Ukraine Unleashes One Of Its Heaviest Drone Bombardments Of Russia

Ukraine has launched a massive night offensive on a dozen Russian territories, Russian-held Crimea and surrounding seas, Moscow’s Defense Ministry said Friday. This appears to be one of the biggest drone attacks on Kiev since the Kremlin’s attack. full scale invasion more than four years ago.

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that Russian air defense captured 660 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles. At a time when Ukraine is accelerating its drone development, last year’s largest Ukrainian attack involved 556 drones on May 17.

Ukraine’s long-range drones were used in an attempt to reverse the tide of Russia’s crushing war of attrition. beating oil production and energy facilities behind the front lines and deep in Russia.

There is a campaign Russian fuel stocks blocked Western officials and analysts say military deliveries that have stalled Moscow’s battlefield efforts have increased pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Initial damage reports from Russia following the overnight attack provided insufficient information. Russia’s Defense Ministry generally does not say what was targeted in Ukraine’s drone strikes and does not provide details of any damage.

Russian independent online publication Astra reported that a chemical plant and hydroelectric facility in Novomoskovsk were attacked and set on fire. The Associated Press could not independently verify the report and there was no official confirmation.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that 47 Ukrainian drones flying towards the Russian capital were shot down. There were no reports of casualties or damage.

The Ukrainian Security Service said it used unmanned aerial vehicles to hit Russian navy ships and air defense radars in Kerch, an important port city in Crimea.

The agency claimed that the attacks caused a huge fire and said that the targets were two reconnaissance and mine ships named Volga and Vyatka and the cargo-passenger ferry Petropavlovsk. The claim could not be independently verified.

Major attack came hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy He said he had ordered a “40-day influence operation” on X, which was believed to mean an increase in attacks and aimed to “force (Russia) to end the war”. US peace efforts No progress was made last year.

Still, as has occasionally happened in the past, Russia and Ukraine exchanged prisoners of war, with 160 from each side returning home on Friday, officials said.

Ukraine has compiled a list of successful attacks, including hitting targets. Moscow And St.Petersburg.

Zelenskyy said he received new promises of foreign support when he attended a recent meeting. G7 leaders summitOthers, including US President Donald Trump, have said the promised aid would help Ukraine step up its efforts to force Putin to the negotiating table.

A. NATO summit Next month could be another key moment in strengthening the Ukrainian military.

Two people were killed and seven injured in Russian attacks in the northeastern Kharkiv region in the past 24 hours, regional chief Oleh Syniehubov said on Friday.

Syniehubov added that Russian forces hit the city of Kharkiv and 16 other settlements in the region.

A woman was killed and three others were injured in another Russian drone strike on Friday morning in the city center of Izium, a city in the Kharkiv region, emergency services said.

At least 19 people, including a 9-year-old child, were injured in the attacks in the capital Kiev, the southern Odessa and Zaporizhia regions, and Sumy in the northeast, according to officials. Some of the Russian attacks used powerful glide bombs and also targeted gas stations.

Ukraine’s defenses intercepted 174 of 189 Russian drones overnight, Ukraine’s air force said. However, it was stated that 4 of the 7 Iskender-M ballistic missiles fired passed the air defenses and hit various places.

Russia is expanding many of its deep-seated military facilities BelarusBut there is no concentration of forces near the Ukrainian border, a spokesman for the State Border Guard Service said on Friday.

Russia launched its 2022 invasion of Ukraine from Belarus, which borders both countries, and Kiev closely followed developments there during the war.

Spokesman Andrii Demchenko said in a statement to Ukrainian television that Ukrainian intelligence units did not detect any groupings or reinforcements of Russian troops, equipment or personnel near the border.

However, according to intelligence units, Russia has an increasing number of training fields, bases and other facilities within the country.