Ukraine launched one of its most extensive drone attacks on Russian territory and occupied Crimea overnight on 26 June, with Russia’s defence ministry claiming to have intercepted 660 unmanned aircraft over 13 regions and the Black and Azov seas. The assault, which Moscow described as the largest of the year, damaged an industrial facility in the Tula region and prompted Russian-installed authorities in Crimea to declare a regional-level emergency, citing fuel shortages and power cuts caused by repeated strikes on logistics and energy infrastructure.

From Moscow, the defence ministry stated that drones were downed over Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk, the capital region and other areas, with 47 intercepted near Moscow city. The Russian-appointed governor of Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov, acknowledged that “no air defence systems in the world are absolutely perfect,” as fuel sales to civilians were suspended and emergency measures enacted to stabilise supply chains. Kyiv’s security service claimed its drones struck two Russian naval vessels and air defence radars in Kerch, while President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a “40-day influence operation” designed, in his words, to compel Russia to end the war.

Western officials and analysts note that Ukraine’s sustained campaign against oil refineries, chemical plants and logistics hubs is disrupting Russian fuel supplies and military supply lines. The Azot chemical plant in Novomoskovsk, which Zelenskyy has identified as critical to explosives production, was reportedly hit for the second time in two weeks. The emergency in Crimea, a peninsula Moscow annexed in 2014 and which holds symbolic importance for President Vladimir Putin, illustrates the operational strain on Russian air defences; Ukraine’s defence ministry says 1,447 Russian air defence systems have been destroyed since the full-scale invasion began in 2022.

The drone barrage coincided with a prisoner exchange that saw 160 service members from each side return home. Zelenskyy separately accused Russia of pressuring Belarus to build border infrastructure for a potential expansion of aggression, a claim Moscow denies. According to data published by a Ukrainian military support foundation, Kyiv has launched over 3,000 long-range drones this year, a sharp increase from 110 in 2024. The tempo of strikes is expected to persist under the newly declared influence operation, while Crimea’s emergency measures aim to restore energy and fuel distribution in the face of ongoing aerial attacks.