Largest Drone Barrage of the War
Russia’s air defenses intercepted 660 Ukrainian drones overnight on June 26, the largest single-night attack since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022. The barrage targeted 12 Russian regions, the illegally annexed Crimean peninsula, and the surrounding Black and Azov Seas, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said.
Targets Across Russia and Crimea
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that 47 drones were downed on approach to the capital, causing no casualties. But further south, in the Tula region, a woman was wounded when the Azot chemical plant — Russia’s largest producer of ammonia and nitrogen fertilizers — was hit and caught fire. Residents in Novomoskovsk reported a strong ammonia smell in the air, independent Russian outlet Astra and multiple Telegram channels said.
In occupied Crimea, Ukraine’s SBU security service confirmed strikes on the Zaliv shipyard in Kerch. Two Russian naval support vessels — the Volga and Vyatka — and the nearly completed ferry Petropavlovsk were damaged, with massive fires breaking out on board. The SBU also said it disabled the radar and weapons stations of an S-400 air defense system protecting the Kerch Strait.
Zelenskyy’s 40-Day Operation
The assault came hours after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on social media that he had approved a “40-day influence operation” by the SBU, aimed at compelling Russia to end the war. The operation, drawn up by acting SBU head Yevhenii Khmara, focuses on long-range and mid-range strikes.
I have approved a 40-day influence operation ... against the aggressor state aimed at compelling it to end the war.Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine
Ukraine’s deep-strike campaign has intensified dramatically. By May 2026, Kyiv had launched over 3,000 long-range drones into Russia this year, choking fuel supplies and military logistics. John Hardie of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies said the strategy is “causing significant problems for Russia, as evidenced by the thousands of people fleeing the peninsula.”
Retaliation and Civilian Toll
As Ukraine struck deep, Russia continued its own aerial assault. Ukraine’s air force said it intercepted 174 of 189 Russian drones overnight, but four Iskander-M ballistic missiles got through, hitting various locations. At least three civilians were killed and 29 wounded in Russian attacks on the Kharkiv, Kyiv, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, and Sumy regions.
Russian-installed authorities in Crimea declared a state of emergency and halted all fuel sales to civilians, as nearly half the peninsula remained without power. Both sides also exchanged 160 prisoners of war on June 26, officials said.
