Mike Baker

Every destroyed launcher represents not only a lost asset, but also, of course, fewer opportunities to intercept future attacks.

And finally, Russia has reportedly repurposed some S-300 missiles for offensive operations.

Originally designed as air defense interceptors, some have been modified for use as surface-to-surface weapons and fired against targets inside Ukraine.

Every missile used in that role is, of course, one less missile available to defend Russian airspace.

The result is an increasingly familiar problem.

Since the opening months of the war, Ukraine has repeatedly warned that it lacked enough interceptor missiles to defend every city and power plant, military base, and critical piece of infrastructure under threat.

Kyiv often found itself forced to prioritize.

Some targets received protection, while others remained exposed.

Now, there are growing signs that Russia may be confronting a similar challenge.

After all, Russia, of course, is a vast country.

It has to protect military installations, strategic bomber bases, command centers, oil refineries, transportation hubs, ammunition depots, and major population centers spread across thousands of miles.

Not to mention the ring of air defense systems placed around Putin's personal residences.

Let's not forget those.

No nation possesses an unlimited number of interceptors.

At some point, difficult decisions become unavoidable.

Military analyst Rob Lee told CBS News that Russia may be consuming air defense missiles at an unsustainable rate as Ukraine expands its long-range strike campaign.

If that assessment is accurate, Moscow could face increasingly difficult choices about where to concentrate its defenses.

Do you prioritize the front lines, critical energy infrastructure, strategic military facilities, or the capital?

The attack on the Kupotnya refinery highlights that dilemma.

For much of the war, Moscow has been able to portray the conflict as something distant, something happening in Ukraine rather than in Russia.