The face of modern warfare is changing at breakneck speed, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia. With the rise of decentralized warfare—where a drone launched from a garage or a few lines of malicious code can hit as hard as a missile—traditional notions of the battlefield are being upended. According to Fortune, Western governments are now being forced to defend everywhere at once, as critical infrastructure becomes a prime target for both state and non-state actors. The recent NATO Summit, held earlier this summer, highlighted the urgency of this shift, with member nations agreeing to boost defense spending towards 5% of GDP and reaffirming their Article 5 commitments. Yet, as the alliance adapts to these new realities, events on the ground in Ukraine are showing just how far the implications of technological warfare can reach.
The evolution from conventional to technology-driven, decentralized conflict is arguably the most significant change in warfare since the invention of flight. As Fortune reports, the front lines have dissolved—cyber-attacks, sabotage, and autonomous weaponry now play central roles. Ukrainian officials have observed a staggering 70% increase in Russian cyber-attacks in 2024 compared to the previous year, with more than half of these targeting government systems and a growing share aimed directly at military command and control infrastructure. These attacks are not limited to the warzone; Western nations are also seeing their critical infrastructure—energy grids, pipelines, and undersea cables—come under threat from a mix of cyber-criminals, hacktivists, and hostile states.
But perhaps the most dramatic evidence of this shift has been Ukraine’s innovative use of drones and autonomous systems on the battlefield. In March 2025, Ukraine launched its largest-ever drone attack, sending 343 drones into the Moscow region and forcing the shutdown of all four of the Russian capital’s airports. By June, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) had orchestrated the audacious Spider Web Operation, deploying more than 100 drones deep into Russian territory and striking airbases up to 4,500 kilometers from the border. According to Espreso, this operation targeted four major Russian air bases—Belaya, Olenya, Diagilevo, and Ivanovo—damaging 41 aircraft, including Tu-95MS, Tu-22M3, and A-50 models. The estimated value of the destroyed aircraft exceeded $7 billion, and the operation took more than 18 months to prepare, involving the covert transport of FPV drones hidden in mobile wooden houses on trucks.
Notably, the Ukrainka air base, located in Russia’s remote Amur region nearly 6,000 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, was also a target during the Spider Web Operation. However, the strike on Ukrainka failed when a truck carrying drones caught fire and detonated before reaching the airfield. Despite this, the message was clear: even the farthest reaches of Russian territory are now within Ukraine’s technological grasp. As Espreso explains, the Ukrainka base is a critical hub for Russian strategic aviation, hosting Tu-95MS bombers equipped to carry cruise missiles such as the Kh-101, which have been used against Ukraine. Its remote location once offered a sense of security, but that illusion has been shattered by Ukraine’s expanding drone capabilities.
The impact of these operations has rippled through Russian military strategy. In the wake of the Spider Web Operation and other successful strikes, Russia began relocating its strategic bombers—including Tu-95MS models—to the Ukrainka air base, as confirmed by Ukrainian aviation expert Valeriy Romanenko in an interview with LIGA.net. This move, while intended to shield the aircraft from further Ukrainian attacks, has created new logistical headaches for Russia. As SBU Head Vasyl Maliuk reported in early September, Russian forces have been forced to use fewer aircraft in their attacks, as surviving warplanes now operate from much farther away. "It's true that during missile and drone attacks they operate with fewer aircraft. They were forced to move their long-range strategic aircraft to the easternmost point—to Ukrainka airfield. Now they have to cover a long distance to get closer to the territory of Ukraine, to the launch sites. This is not profitable and unacceptable for them. This accelerates the wear and tear of aircraft parts, and they quickly lose their engine life," Maliuk explained.
The strategic relocation of Russian aircraft echoes another recent setback for Moscow: the retreat of its Black Sea Fleet. Just as Ukrainian maritime drones and Neptune coastal missiles forced Russian ships from Crimea to the less convenient port of Novorossiysk, Ukrainian aerial drones have now driven Russian bombers far from the front lines. Intelligence analyst Isaac Seitz observed, "Ukraine's operations in the Black Sea have certainly limited Russia's naval capabilities, but the Black Sea Fleet is not inactive. As the war continues, Russia is adjusting its tactics and strategy to protect itself from Ukraine's asymmetric operations. However, for a fleet the size of Russia's, these failures are surprising and, frankly, inexcusable."
This pattern—of Russian forces being compelled to abandon once-secure strongholds—is a testament to the effectiveness of Ukraine’s asymmetric strategies. The parallels between the Black Sea Fleet’s retreat and the redeployment of strategic aviation are striking. In both cases, Ukraine’s use of innovative, inexpensive technologies has neutralized much of Russia’s advantage in traditional weapons and forced the Kremlin to rethink its assumptions of invulnerability. As Espreso notes, the Ukrainka air base is now just one of several rear hubs (alongside Engels and Belaya) that Russia must rely on, but none are truly safe from future operations.
Meanwhile, the broader implications of these developments have not gone unnoticed by NATO and its allies. The recent summit’s decision to ramp up defense spending is just one response to the realization that military force is no longer defined solely by tanks and troops, but by technological agility and resilience. The UK, for instance, has established joint task forces between the military and industry to harden energy infrastructure and is investing in rapid restoration capabilities for communications networks. As Fortune points out, the very concept of 'defense' is evolving, with resilience across the economy now considered an integral part of national security.
Yet, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently stated during a meeting with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, "Ukraine is responding to Russian attacks on our energy facilities and will continue to do so. But we really want this war to end. But no one will simply endure in the dark." His words hint at the determination to keep pushing the boundaries of what is possible in modern warfare, especially if Russia persists in targeting Ukraine’s critical infrastructure.
As the world watches, Ukraine’s ability to strike deep into Russian territory and force major shifts in Russian military posture stands as a stark warning to all nations: the era of decentralized, technology-driven warfare is here. Those who fail to adapt risk finding their own assumptions—and defenses—rendered obsolete overnight.
