Ukraine launches 660-drone assault targeting Russian energy
Ukraine has launched one of its largest-ever drone assaults on Russian energy infrastructure, signaling a shift toward sustained economic warfare following the failure of US-led peace talks.
Ukrainian forces deployed 660 unmanned aerial vehicles overnight Friday across 12 Russian regions, the Black Sea, and the Azov Sea. Russian air defences claimed to have intercepted the barrage, marking one of the broadest drone operations of the four-year war targeting the mainland and illegally annexed Crimea.
The scale of the operation reflects a calculated strategy by Kyiv to choke off Russian fuel supplies and disrupt military logistics. Western analysts note that Ukraine is deliberately focusing its long-range capabilities on critical oil production and energy facilities. The goal is to degrade Moscow’s battlefield capabilities while applying direct economic pressure on President Vladimir Putin.
This tactical shift comes amid stalled diplomacy. The assault followed a statement from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on X, where he announced an order for a "40-day influence operation." The campaign is widely interpreted as an escalation designed to "compel [Russia] to end the war" after a year of unsuccessful US-led peace initiatives.
Disrupting Russian energy infrastructure is central to this pressure campaign. Friday's damage reports from the overnight strike remained fragmented. In the Tula region south of Moscow, Governor Dmitry Milyaev confirmed a woman was wounded, a private house was damaged, and a power line was cut.
An unspecified industrial facility in the city of Novomoskovsk was also struck. The independent outlet Astra reported that a chemical plant and a hydroelectric plant there caught fire, though these claims could not be officially verified.
Closer to the capital, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that 47 drones were downed as they approached the city. He did not report any casualties or damage.
Russian forces continued their own strikes on Ukrainian territory in tandem with the drone barrage. Two civilians were killed and seven injured in the northeastern Kharkiv region over the previous 24 hours, according to regional head Oleh Syniehubov.
Russian guided aerial bombs and drones hit the city of Kharkiv and 16 surrounding settlements. Ukraine’s air force said it stopped 174 of 189 Russian drones launched overnight, but that four of seven Iskander-M ballistic missiles breached defences.
