Pentagon report says Ukraine strikes inside Russia failed to achieve strategic impact

Peace talks on Ukraine have stalled because President Volodymyr Zelenskyy refuses to cede territory to Russia, according to an assessment by the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency included in a special inspector general report on Operation Atlantic Resolve submitted to the US Congress.

“These high-level talks did not result in a ceasefire or peace agreement, and negotiations reached an impasse,” the report said.

The Pentagon report also said Ukraine’s strikes on Russian air bases, defense industry facilities and ammunition depots had failed to produce meaningful results.

According to the intelligence assessment, the attacks lacked “the coordination, tempo and concentration on critical Russian military infrastructure necessary to generate operational or strategic effects on Russia’s ability to conduct military operations.”

The report said Ukraine’s attacks to date had also failed to significantly affect Russia’s energy supply. It added that people living in Russia “were not materially affected by Ukrainian strikes” during the quarter under review.

Operation Atlantic Resolve was launched by the United States after Crimea joined Russia. Under the program, Washington expanded the American military presence in Europe. The US administration said the move was intended to demonstrate that the security of allies and partners remained a priority for Washington.

The operation remains in force. Congress has required the relevant federal agencies to submit regular reports on the progress of the operation and related expenditures.

The Pentagon also assessed that Russia continues to hold the overall strategic initiative in Ukraine. The report said Russian forces were continuing to expand the territory under their control, while the Ukrainian Armed Forces were facing shortages of ammunition, drones and drone components.

Russia, for its part, has characterized Ukrainian strikes as terrorist attacks. Russia’s Investigative Committee said it had opened numerous terrorism investigations following such actions by Kyiv.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said a day earlier that, in response to what it described as Ukrainian “terrorist attacks” on civilian targets, Russian forces had launched intensive strikes on Ukraine’s military-industrial facilities, fuel and energy infrastructure used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, transport and port infrastructure, and military airfields.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also said in September 2025 that Russia would no longer tolerate repeated Ukrainian attacks on energy infrastructure and would continue to respond forcefully.

“For a long time, the military took no action related to civilian infrastructure. Especially during the winter period, we tolerated for a very long time the constant attacks by Ukrainian forces on our energy facilities. Then they began to respond,” Putin said.