Russia reports one of the biggest Ukrainian drone attacks on its soil and annexed Crimea
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- Russia's Defense Ministry said it intercepted 660 Ukrainian drones in a major nighttime attack across a dozen Russian regions, Russian-held Crimea, and surrounding seas — one of Kyiv's biggest drone assaults since the full-scale invasion began more than four years ago.
- The 660-drone barrage exceeded the previous largest Ukrainian attack of the past year, which involved 556 drones on May 17, and hit targets including a chemical plant and hydroelectric plant in Novomoskovsk that caught fire, per the independent outlet Astra (unverified by AP).
- Ukraine's Security Service claimed it struck Russian navy ships and air defense radars in the Crimean port of Kerch, targeting the reconnaissance and minelaying ships Volga and Vyatka and the cargo-passenger ferry Petropavlovsk, reporting a large fire (claim not independently verified).
- President Zelenskyy said on X he had ordered a '40-day influence operation' to compel Russia to end the war, citing stalled U.S. peace efforts and fresh foreign support promises from a recent G7 summit, including from Trump; a NATO summit next month is flagged as another key moment.
- Russian attacks killed at least three Ukrainian civilians and wounded 20+ across Kharkiv, Kyiv, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, and Sumy; Ukraine's air force said it stopped 174 of 189 Russian drones overnight but four of seven Iskander-M ballistic missiles penetrated defenses.
- Ukraine's State Border Guard Service said no Russian military buildup has been detected near the Belarusian border, though Russian training grounds and bases are expanding deeper inside Belarus.
Why it matters: Ukraine is openly escalating its drone campaign — 660 drones overnight, up from the prior one-year high of 556 — to force Russia to the table after a year of stalled U.S. peace efforts, with Zelenskyy now framing it as a time-boxed '40-day influence operation' backed by fresh G7 aid promises including from Trump.
