Ukraine's Record 660-Drone Attack on Russia: What We Know About the June 26-27 Blitz and Zelensky's 40-Day Plan

On the night of June 26–27, 2026, Ukraine launched what Russia described as one of its largest drone barrages of the full-scale war. Russia's Defense Ministry reported that its air defenses intercepted 660 Ukrainian drones across more than a dozen regions, including Moscow, occupied Crimea, the Black Sea, and the Sea of Azov . Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said at least 47 drones on a trajectory toward the capital were downed .

The attack came just hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky announced he had approved a 40-day 'influence operation' by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) aimed at compelling Russia to take a step toward peace . The barrage and the preceding strikes on Russian oil infrastructure appear to be early components of that operation . Below is a fact-checked breakdown of what was hit, what remains uncertain, and the strategic context.

The 660-Drone Overnight Attack: Targets and Damage

According to multiple news outlets and official Russian statements, the overnight strike targeted :

• A dozen Russian regions and occupied Crimea, including the Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk, Tula, Moscow, and Rostov regions
• The Azot chemical plant in Novomoskovsk (Tula region) — a facility described by President Zelensky as critical to Russia's production of explosives. This was the second drone strike on the same plant in two weeks; the first occurred on June 14 . Russian independent outlet Astra and Ukrainian Telegram channels reported that the plant was hit and caught fire, with local residents reporting the smell of ammonia and power outages afterward
• Energy infrastructure in Tula Oblast, where regional governor Dmitry Milyayev confirmed damage to power lines and an industrial facility
• Crimean targets: The SBU reported that its drones struck the Volga and Vyatka cable ships near the Zatoka shipyard, the Petropavlovsk ferry, and an S-400 air defense system radar station near Kerch, causing fires on the ships .

Note on the 'Hydroelectric Plant' Claim

Several early reports, including from Russian outlet Astra and some Telegram channels, mentioned that a hydroelectric plant in Novomoskovsk was also hit and caught fire . However, this claim is not well-corroborated by authoritative news sources. Available video reports describe a fire at the Novomoskovsk State District Power Plant (a thermal power station) in conjunction with the Azot strike . The Associated Press noted it could not independently verify the hydroelectric plant report . The best available evidence points to thermal energy infrastructure, not a hydroelectric dam.

Earlier-That-Week Strikes on Energy Infrastructure

The 660-drone assault was preceded by two major Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy targets earlier that same week:

June 25 — Ufa refinery strikes: SBU-operated drones struck two oil refineries in Ufa, Bashkortostan — the Ufaneftekhim and Bashneft Novoil refineries — in a long-range operation reaching up to 1,500 kilometers deep into Russian territory . President Zelensky confirmed the strikes, which caused fires at the facilities' primary processing units . The drones were identified by some sources as Ukrainian long-range Liutyi UAVs .

June 25 — Poltavskaya oil depot strike: A separate drone attack hit the Poltavskaya oil depot in Krasnodar Krai, setting it ablaze . (A similar depot fire in Poltavskaya was also reported after a drone attack on June 16) .

The '40-Day Influence Operation' Announcement

On June 25, 2026, President Zelensky announced on social media that he had approved a "40-day influence operation" by the SBU aimed at pressuring Russia to end the war . He framed the objective as compelling the Kremlin to take "a step toward peace" . The announcement followed a meeting with SBU head Major General Yevhenii Khmara, during which Khmara briefed Zelensky on the agency's "long-range sanctions plan" and results on the front . Zelensky gave no operational details publicly .

The June 25 Ufa refinery strikes and the June 26–27 660-drone barrage both fall within the first days of this publicly declared 40-day window .

Key Findings and Caveats

• The 660-drone figure comes from Russia's Defense Ministry, which has a track record of inflating intercept numbers. Independent confirmation of the exact count is impossible, but the scale is widely reported as one of the largest of the war .
• The Azot chemical plant strike is well-confirmed by multiple Russian and Ukrainian sources, including the regional governor .
• The hydroelectric plant claim is the least certain piece of initial reporting; the preponderance of evidence points to a thermal power plant .
• The Ufa refinery strikes (June 25) are confirmed by both Ukrainian and Russian sources, as is the Poltavskaya oil depot strike .
• The 40-day influence operation is a formally announced political-military strategy, not just a label applied retroactively .