Russian military bloggers have continued to criticize the ineffectiveness of Russian air defense systems and highlight the impact of Ukrainian strikes.
This was stated in an analysis by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
A Kremlin-linked Russian military blogger said on April 6 that the constant Ukrainian strikes against Russian targets are "exhausting" Russian air defense forces with anti-aircraft missiles "to the limit" and depleting ammunition "at an accelerated pace" because Russia cannot simply produce "thousands" missiles for the Pantsir air defense systems "from nothing".
The military blogger said that these restrictions make ineffective suggestions in the Russian information space that Russia should increase the production of surface-to-air missiles. and air defense systems, and encouraged Russian forces to adapt to Ukraine's emphasis on mobile fire teams, interceptor drones, and acoustic reconnaissance systems.
Russian military bloggers have also highlighted the resources spent repairing damage from Ukrainian strikes, the daily strikes by Ukrainian drones that are wearing down Russian air defenses, the systematic nature of Ukrainian long-range drone strikes, and the vulnerability of Russian warships stationed at bases within range of Ukrainian drones.
Russia appears yet to have fully developed or deployed mobile fire teams, drone interceptors, or other low-cost deployment systems to defend itself against repeated massed strikes by Ukrainian drones on widely dispersed targets.
The Kremlin has reportedly authorized private companies to develop their own own, possibly inexpensive, methods to counter drones, but the targets Ukrainian forces are striking do not appear to have been adequately protected by such means.
Ukraine's long-range strike campaign is likely to force Russian forces to divert valuable resources and manpower to air defense efforts rather than to efforts against Ukraine itself.
Russian forces are likely to adapt over time, given their initial drone trials and discussions of mobile fire teams, but they may continue to find it difficult to protect numerous large and widely dispersed facilities.
Ukraine's long-range strike campaign is causing significant damage to Russia's oil export capabilities. Bloomberg reported that ship tracking data showed that the oil tanker "Jewel" began loading at the oil export port of Ust-Luga, Leningrad Oblast, on April 4 — nine days after the Ukrainian strike on the port on the night of 24/25 March, which reportedly halted all oil loading at the port.
A Western security official told the "Financial Times" (FT) on 6 April that the latest Ukrainian strikes on the oil export port of Primorsk had destroyed $200 million worth of oil.
"Financial Times" also noted, citing data from Argus, a provider of commodity benchmark prices, that exports of petrochemical naphtha from Ust-Luga fell by about 70 percent in the last week of March following the Ukrainian strikes that began on the night of March 24-25.
The Russian army is facing personnel problems and has been unable to recruit enough mercenaries to compensate for its losses at the front.
The Ukrainian initiative "I Want to Live" reported on April 6 that in the first three months of 2026, the Russian Ministry of Defense (MOD) recruited fewer soldiers than would be needed to be on track to meet its 2026 target of 409,000 contract soldiers.
The initiative reported that the Russian Ministry of Defense needs to recruit 1,100-1,150 soldiers per day to meet its annual recruitment target, but in the first three months of 2026 it managed to recruit an average of 940 contract soldiers per day.
The initiative reported that the Ministry of Defense plans to recruit the most soldiers in the Central and Volga Federal Districts and continue to recruit in occupied Ukraine. The initiative noted that about 24 percent of all contract soldiers are under criminal investigation or have been convicted, and nearly 40 percent of them are in debt.
The Russian Defense Ministry is trying to recruit additional personnel through other sources, regardless of the financial and social costs. The Russian independent publication "We Can Explain" reported on April 2 that at least 12 Russian federal subjects have increased one-time bonuses upon signing a contract by between 50 and 80 percent from mid-February 2026.