Rescue workers put out a fire at a building destroyed after a Russian strike on Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Friday.
Kateryna Klochko/AP
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Kateryna Klochko/AP
On Friday, Ukraine launched a significant nighttime assault on multiple Russian regions, Russian-controlled Crimea, and surrounding waters, according to Moscow’s Defense Ministry. This appeared to be one of Kyiv’s largest drone attacks since the Kremlin’s comprehensive invasion over four years ago.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported that 660 Ukrainian drones were intercepted by Russian air defenses. The previous largest Ukrainian attack in the past year, amid Ukraine’s increased drone development, involved 556 drones on May 17.
To counter Russia’s prolonged war of attrition, Ukrainian long-range drones have been targeting oil production and energy facilities far behind the front lines and deep within Russia.
This strategy has disrupted Russian fuel supplies and military deliveries, hampering Moscow’s battlefield efforts, according to Western officials and analysts, and has increased pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
A Russian chemical plant reportedly attacked
Following the overnight attack, initial damage reports from Russia were sparse. Russia’s Defense Ministry typically does not disclose the specific targets of Ukraine’s drone attacks or any resulting damage.
The Russian independent online outlet Astra reported that a chemical plant and a hydroelectric plant in Novomoskovsk were attacked and caught fire. The Associated Press was unable to independently verify this report, and no official confirmation was provided.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin stated that 47 Ukrainian drones were shot down as they approached the Russian capital. He did not report any casualties or damage.
Ukraine’s Security Service claimed it used drones to strike Russian navy ships and air defense radars in Kerch, a key port city in Crimea. The targeted ships included the reconnaissance and minelaying vessels Volga and Vyatka, as well as the cargo-passenger ferry Petropavlovsk. The agency claimed the attacks ignited a large fire, though this could not be independently verified.
Zelenskyy hints at a 40-day blitz against Russia
The major attack occurred just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on X that he had ordered “a 40-day influence operation,” likely meaning an intensification of attacks aimed at “compelling (Russia) to end the war,” following unsuccessful U.S. peace efforts over the past year.
Despite the ongoing conflict, Russia and Ukraine exchanged prisoners of war, with 160 individuals from each side returning home on Friday, officials reported.
Ukraine has carried out successful strikes, including those hitting targets in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Zelenskyy also noted that he secured further assurances of foreign support at a recent G7 leaders’ summit, including from U.S. President Donald Trump. The promised aid is expected to bolster Ukraine’s efforts to bring Putin to the negotiating table.
An upcoming NATO summit could be another crucial opportunity to strengthen Ukraine’s military capabilities.
Russian attacks result in civilian casualties, Ukraine reports
Oleh Syniehubov, the head of the northeastern Kharkiv region, reported on Friday that two people were killed and seven injured in Russian attacks over the previous 24 hours.
Russian forces targeted the city of Kharkiv and 16 other settlements within the region, Syniehubov added.
On Friday morning, another Russian drone attack in downtown Izium, a city in the Kharkiv region, resulted in the death of a woman and injuries to three others, according to emergency services.
Attacks in Kyiv, the southern Odesa and Zaporizhzhia regions, and Sumy in the northeast, left at least 19 people injured, including a 9-year-old, according to authorities. Some Russian attacks involved powerful glide bombs and targeted gas stations.
Ukraine’s air force reported that overnight defenses intercepted 174 of 189 Russian drones. However, four out of seven Iskander-M ballistic missiles managed to bypass air defenses and hit various locations.
No Russian military buildup observed near Belarus border, Ukraine says
While Russia is expanding several military sites deep inside Belarus, there is no buildup of forces near the Ukrainian border, a State Border Guard Service spokesman said on Friday.
The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine was launched from Belarus, which shares borders with both countries, prompting Kyiv to closely monitor developments there throughout the conflict.
Ukrainian intelligence units have not observed any grouping or reinforcement of Russian units, equipment, or personnel near the border, spokesman Andrii Demchenko said on Ukrainian television.
However, there is an increasing number of training grounds, bases, and other sites within Russia, according to intelligence units.
