Deep-Strike Operations Cannot Win War - Budanov

Key Points:

• Kyrylo Budanov, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, emphasized at the Riga Conference 2026 that long-range strikes are a tool for exerting pressure but cannot alone ensure victory or force a state to surrender.
• Citing U.S. actions against Iran and Ukraine's experience under Russian missile and drone attacks, Budanov noted that deep strikes must be combined with conventional military operations to be effective.
• Ukraine remains focused on frontline combat as the main theater of war, with long-range strikes serving as a complementary measure, and is ready to share its modern warfare experience, especially in drone use, with NATO partners through joint exercises.
• Budanov’s insights are informed by his tenure leading Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence from 2020 to 2026, during which the agency pioneered the deployment of long-range strike drones like those from the Black Box project, which caused significant damage to Russian forces.
• Beyond drone strikes, Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence also conducted infantry assaults, raids in occupied territories, and operations inside Russia, demonstrating a multifaceted approach to modern warfare.