Ukraine Launches Massive Drone Campaign Against Russian Infrastructure

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy launched a coordinated drone campaign against Russian military and economic infrastructure between June 28 and July 1, 2026. Characterizing the operation as long-range sanctions, Ukrainian forces targeted satellite communications centers, oil refineries, and logistics bridges to pressure Russia into ending the war. A primary target was the Dubna Space Communications Center in the Moscow region, which was struck twice in one week.

The campaign coincided with a massive wave of drone attacks across 18 Russian regions. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed to have intercepted 419 drones, including over 60 targeting Moscow, which caused temporary closures at three international airports. In Yegoryevsk, a drone struck a private home, killing a six-month-old infant and injuring three others. Concurrent strikes on fuel facilities have reportedly led to gasoline shortages across Russia.

Russia retaliated with its own drone strikes on June 30, targeting four districts in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region and injuring three people. President Vladimir Putin remained defiant, asserting that Ukrainian strikes would not deter Russia's territorial goals in eastern Ukraine and claiming that Russian retaliatory strikes are more destructive.