Ukraine unleashes one of its heaviest drone bombardments, as Russia strikes Ukraine
Rescue workers put out a fire at a building destroyed after a Russian strike on Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Friday. Kateryna Klochko/AP hide caption
toggle caption
Kateryna Klochko/AP
Ukraine launched a major nighttime attack on a dozen Russian regions, Russian-held Crimea and the surrounding seas, Moscow's Defense Ministry said Friday, in what appeared to be one of Kyiv's biggest drone assaults since the Kremlin's full-scale invasion more than four years ago.
Russian air defenses intercepted 660 Ukrainian drones, Russia's Defense Ministry said. The previous biggest Ukrainian attack over the past year, as Ukraine has accelerated its drone development, involved 556 drones on May 17.
In an effort to turn the tables on Russia's grinding war of attrition, Ukrainian long-range drones have been battering oil production and energy facilities behind the front line and deep inside Russia.
The campaign has choked Russian fuel supplies and military deliveries, stalling Moscow's efforts on the battlefield, Western officials and analysts say, and has heaped pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Initial damage reports from Russia after the overnight attack provided scant information. Russia's Defense Ministry usually doesn't say what was targeted in Ukraine's drone attacks, nor does it detail any damage.
Russian independent online outlet Astra reported that a chemical plant and a hydroelectric plant in Novomoskovsk were attacked and caught fire. The Associated Press couldn't independently verify the report, and there was no official confirmation.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that 47 Ukrainian drones were downed as they flew toward the Russian capital. He did not report any casualties or damage.
Ukraine's Security Service said it used drones to strike Russian navy ships and air defense radars in Kerch, an important port city in Crimea.
The targets were two reconnaissance and minelaying ships, the Volga and the Vyatka, and the cargo-passenger ferry Petropavlovsk, the agency said, claiming that the strikes started a large fire. The claim could not be independently verified.
The major attack came hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X that he had ordered "a 40-day influence operation," believed to mean an escalation of attacks, aimed at "compelling (Russia) to end the war" after U.S. peace efforts over the past year yielded no breakthrough.
Still, as they have occasionally in the past, Russia and Ukraine exchanged prisoners of war, with 160 from each side returning home on Friday, officials said.
Ukraine has racked up a list of successful strikes, including hitting targets in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Zelenskyy said he got further promises of foreign support when he attended a recent summit of G7 leaders, including from U.S. President Donald Trump, and that the promised aid will help Ukraine step up its effort to force Putin to the negotiating table.
A NATO summit next month could be another key moment in beefing up Ukraine's military.
Two people were killed and seven were wounded in Russian attacks on the northeastern Kharkiv region over the previous 24 hours, regional head Oleh Syniehubov said Friday.
Russian forces struck the city of Kharkiv and 16 other settlements across the region, Syniehubov added.
On Friday morning, another Russian drone attack on downtown Izium, a city in the Kharkiv region, killed a woman and wounded three other people, emergency services said.
Attacks in the capital, Kyiv, the southern Odesa and Zaporizhzhia regions, and Sumy in the northeast, also left at least 19 people wounded, including a 9-year-old, according to authorities. Some of the Russian attacks used powerful glide bombs and also targeted gas stations.
Ukraine's defenses overnight stopped 174 of 189 Russian drones, the Ukrainian air force said. However, four of seven Iskander-M ballistic missiles that were fired got through air defenses and struck various locations, it said.
Russia is expanding several of its military sites deep inside Belarus, but there is no buildup of forces near the Ukrainian border, a State Border Guard Service spokesman said Friday.
Russia launched its 2022 invasion of Ukraine from Belarus, which borders both countries, and Kyiv has kept a close watch on developments there during the war.
Ukrainian intelligence units have detected no grouping or reinforcement of Russian units, equipment or personnel close to the border, spokesman Andrii Demchenko said in remarks to Ukrainian television.
However, Russia has a growing number of training grounds, bases and other sites deeper inside the country, according to intelligence units.
Read the full story at NPR ↗
Ukraine launched a significant overnight drone assault across a dozen Russian regions, Crimea and surrounding waters. Russia's Defense Ministry reported intercepting 660 Ukrainian drones—the largest such attack since May when 556 drones were used. Ukrainian forces targeted military installations including navy ships in Kerch; damage claims remain unverified by independent sources. Moscow reported 47 drones intercepted near the capital with no reported casualties or damage there. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy stated he had ordered escalated operations to pressure Russia toward negotiations. Concurrently, Russian forces struck multiple Ukrainian locations: Kharkiv region saw 2 killed and 7 wounded; Izium saw 1 killed and 3 wounded; Kyiv, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia and Sumy regions reported at least 19 wounded including a 9-year-old. Ukrainian air defenses stopped 174 of 189 Russian drones overnight, though 4 of 7 ballistic missiles penetrated defenses. Both sides exchanged 160 prisoners of war. Intelligence indicates Russia is expanding military facilities inside Belarus but shows no force buildup near the Ukrainian border.
Read the full story at NPR ↗
Rescue workers put out a fire at a building destroyed after a Russian strike on Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Friday. Kateryna Klochko/AP hide caption
toggle caption
Kateryna Klochko/AP
Ukraine launched a major nighttime attack on a dozen Russian regions, Russian-held Crimea and the surrounding seas, Moscow's Defense Ministry said Friday, in what appeared to be one of Kyiv's biggest drone assaults since the Kremlin's full-scale invasion more than four years ago.
Russian air defenses intercepted 660 Ukrainian drones, Russia's Defense Ministry said. The previous biggest Ukrainian attack over the past year, as Ukraine has accelerated its drone development, involved 556 drones on May 17.
In an effort to turn the tables on Russia's grinding war of attrition, Ukrainian long-range drones have been battering oil production and energy facilities behind the front line and deep inside Russia.
The campaign has choked Russian fuel supplies and military deliveries, stalling Moscow's efforts on the battlefield, Western officials and analysts say, and has heaped pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Initial damage reports from Russia after the overnight attack provided scant information. Russia's Defense Ministry usually doesn't say what was targeted in Ukraine's drone attacks, nor does it detail any damage.
Russian independent online outlet Astra reported that a chemical plant and a hydroelectric plant in Novomoskovsk were attacked and caught fire. The Associated Press couldn't independently verify the report, and there was no official confirmation.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that 47 Ukrainian drones were downed as they flew toward the Russian capital. He did not report any casualties or damage.
Ukraine's Security Service said it used drones to strike Russian navy ships and air defense radars in Kerch, an important port city in Crimea.
The targets were two reconnaissance and minelaying ships, the Volga and the Vyatka, and the cargo-passenger ferry Petropavlovsk, the agency said, claiming that the strikes started a large fire. The claim could not be independently verified.
The major attack came hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X that he had ordered "a 40-day influence operation," believed to mean an escalation of attacks, aimed at "compelling (Russia) to end the war" after U.S. peace efforts over the past year yielded no breakthrough.
Still, as they have occasionally in the past, Russia and Ukraine exchanged prisoners of war, with 160 from each side returning home on Friday, officials said.
Ukraine has racked up a list of successful strikes, including hitting targets in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Zelenskyy said he got further promises of foreign support when he attended a recent summit of G7 leaders, including from U.S. President Donald Trump, and that the promised aid will help Ukraine step up its effort to force Putin to the negotiating table.
A NATO summit next month could be another key moment in beefing up Ukraine's military.
Two people were killed and seven were wounded in Russian attacks on the northeastern Kharkiv region over the previous 24 hours, regional head Oleh Syniehubov said Friday.
Russian forces struck the city of Kharkiv and 16 other settlements across the region, Syniehubov added.
On Friday morning, another Russian drone attack on downtown Izium, a city in the Kharkiv region, killed a woman and wounded three other people, emergency services said.
Attacks in the capital, Kyiv, the southern Odesa and Zaporizhzhia regions, and Sumy in the northeast, also left at least 19 people wounded, including a 9-year-old, according to authorities. Some of the Russian attacks used powerful glide bombs and also targeted gas stations.
Ukraine's defenses overnight stopped 174 of 189 Russian drones, the Ukrainian air force said. However, four of seven Iskander-M ballistic missiles that were fired got through air defenses and struck various locations, it said.
Russia is expanding several of its military sites deep inside Belarus, but there is no buildup of forces near the Ukrainian border, a State Border Guard Service spokesman said Friday.
Russia launched its 2022 invasion of Ukraine from Belarus, which borders both countries, and Kyiv has kept a close watch on developments there during the war.
Ukrainian intelligence units have detected no grouping or reinforcement of Russian units, equipment or personnel close to the border, spokesman Andrii Demchenko said in remarks to Ukrainian television.
However, Russia has a growing number of training grounds, bases and other sites deeper inside the country, according to intelligence units.
Read the full story at NPR ↗
Ukraine launched a major overnight attack on a dozen Russian regions, Crimea and surrounding seas Russia's Defense Ministry reported intercepting 660 Ukrainian drones The previous largest Ukrainian attack involved 556 drones on May 17 Ukrainian drones have targeted oil production and energy facilities behind Russian lines and inside Russia Ukrainian long-range drone campaigns have choked Russian fuel supplies and military deliveries, stalling Moscow's battlefield efforts Western officials and analysts say the drone campaign has heaped pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin Russian independent outlet Astra reported attacks on a chemical plant and hydroelectric plant in Novomoskovsk that caught fire; the AP could not independently verify Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported 47 Ukrainian drones downed near the capital with no casualties or damage reported Ukraine's Security Service claimed strikes on two reconnaissance ships, a minelaying ship and a cargo ferry in Kerch, starting a large fire; the claim could not be independently verified President Zelenskyy said he ordered a 40-day escalation of attacks aimed at compelling Russia to end the war Zelenskyy said G7 leaders including President Trump promised further foreign support for Ukraine's military effort Russian forces struck the northeastern Kharkiv region, killing 2 and wounding 7 over 24 hours Russian drone and missile attacks on Kyiv, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia and Sumy regions wounded at least 19 people including a 9-year-old Ukrainian air defenses stopped 174 of 189 Russian drones overnight; 4 of 7 ballistic missiles got through Russia is expanding military sites inside Belarus but shows no force buildup near the Ukrainian border Both sides exchanged 160 prisoners of war
Read the full story at NPR ↗
- Ukraine conducted a major drone attack on Russian territory and Crimea, with Moscow reporting 660 drones intercepted, marking one of Kyiv's largest assaults since the 2022 invasion
- Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities killed at least 3 people and wounded around 26 others across multiple regions including Kharkiv, Kyiv, Odesa and Zaporizhzhia
- Ukrainian long-range drone operations have targeted Russian energy and fuel infrastructure, with Western officials stating this has affected Russian military logistics and battlefield performance