Ukraine sends over 600 drones at Russia in a single night

Ukrainian forces launched a massive drone assault on Russian regions overnight on June 26. Among the primary targets was the Tula region. The Telegram channel Astra reported that strikes hit both the Azot chemical plant in Novomoskovsk and the city’s power station, setting both sites ablaze.

Tula Governor Dmitry Milyayev said air defenses shot down 157 drones over the region overnight. An industrial facility in Novomoskovsk sustained damage, he said, and a private home in the Shchyokinsky district was also hit, injuring a woman.

Kyiv also struck Moscow. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said at least 47 drones were shot down over Moscow and the Moscow region overnight. Emergency services were deployed to debris fall sites, local authorities said, though the exact locations were not disclosed.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said air defense units intercepted and destroyed 660 Ukrainian drones overnight across 12 Russian regions, occupied Crimea, and the waters of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.

On June 25, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had approved a “40-day influence operation” against Russia for the Security Service of Ukraine, aimed at bringing about an end to the war. What exactly he meant was unclear.

In recent weeks, Ukraine has stepped up its attacks on Russia, with oil facilities increasingly coming under fire — triggering a fuel crisis in the country.