Moscow: Russia’s Defence Ministry reported on Friday that it intercepted 660 Ukrainian drones overnight over 12 Russian regions as well as the annexed Crimea, the Azov and Black Sea areas, in what appeared to be one of the biggest drone attacks on Russian territory since the full scale invasion. The ministry said Moscow shot down dozens of additional drones approaching the capital.
The wave of attacks came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had ordered a “40 day influence operation,” widely interpreted as an escalation of strikes intended to pressure Russia amid stalled international peace efforts. Kyiv has in recent months stepped up aerial operations targeting Russian military sites and energy infrastructure, which Moscow says have caused fuel shortages and disrupted supply lines.
Reports from the Tula region said a private house was damaged and a woman wounded, while local officials reported damage to a power line and an industrial facility in Novomoskovsk. Independent Russian outlet Astra said a chemical plant and a hydroelectric plant caught fire there; the Associated Press and other agencies could not independently verify that claim and there was no official confirmation.
Separately, Ukraine reported Russian strikes that killed two civilians and wounded seven in the Kharkiv region over the previous 24 hours. Ukraine’s air force said it intercepted 174 of 189 Russian drones overnight but that four of seven Iskander M ballistic missiles fired through defences struck various locations. The incidents follow recent comments by President Vladimir Putin suggesting the conflict was “nearing an end,” though he gave no timetable.
(Inputs from AP)