Russia’s Defense Ministry announced Friday that its air defense systems intercepted 660 Ukrainian drones during a large-scale overnight attack targeting 12 Russian regions, the Russian-controlled Crimean peninsula, and the waters of the Black Sea and the Azov Sea.
The strike is believed to be among the largest drone attacks Ukraine has launched against Russian territory and illegally annexed Crimea since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than four years ago.
For months, Ukraine has been deploying long-range drones to strike targets well behind the front lines — including oil production sites and energy infrastructure — deep inside Russia. Western officials and analysts say the campaign has constricted Russian fuel supplies and disrupted military logistics, slowing Russian battlefield operations and putting increased pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The massive drone barrage was launched just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted on X that he had ordered what he called “a 40-day influence operation” — widely interpreted as a significant escalation of strikes — with the goal of “compelling (Russia) to end the war,” following more than a year of U.S.-led peace efforts that produced no meaningful results.
In the Tula region, located just south of Moscow, Tula Gov. Dmitry Milyaev reported in an online post that a private residence was damaged and a woman was injured in the attack. He also noted that a power line was knocked out along with an unidentified industrial facility in the city of Novomoskovsk.
Russian independent news outlet Astra reported that a chemical plant and a hydroelectric facility in Novomoskovsk were hit and caught fire, though The Associated Press was unable to independently confirm those claims and no official acknowledgment was issued.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that 47 Ukrainian drones were intercepted as they approached the Russian capital. He did not report any injuries or structural damage in the city.
Meanwhile, in northeastern Ukraine, two people lost their lives and seven others were wounded in Russian attacks on the Kharkiv region over the previous 24-hour period, according to regional head Oleh Syniehubov. Russian forces struck the city of Kharkiv and 16 surrounding communities using guided aerial bombs and multiple types of drones, he said.
Ukraine’s air force reported that its defense forces overnight intercepted 174 out of 189 Russian drones. However, four of the seven Iskander-M ballistic missiles fired by Russia managed to break through Ukrainian air defenses and hit various locations.
