Russia says it intercepted 660 Ukrainian drones in one of war's biggest attacks

Kyiv,UPDATED: Jun 26, 2026 14:14 IST

Russia said its air defences intercepted 660 Ukrainian drones overnight across 12 regions, as well as over the Russia-held Crimean peninsula, the Black Sea and the Azov Sea, in what appeared to be one of the biggest such attacks since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than four years ago.

The 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 US peace efforts over the past year yielded no breakthrough.

As part of an effort to blunt Russia's war of attrition, Ukrainian long-range drones have for months targeted sites behind the front line and deep inside Russia, including oil production and energy facilities. Western officials and analysts say the campaign has disrupted Russian fuel supplies and military deliveries, slowed Russia's battlefield efforts and increased pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In Russia's Tula region, just south of Moscow, Governor Dmitry Milyaev said a private house was damaged and a woman was wounded in the attack. He also said a power line and an unspecified industrial facility in the city of Novomoskovsk were damaged. Russian independent online outlet Astra reported that a chemical plant and a hydroelectric plant in Novomoskovsk were attacked and caught fire, but there was no official confirmation and the report could not be independently verified. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 47 Ukrainian drones were shot down while heading towards the capital. He did not report any casualties or damage.

In Ukraine, two people were killed and seven others were injured in Russian attacks on the north-eastern Kharkiv region over the previous 24 hours, regional head Oleh Syniehubov said. He said Russian forces struck the city of Kharkiv and 16 other settlements in the region using guided aerial bombs and different types of drones. Ukraine's air force said its defence forces overnight stopped 174 of 189 Russian drones, but four of the seven Iskander-M ballistic missiles fired by Russia got through air defences and hit various locations.

The latest exchanges underlined the intensifying long-range strikes by both sides, with Russia reporting a large Ukrainian drone attack across several regions and Ukraine reporting civilian deaths and injuries in fresh Russian attacks on the Kharkiv region.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends