Among soldiers, Spring and Summer are loaded terms. These are times when fighting is considered to be dominantly advantageous or disadvantageous, depending on which side has the finger on the trigger and who is facing the wrong end of the gun.
In the Russia-Ukraine battle zone, this season is considered good for the artillery when the ground is firm and hard to position and deploy the heavy long and medium-range guns—traditionally considered Russia’s strengths.
But it seems these advantages have been frittered away in 2026 with impactful strikes by the Ukrainian from late 2025 and spring 2026.
A report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), among the leading think-tanks on conflicts, says “the Russian forces’ rate of advance in June 2026 is a fraction of the rate of advance that Russian forces achieved in June 2025.”
“Russian forces have also experienced heavy casualties and equipment losses to make these relatively small gains,” it added.
The report said in June 2026, Russian forces seized or infiltrated 30.42 sq km and advanced or infiltrated at an average pace of 1.01 sq km per day. This is substantially less than the 481.25 sq km seized or infiltrated in June 2025, with the average pace of advance at 16.04 sq km per day.
On the other hand, in June 2026, Ukraine, with its medium and long-range strikes by drones or missiles, have badly impacted Russia’s energy infrastructure and the supply and logistics chains.
This has resulted, among other things, in gasoline shortages amid price hikes with independent filling stations in Russia selling fuel for more than 100 roubles ($1.27) a litre for the first time, reports say. Already, Moscow has imposed fuel restrictions in many parts of the country, including much of southern Russia, Siberia, and all of Russian-occupied Ukraine.
On June 26, Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a rare admission, said: “You are well aware that problems for drivers and for businesses persist... Unfortunately, there are still queues at gas stations too.... We have to reduce to a minimum the impact of terrorist attacks on our civilian targets and infrastructure.”
As a result, Russia, according to some reports, has turned to several countries, including India, for the supply of gasoline.
