Ukraine launches major drone assault on Russia and Crimea

Ukraine launched one of its largest drone assaults of the war overnight, sending hundreds of unmanned aircraft toward Russian regions, occupied Crimea and nearby seas as Kyiv intensifies its campaign to pressure Moscow and disrupt the Kremlin’s war effort.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said Friday that its air defenses intercepted 660 Ukrainian drones. Russian state news agency Tass said it was the largest such attack in the past year, surpassing a May 17 assault in which Russia reported downing 556 drones.

The drones were intercepted over a dozen Russian regions, Moscow, Russian-held Crimea, and the Black and Azov seas, according to Russian officials. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 47 drones were shot down as they approached the capital and reported no casualties or damage there.

Damage reports from inside Russia were limited. Russian officials typically do not identify the targets of Ukrainian strikes or provide detailed assessments of damage. Dmitry Milyaev, governor of the Tula region, said a “massive” attack damaged a house and injured a woman, and that an industrial facility in Novomoskovsk had also been damaged.

Russian independent outlet Astra reported that the Azot chemical plant in Novomoskovsk was hit and caught fire, along with a hydroelectric plant. CBS News reported that Russian and Ukrainian Telegram channels also described a strike on the Azot plant, one of Russia’s largest producers of ammonia and nitrogen fertilizers. The reports could not be independently confirmed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has previously described the facility as important to Russia’s production of explosives.

Ukraine’s Security Service said its drones struck Russian naval vessels and air defense systems in Kerch, a key port city in Crimea. The agency identified the targets as the reconnaissance and minelaying ships Volga and Vyatka and the cargo-passenger ferry Petropavlovsk, and said the strikes sparked a large fire. The claim could not be independently verified.

Kyiv has expanded long-range drone strikes against Russian oil, energy, industrial and logistics infrastructure in recent months. Western officials and analysts say the campaign has strained fuel supplies, slowed military deliveries and added pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin. CBS News cited data published in May by Ukraine’s Come Back Alive Foundation, a nonprofit supporting the Ukrainian military, showing Ukraine had launched more than 3,000 long-range drones into Russia this year, compared with 110 in 2024.

Zelenskyy signaled Thursday that Ukraine would escalate its attacks, writing on X that he had ordered a “40-day influence operation” aimed at “compelling” Russia “to end the war.”

The Ukrainian assault came as Russia continued striking Ukrainian cities. Ukrainian officials said Russian attacks over the previous 24 hours killed at least three civilians and wounded 29. In the northeastern Kharkiv region, two people were killed and seven wounded, regional head Oleh Syniehubov said. Emergency services said a Russian drone attack Friday morning on downtown Izium killed a woman and wounded three others.

Authorities also reported injuries in Kyiv, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia and Sumy, including a 9-year-old. Ukraine’s air force said it shot down 174 of 189 Russian drones overnight, but four of seven Iskander-M ballistic missiles penetrated defenses and hit targets.

Despite the fighting, the two sides exchanged prisoners Friday, with 160 service members from each country returning home, officials said.

The attacks also raised renewed attention on Belarus. Ukraine’s border guard service said Russia is expanding military sites deep inside Belarus but has not built up forces near the Ukrainian border. Spokesman Andrii Demchenko said Ukrainian intelligence had detected no grouping or reinforcement of Russian units, equipment or personnel close to the border.

Zelenskyy said Thursday that Belarus was building infrastructure and storage bases near Ukraine “under obvious Russian influence,” while the Kremlin denied reports that Moscow was pressuring Minsk to support expanded attacks. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the claim “does not correspond to reality.” Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said his country has no intention of fighting Ukraine and wants an “agreement.”