KYIV — Ukraine launched one of its largest drone assaults of the war overnight, targeting multiple regions across Russia and Russian-held Crimea, Russian officials said on Friday.
Russia’s Defense Ministry reported that its air defenses intercepted 660 Ukrainian drones across a dozen Russian regions, as well as in and around occupied Crimea and the surrounding seas. The scale of the attack exceeded previous Ukrainian operations, including one involving 556 drones in mid-May.
The ministry said the drones were launched in a coordinated nighttime operation. Ukrainian officials did not immediately provide a detailed public accounting of the strike’s targets or results, but Kyiv has intensified long-range drone operations in recent months to pressure Russian logistics and energy infrastructure.
Russia’s Defense Ministry reported no significant damage from the latest wave, though local authorities in some regions were assessing impacts. In occupied Crimea, officials declared an emergency amid ongoing Ukrainian strikes on logistics and military assets.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has previously described such operations as part of a strategy to increase pressure on Russia and hasten an end to the conflict. Ukrainian security services have claimed successful strikes on Russian naval vessels and air defense systems in the Kerch area during related actions.
The assault came as both sides continued exchanging long-range strikes. Russian forces launched attacks on Ukrainian regions, including energy infrastructure, contributing to power shortages amid summer heat.
Russia has accused Ukraine of escalating attacks on its territory, while Ukraine maintains its operations target military and logistical assets supporting the invasion launched in February 2022. Neither side’s claims of damage inflicted on the other could be independently verified in full.
The latest Ukrainian drone barrage underscores Kyiv’s expanding capabilities in producing and deploying long-range unmanned systems, even as Russia bolsters its air defenses. Russian officials have described such Ukrainian attacks as unprecedented in scope.
As of Friday, Russian authorities said operations to neutralize remaining threats were ongoing, with no immediate reports of civilian casualties from the Ukrainian strike. Ukrainian officials reported Russian strikes causing deaths and injuries in several regions.
The war, now in its fifth year, has seen both sides increasingly rely on drones for deep strikes as ground fighting continues along the front line in eastern Ukraine.
