Ukraine Hits Russia, Crimea With 660 Drones Hours After Declaring ‘40-Day Operation’

Largest Drone Assault on Crimea on Record

Zelenskiy Approves Operation to Pressure Russia Into Talks

Ukraine launched a large-scale drone attack on Russia and Crimea shortly after declaring a so-called “40-day operation” aimed at accelerating an end to the war.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a statement on June 26 that its forces intercepted and shot down 660 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles overnight over Moscow, Belgorod, Kursk, Crimea, the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.

The strike was one of Ukraine’s most intense drone attacks of the past year. In a previous assault on May 17, Ukraine deployed 556 drones.

The attack came within hours of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy saying he had approved a 40-day “influence operation” by Ukraine’s Security Service designed to pressure Russia to end the war.

Zelenskiy did not disclose details of the operation. But after making clear that the goal was to push Russia to the negotiating table, Ukraine appeared to be signaling a sharper offensive against Russian territory and occupied areas.

Separately, Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-installed head of Crimea, said he would declare a state of emergency in the region after consulting with Sevastopol Mayor Mikhail Razvozhayev. He said the move was primarily intended to address economic issues.

Lee Jung-woo, Hankyung.com reporter, krse9059@hankyung.com