Deep-Strike Operations Cannot Win War — Budanov

Long-range strikes are a tool for exerting pressure on the enemy, but they cannot, on their own, ensure victory in war or force a state to surrender.

Kyrylo Budanov, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, made this statement on September 10 during the Riga Conference 2026—an international forum on security and foreign policy held in Latvia.

He cited the United States’ actions against Iran as an example. According to him, even intense strikes on targets deep within enemy territory cannot replace other components of warfare.

“Deep strikes are a form of support and a means of influence and coercion. But they are effective only in conjunction with other forms of conventional military operations,” Budanov explained.

Budanov also drew attention to the experience of Ukraine, which Russia has been systematically attacking with ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as long-range drones. Despite the scale of these attacks, Moscow has been unable to force Ukraine to surrender.

The discussion centered on the fact that the main theater of war remains the line of combat, while long-range strikes are merely one element of a broader set of measures that complement combat operations on the front lines.

Budanov stated that Ukraine is ready to share its experience in modern warfare with its partners, particularly regarding the comprehensive use of drones. One of the main formats for this exchange of experience is joint exercises with the armed forces of NATO countries. Ukrainian units should operate side by side with the military of partner countries, rather than merely playing the role of a simulated adversary during exercises.

Budanov’s assessment is based, in particular, on his experience leading the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, which he headed from August 2020 to January 2026.

During this period, the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine became one of the first Ukrainian agencies to systematically deploy long-range strike drones against Russian military targets.

One of the first such projects was Black Box—a joint initiative of the DIU, the Come Back Alive Foundation, and blogger Ihor Lachenkov. In 2022, 230 million hryvnias were raised for the project, and it later emerged that Ukrainian Beaver long-range drones were one of the project’s components. According to intelligence reports, in the first eight months of 2023 alone, Black Box inflicted over $900 million in damage on Russia.

At the same time, the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine’s activities were not limited to strikes behind Russian lines. Special forces units under the intelligence directorate’s command carried out infantry and assault missions in the most challenging sectors of the front, conducted raids into occupied territories, and carried out operations in Russia and beyond its borders—in regions where Russian military formations and Moscow-affiliated forces were active.