Ukraine targets Russia with at least 660 drones overnight, Moscow says

LONDON -- Russian air defenses intercepted at least 660 Ukrainian drones targeting at least 12 regions around the country, including Moscow and Russian-occupied Ukrainain territority, Russia's Defense Ministry said early on Friday, in what would be among the largest overnight attacks by Kyiv since the war began.

The ministry in an update about two hours after detailing the overnight attacks said air defenses in several regions had destroyed more than 40 drones aimed at "Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk, Kaluga, Rostov, Voronezh, Tula, and Ryazan regions, as well as the Moscow region."

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin began issuing warnings to Telegram before midnight, saying defense systems had identified drones approaching Moscow. Those warnings continued through the morning, with each saying first responders were active in locations where debris had fallen.

The massive aerial attack, which Kyiv has not appeared to confirm, would rank among the largest of the war, Russian state-affiliated media reported.

Seeking to shift the momentum of Russia’s grinding war of attrition, Kyiv has for months deployed long‑range drones to target sites deep behind the front line, including oil production and energy infrastructure.

The major attack came hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on social media that he had ordered "a 40-day influence operation," a statement that appeared to reference an escalation of attacks aimed at "compelling [Russia] to end the war" after U.S. peace efforts over the past year yielded no breakthrough.

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As Ukraine's medium- and long-range aerial attacks against Russia have escalated in recent months, Zelenskyy has sought to portray those assaults as a necessity. Kyiv has maintained that it has targeted sites affiliated with Russia's military, including two strikes this month on a key oil refinery on the edge of Moscow.

"This is a fully justified response to Russian attacks on our cities and communities, and another important result of our warriors' work against facilities that sustain Russia’s war machine," Zelenskyy said last week.