Ukraine launches large-scale drone raid on Russian regions, Crimea amid ongoing conflict

Ukraine carried out a coordinated nighttime drone operation targeting at least a dozen Russian regions, the Russian-held Crimean peninsula and nearby waters, according to Russia's Defence Ministry. The ministry said its air defenses shot down 660 Ukrainian drones, surpassing the previous record of 556 drones intercepted on May 17.

Ukrainian officials said the strikes aimed at Russian oil production and energy facilities deep behind the front line, a tactic they say has disrupted fuel supplies and military logistics. An independent Russian outlet reported fires at a chemical plant and a hydroelectric facility in Novomoskovsk, though the claims could not be independently verified.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 47 Ukrainian drones were downed as they approached the capital, without reporting casualties or damage. Ukraine's Security Service claimed its drones hit two Russian navy ships, a minelaying vessel and a cargo-passenger ferry in the Crimean port of Kerch, igniting a large fire, a claim also not independently confirmed.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted on social media that he had ordered a "40-day influence operation" intended to increase pressure on Russia to end the war. The same day, both sides exchanged 160 prisoners of war.

In separate attacks, Russian forces killed two civilians and wounded seven in the Kharkiv region, and a drone strike in the city of Izium killed one woman and injured three others. Additional injuries were reported in Kyiv, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia and Sumy, including a child. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 174 of 189 Russian drones and shot down four of seven Iskander-M ballistic missiles launched.

A Ukrainian border guard spokesman said no new Russian troop buildup was observed near the Belarusian border, although Russia continues to expand military sites deeper inside Belarus.