Ukraine launched a large-scale drone strike targeting mainland Russia and the occupied Crimean Peninsula just after signaling a so-called "40-day operation" to bring Russia to the negotiating table.
The Russian Ministry of National Defense said in a statement on the 26th (local time) that it intercepted or shot down 660 Ukrainian military drones between the night before and early that morning. According to Russia, the attacks occurred simultaneously in the areas of Moscow, Belgorod, Kursk, the Crimean Peninsula, and the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
Ukraine's Security Service, the SBU, claimed it struck a Russian naval vessel and an air defense radar in the Crimean port city of Kerch with drones. The Associated Press assessed the attack as the largest drone strike targeting Crimea since Russia invaded Ukraine. The previous record-scale strike was reported to have involved 556 drones on May 17.
The attack came just hours after Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had "approved the SBU's 40-day influence operation to pressure Russia to end the war." Zelensky did not disclose details of the operation, but it is seen as making clear an intention to further intensify military pressure on Russia.
In the wake of the air raid, Crimea Republic head Sergey Aksyonov, appointed by Russia, declared a state of emergency in Crimea and Sevastopol in consultation with Sevastopol Mayor Mikhail Razvozhayev. Aksyonov said, "This measure is mainly to address economic issues." The Crimean Peninsula has been suffering energy supply shortages as refineries and other facilities were damaged in a series of recent Ukrainian attacks.