How Ukraine blinded Russia’s drones: Operation Vivaldi explained | The Economist

Ukraine has executed Operation Vivaldi by shifting front-line tactics toward intelligence-led interdiction of Russian drone networks while deploying Starlink-guided and "5.1" drones to conduct mid-to-long-range strikes against Russia's military-industrial complex and Crimean supply chains. These asymmetric operations have decimated Russian diesel export capacity to 140,000 barrels daily and forced insurance premiums in Novorossiysk to 20%, yet they face a retaliatory volume of five times more Russian deep strikes alongside a surge in jet-propelled Geran drone production. While successfully straining Russian logistics, this strategy has sparked geopolitical friction by inadvertently inflating global fuel prices and providing Moscow with a narrative to blame Ukraine for economic instability among neutral partners.