Ukraine conducts largest drone raid on Russia and Crimea, hitting military sites

Ukraine carried out its most extensive drone operation since the war began, targeting locations across 12 Russian regions and the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula. Russian state news agency Tass said the number of drones used exceeded any previous attack in the past year, and the Defence Ministry reported that 660 drones were intercepted, surpassing the prior record of 556 drones on May 17.

Ukrainian officials said the drones hit two military vessels and several air-defence systems in the Kerch area of Crimea. Telegram posts from both Russian and Ukrainian channels claimed a strike on the Azot chemical plant in Russia’s Tula region, a major producer of ammonia and nitrogen fertilizers, though the outlet could not verify the attack.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the operation was intended to compel Russia to end the war. > "We will intensify our attacks to force the aggressor to stop the fighting," he said.

Ukraine’s defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, reiterated a strategy aimed at isolating Crimea. > "Our goal is to turn the peninsula into an island, cutting it off from the mainland," he said.

Analysts noted that repeated strikes on energy and industrial facilities can delay repairs and keep critical sites offline for extended periods. Data from the Come Back Alive Foundation shows Ukraine has launched more than 3,000 long-range drones this year, up from 110 in 2024, while the Ukrainian defence ministry claims to have destroyed 1,447 Russian air-defence systems since the 2022 invasion.

In response to the recent attacks, authorities in Crimea declared a state of emergency and suspended civilian fuel sales.