enough to outrun repairs. Let the backlog grow faster than capacity. That is how tactical damage becomes systemic failure. It is also how deterrence is rebuilt. The only language a mafia state hears is cost. Raise the cost until aggression cannot be financed or fueled.

Viewers deserve clarity over slogans. The war will end when Russia cannot pay for it and cannot move it. That is why range and intelligence matter more than headlines. Ukraine is not chasing spectacle. It is forcing choices that Moscow cannot win. Every strike widens the fracture. Every delay at a port or refinery cuts the timeline for the next offensive. The safe rear is finished. The bill for aggression is coming due. If the West wants a shorter war, then help Ukraine hit what truly matters and keep it down long enough for the front to feel it.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 – Russia’s Illusion of Safety
01:15 – The Rear Becomes the Front
02:30 – Flamingo Drones and Tomahawk Missiles
03:45 – America’s Tomahawk Transfer
05:15 – Hitting the Engels-2 Bomber Base
06:30 – The Refinery War
08:00 – Oil Terminals Under Siege
09:30 – The Economic Spiral
10:30 – Political and Banking Strain
11:30 – Ukraine’s Tech Edge
12:30 – The Flamingo Program
13:45 – Internal Sabotage and FSB Corruption
15:00 – Russia Repeats Its Own History
16:00 – Endscreen / Call to Action