Ukraine hits Russia with 660 drones in major attack

Russia says it shot down 660 Ukrainian drones overnight Friday in one of the largest attacks on its soil and annexed Crimea since the war began more than four years ago. The Russian Defense Ministry reported the drones struck 12 Russian regions, plus the Crimean peninsula, the Black Sea and the Azov Sea. Crimea was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014. Ukraine has used long-range drones for months to hit oil facilities and energy sites deep inside Russia. Western officials say the campaign has choked Russian fuel supplies and slowed Moscow's military advances, putting pressure on President Vladimir Putin. The attack came hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a "40-day influence operation" aimed at forcing Russia to end the war. He said U.S. peace efforts over the past year have failed. In the Tula region south of Moscow, a woman was wounded when a drone damaged her home. A power line and an industrial facility in the city of Novomoskovsk were also hit. Russian independent outlet Astra reported a chemical plant and a hydroelectric plant there caught fire. The Associated Press could not confirm those reports. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 47 drones were shot down near the capital, with no casualties or damage reported. Ukraine said two civilians were killed and seven wounded in Russian attacks on the northeastern Kharkiv region over the past day. Russian forces used guided bombs and drones to hit the city of Kharkiv and 16 other towns. Ukraine's air force said it stopped 174 of 189 Russian drones overnight, but four of seven Iskander-M ballistic missiles got through.