{"id":4706,"date":"2026-06-26T18:27:38","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T18:27:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/2026\/06\/26\/ukraine-unleashes-one-of-its-heaviest-drone-bombardments-as-russia-strikes-ukraine\/"},"modified":"2026-06-26T18:27:38","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T18:27:38","slug":"ukraine-unleashes-one-of-its-heaviest-drone-bombardments-as-russia-strikes-ukraine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=4706","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine unleashes one of its heaviest drone bombardments, as Russia strikes Ukraine"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"storytitle\">\n<h1>Ukraine unleashes one of its heaviest drone bombardments, as Russia strikes Ukraine<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"STORYTITLE\" --><\/p>\n<div id=\"story-meta\" class=\"story-meta has-byline\">\n<div class=\"story-meta__one\">\n<div class=\"story-meta__one-inner\">\n<div class=\"dateblock\">\n    <time datetime=\"2026-06-26T11:08:14-04:00\"><br \/>\n            <span class=\"date\">June 26, 2026<\/span><span class=\"time\">11:08 AM ET<\/span><br \/>\n    <\/time>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"STORY-META__ONE-INNER\" -->\n   <\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"STORY-META__ONE\" --><\/p>\n<div class=\"story-meta__two\">\n<div id=\"storybyline\" class=\"storybyline-wrap linkLocation\">\n<div class=\"bucketwrap byline\">\n<div class=\"byline-container--block\">\n<p class=\"byline__name--block\">By\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"byline byline--block byline--has-link\" aria-label=\"Byline\">\n<p class=\"byline__name byline__name--block\">\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/people\/101453150\/the-associated-press\" rel=\"author\"><br \/>\n      The Associated Press<br \/>\n    <\/a>\n  <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP BYLINE\" -->\n      <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"STORY-META__TWO\" -->\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"STORY-META\" CLASS=\"STORY-META HAS-BYLINE\" --><\/p>\n<div id=\"storytext\" class=\"storytext storylocation linkLocation\">\n<div id=\"resg-s1-130389\" class=\"bucketwrap image large\">\n<div class=\"imagewrap has-source-dimensions\" data-crop-type=\"\" style=\"--source-width: 6000;--source-height: 4000\">\n<p>            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/6000x4000+0+0\/resize\/1100\/quality\/50\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F1e%2F20%2Fb9c50f7f4bb39160a43e7c96c30a%2Fap26177395041745.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/6000x4000+0+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F1e%2F20%2Fb9c50f7f4bb39160a43e7c96c30a%2Fap26177395041745.jpg\" class=\"img\" alt=\"Rescue workers put out a fire at a building destroyed after a Russian strike on Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Friday.\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"credit-caption\">\n<div class=\"caption-wrap\">\n<div class=\"caption\" aria-label=\"Image caption\">\n<p>\n                Rescue workers put out a fire at a building destroyed after a Russian strike on Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Friday.<br \/>\n                <b class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><br \/>\n                    Kateryna Klochko\/AP<br \/>\n                <\/b><br \/>\n                <b class=\"hide-caption\"><b>hide caption<\/b><\/b>\n            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <b class=\"toggle-caption\"><b>toggle caption<\/b><\/b>\n    <\/div>\n<p>    <span class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"><br \/>\n        Kateryna Klochko\/AP<br \/>\n    <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Ukraine launched a major nighttime attack on a dozen Russian regions, Russian-held Crimea and the surrounding seas, Moscow&#8217;s Defense Ministry said Friday, in what appeared to be one of Kyiv&#8217;s biggest drone assaults since the Kremlin&#8217;s full-scale invasion more than four years ago.<\/p>\n<p>Russian air defenses intercepted 660 Ukrainian drones, Russia&#8217;s Defense Ministry said. The previous biggest Ukrainian attack over the past year, as Ukraine has accelerated its drone development, involved 556 drones on May 17.<\/p>\n<div id=\"resnx-s1-5872256-100\" class=\"bucketwrap internallink insettwocolumn inset2col \">\n<div class=\"bucket img\">\n                  <a class=\"imagewrap\" id=\"featuredStackSquareImagenx-s1-5845366\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/06\/25\/nx-s1-5845366\/world-cup-ukraine-immigrants-philadelphia-soccer-leagues\" data-metrics-ga4='{\"category\":\"recirculation\",\"action\":\"story_recirculation_click\",\"clickType\":\"inset box\",\"clickUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/06\/25\/nx-s1-5845366\/world-cup-ukraine-immigrants-philadelphia-soccer-leagues\"}'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2000x2000+500+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/85\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff5%2Fdc%2F83d735c04aa9b34a614de05de9b2%2F2026-06-ukrainiansoccer-rachelwisniewski-81.jpg\" data-original=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2000x2000+500+0\/resize\/100\/quality\/100\/format\/jpeg\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff5%2Fdc%2F83d735c04aa9b34a614de05de9b2%2F2026-06-ukrainiansoccer-rachelwisniewski-81.jpg\" data-template=\"https:\/\/npr.brightspotcdn.com\/dims3\/default\/strip\/false\/crop\/2000x2000+500+0\/resize\/{width}\/quality\/{quality}\/format\/{format}\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff5%2Fdc%2F83d735c04aa9b34a614de05de9b2%2F2026-06-ukrainiansoccer-rachelwisniewski-81.jpg\" data-format=\"jpeg\" class=\"img lazyOnLoad\" alt=\"Standing on a green soccer field and wearing a yellow and light blue soccer uniform, Oleksandr \u201cSasha\u201d Ostapchuk sets himself up to head a ball that's in the air while playing for a team of Ukrainian immigrants against a club with roots in Belarus at Tryzub Ukrainian American Sport Center in North Wales, Pennsylvania, on June 21.\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/a>         <\/p>\n<div class=\"bucketblock\">\n<h3 class=\"slug\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/series\/g-s1-98388\/soccer-edition\">Soccer Edition <\/a><\/h3>\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/06\/25\/nx-s1-5845366\/world-cup-ukraine-immigrants-philadelphia-soccer-leagues\" data-metrics-ga4='{\"category\":\"recirculation\",\"action\":\"story_recirculation_click\",\"clickType\":\"inset box\",\"clickUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/06\/25\/nx-s1-5845366\/world-cup-ukraine-immigrants-philadelphia-soccer-leagues\"}'>Long before the World Cup, Ukrainian immigrants built a soccer powerhouse in Philly<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKETBLOCK\" -->\n      <\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"BUCKET IMG\" -->\n   <\/div>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"RESNX-S1-5872256-100\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP INTERNALLINK INSETTWOCOLUMN INSET2COL \" --><\/p>\n<p>In an effort to turn the tables on Russia&#8217;s grinding war of attrition, Ukrainian long-range drones have been battering oil production and energy facilities behind the front line and deep inside Russia.<\/p>\n<p>The campaign has choked Russian fuel supplies and military deliveries, stalling Moscow&#8217;s efforts on the battlefield, Western officials and analysts say, and has heaped pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"edTag\">A Russian chemical plant is reportedly hit<\/h3>\n<p>Initial damage reports from Russia after the overnight attack provided scant information. Russia&#8217;s Defense Ministry usually doesn&#8217;t say what was targeted in Ukraine&#8217;s drone attacks, nor does it detail any damage.<\/p>\n<p>Russian independent online outlet Astra reported that a chemical plant and a hydroelectric plant in Novomoskovsk were attacked and caught fire. The Associated Press couldn&#8217;t independently verify the report, and there was no official confirmation.<\/p>\n<p>Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that 47 Ukrainian drones were downed as they flew toward the Russian capital. He did not report any casualties or damage.<\/p>\n<p>Ukraine&#8217;s Security Service said it used drones to strike Russian navy ships and air defense radars in Kerch, an important port city in Crimea.<\/p>\n<p>The targets were two reconnaissance and minelaying ships, the Volga and the Vyatka, and the cargo-passenger ferry Petropavlovsk, the agency said, claiming that the strikes started a large fire. The claim could not be independently verified.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"edTag\">Zelenskyy hints at a 40-day blitz of Russia<\/h3>\n<p>The major attack came hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X that he had ordered &#8220;a 40-day influence operation,&#8221; believed to mean an escalation of attacks, aimed at &#8220;compelling (Russia) to end the war&#8221; after U.S. peace efforts over the past year yielded no breakthrough.<\/p>\n<p>Still, as they have occasionally in the past, Russia and Ukraine exchanged prisoners of war, with 160 from each side returning home on Friday, officials said.<\/p>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"MID-STORY-RECOMMENDATIONS-MOUNT-PIANO\" CLASS=\"MID-STORY-RECOMMENDATIONS-MOUNT-PIANO\" ARIA-LABEL=\"RECOMMENDED STORIES\" --><\/p>\n<p>Ukraine has racked up a list of successful strikes, including hitting targets in Moscow and St. Petersburg.<\/p>\n<p>Zelenskyy said he got further promises of foreign support when he attended a recent summit of G7 leaders, including from U.S. President Donald Trump, and that the promised aid will help Ukraine step up its effort to force Putin to the negotiating table.<\/p>\n<p>A NATO summit next month could be another key moment in beefing up Ukraine&#8217;s military.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"edTag\">Russian attacks killed 3 civilians and wounded 29, Ukraine says<\/h3>\n<p>Two people were killed and seven were wounded in Russian attacks on the northeastern Kharkiv region over the previous 24 hours, regional head Oleh Syniehubov said Friday.<\/p>\n<p>Russian forces struck the city of Kharkiv and 16 other settlements across the region, Syniehubov added.<\/p>\n<p>On Friday morning, another Russian drone attack on downtown Izium, a city in the Kharkiv region, killed a woman and wounded three other people, emergency services said.<\/p>\n<p>Attacks in the capital, Kyiv, the southern Odesa and Zaporizhzhia regions, and Sumy in the northeast, also left at least 19 people wounded, including a 9-year-old, according to authorities. Some of the Russian attacks used powerful glide bombs and also targeted gas stations.<\/p>\n<p>Ukraine&#8217;s defenses overnight stopped 174 of 189 Russian drones, the Ukrainian air force said. However, four of seven Iskander-M ballistic missiles that were fired got through air defenses and struck various locations, it said.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"edTag\">No Russian military buildup seen on border with Belarus, Ukraine says<\/h3>\n<p>Russia is expanding several of its military sites deep inside Belarus, but there is no buildup of forces near the Ukrainian border, a State Border Guard Service spokesman said Friday.<\/p>\n<p>Russia launched its 2022 invasion of Ukraine from Belarus, which borders both countries, and Kyiv has kept a close watch on developments there during the war.<\/p>\n<p>Ukrainian intelligence units have detected no grouping or reinforcement of Russian units, equipment or personnel close to the border, spokesman Andrii Demchenko said in remarks to Ukrainian television.<\/p>\n<p>However, Russia has a growing number of training grounds, bases and other sites deeper inside the country, according to intelligence units.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tags\">\n<ul>\n<li><a class=\"tag tag--story\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/tags\/126935624\/russia\">Russia<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"tag tag--story\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/tags\/126978660\/ukraine\">Ukraine<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"tag tag--story\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/tags\/1120755253\/russia-ukraine-war\">Russia-Ukraine war<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"tag tag--story\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/tags\/671655823\/russia-ukraine\">Russia Ukraine<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"TAGS\" --><\/p>\n<div class=\"share-tools share-tools--secondary\" aria-label=\"Share tools\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"share-tools__service share-tools__service--facebook\"><button class=\"fbStorynx-s1-5872256\" data-share-facebook='{\"storyId\": \"nx-s1-5872256\" }' data-metrics-ga4='{\"category\":\"share\",\"action\":\"share\",\"clickName\":\"facebook\"}'><b class=\"share-tools__service-name\">Facebook<\/b><\/button><\/li>\n<li class=\"share-tools__service share-tools__service--flipboard\"><button class=\"storynx-s1-5872256\" data-share-flipboard='{\"storyId\": \"nx-s1-5872256\" }' data-metrics-ga4='{\"category\":\"share\",\"action\":\"share\",\"clickName\":\"flipboard\"}'><b class=\"share-tools__service-name\">Flipboard<\/b><\/button><\/li>\n<li class=\"share-tools__service share-tools__service--email\"><button class=\"share-tools__email-link\" data-story-id=\"nx-s1-5872256\" data-metrics-ga4='{\"category\":\"share\",\"action\":\"share\",\"clickName\":\"email\"}'><b class=\"share-tools__service-name\">Email<\/b><\/button><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- END CLASS=\"SHARE-TOOLS SHARE-TOOLS-SECONDARY\" ARIA-LABEL=\"SHARE TOOLS\" --><br \/>\n<!-- END ID=\"NEWSLETTER-ACQUISITION-CALLOUT-DATA\" DATA-NEWSLETTER=\"{&amp;QUOT;NEWSLETTERID&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;NEWS&amp;QUOT;,&amp;QUOT;TITLE&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;UP FIRST&amp;QUOT;,&amp;QUOT;MARKETINGHEADER&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;SIGN UP FOR NPR&#039;S UP FIRST NEWSLETTER&amp;QUOT;,&amp;QUOT;FREQUENCY&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;EVERY DAY&amp;QUOT;,&amp;QUOT;SHORTDESCRIPTION&amp;QUOT;:&amp;QUOT;THE STORIES YOU NEED TO START YOUR DAY, HAND-PICKED FOR YOU EVERY WEEKDAY. 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