NATO general says Ukraine improving strikes deep inside Russia

Ukraine has significantly improved its ability to strike military targets deep inside Russia, German Major General Maik Keller told dpa, highlighting advances in personnel, equipment and training.

"The Ukrainians are getting better at reaching militarily relevant targets in Russia's depth. This is a question of capability, and capability means personnel, material and training," he said.

Keller serves as deputy commander of the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU), which coordinates alliance support from its base at the Lucius D Clay Barracks in Wiesbaden, Germany.

Experts from 30 nations, including non-NATO partners Australia and New Zealand as well as Ukraine itself, work in Wiesbaden to ensure Kiev's needs for weapons, ammunition, spare parts and equipment are met. The mission also advises Ukraine and aligns its forces with NATO standards — though Keller stressed the learning goes both ways.

According to the NATO general, drones are a prime example of how Ukraine has advanced warfare. Few can teach the Ukrainians much in this field, he noted, pointing to combat, logistics and even medical evacuation drones, as well as naval systems.

The German military and NATO allies were learning from these innovations in technology, operations, and doctrine, he added.

"Our core mission is to coordinate support for Ukraine," Keller said. "But we would be foolish not to use this knowledge to improve ourselves and spare our own soldiers from repeating Ukraine's hard lessons."

Keller's remarks come as Berlin pledged €300 million ($351 million) to help Ukraine produce thousands of long-range drones. Kiev has recently stepped up its strikes, targeting Russian oil refineries and infrastructure critical for diesel and petrol production.